Specialised SME in Hotel Industry and Market

The aim of this paper is to research the positioning of small and medium-sized (SME) hotel companies as entrepreneurships in the tourism business competitive environment, as well as to consider further development potentials. The aim is to explore and point out importance of specialised SME that recognise both the tourist demand and hotel industry as tourist supply. Potentials for future activities and possibilities of valorisation of SME companies in the international tourism market will be presented by means of their consideration and the obtained knowledge. By using scientific quantitative and qualitative methods, the positions of the Croatian hotel industry have been considered followed by the research of opinion of Italian hotel managers as Italian tourism and hotel industry are recognised as leaders in SME hotel entrepreneurship and present best practice that developing markets could learn from. The opinions of the hoteliers (SME) have been researched by using the interview method and processed by method of analysis, synthesis, creative thinking, description and meta analysis on the potentials of market valorisation of their special particularities and the implemented promotional mix, as well as the survey research of tourists, processed using the statistical methodology. This methodology included Likert scale processed by statistical and mathematical methodology and presented by figures and tables. The research results point to the importance of specialisation of SME hotels through the concept of sustainable development, with implementation of an adequate marketing mix. This includes all the components that valorise a hotel product adapted to the modern trends of tourist demand.