This paper, using fuzzy incidence matrix, determines the causes why of major hotel chains in the world by number of rooms have used certain growth strategies for implement their international expansion. Both direct cause and second generation causes have been identified. In fact, determining the second generation effects (or forgotten effects) is one of the main contributions of this study as it shows that those causes that are usually not foreseen, at least in the first instance, affect notably in the expansion strategies of hotel chains in the medium and long term.