The present study is based on the results of research conducted in 2007 by a group of researchers in the Tourism-Services Department of the Commerce Faculty in ASE Bucharest. In the first part of our paper the complexity of the concept of competitiveness, the factors of competitiveness as well as its particularities in the hospitality industry are highlighted. The factors that influence competitiveness in the hospitality industry, as apparent in specialized literature, are outlined and explained. A strong point of our study is represented by research on the relation between strategy, competition and competitiveness. The research method chosen was the survey based on a questionnaire on a representative sample of hotels in 7 cities of the country. The paper presents the main results of the research, as well as the elements (the main levels) of the competitiveness model in the hospitality industry, a model created on the basis of the results of this research, as well based on the synthesis of research existent in specialized literature.

Competitiveness, the factors of competitiveness, the hospitality industry, the competitiveness model, competitive strategy