Tourism is undergoing many changes today and it is one of the fastest growing branches of the global economy. The emphasis is no longer placed on mass tourism but on specialized tourism products that contribute to the differentiation of supply and to the strengthening of the image of a particular destination. Although mass tourism attracts a large number of tourists, specialized tourism products have a greater impact, which contributes to the reduction of seasonality. With a diverse range of specialized products and proper management, it is possible to attract tourists beyond the high season. Specialized tourism products allow tourists to spend their own income on additional facilities provided at a particular hotel, and these services have a positive impact on the overall experience of a tourist stay. The aim of the diploma thesis was to investigate market positioning as an element of marketing strategy and to present the importance of market research, i.e. what more beneficial hotel industry can have, theoretically investigate and describe the characteristics of hotel services and their market positioning, the role of marketing concept in hotel business and finally specialized hotel industry, present the types, categorization and special standards of catering according to the Statute of the Republic of Croatia. During the theoretical elaboration of topic, special attention was given to design in the hotel industry, especially its influence and importance in the architecture for positioning the hotel in the tourist market, and the development of the hotel industry. Also, a survey was conducted on the perceptions of the importance of design in architecture and positioning in the tourism market, which yielded interesting results.