For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL – April 01, 2014 – Today, Zacks Equity Research discusses the Hotels & Lodging, including Hyatt Hotels Corporation (H-Free Report), Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (HLT-Free Report), Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc. (HOT-Free Report) and Marriott International, Inc. (MAR-Free Report).

Industry: Hotels & Lodging

Link: http://www.zacks.com/commentary/31953/

Demand Exceeds Supply: A gradual recovery in the broader economy has boosted the hotel industry as demand picks up for both leisure and transient business travel. With limited supply and strong demand, the room rates are seeing a northward movement.
Smith Travel Research expects the sector’s demand growth to be 2.4% in 2014 in the U.S. with only a 0.1% increase in supply.

According to Hyatt Hotels Corporation (H-Free Report) and Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (HLT-Free Report), the supply-demand environment in the business is favorable with healthy demand growth outpacing levels of supply growth that are still well below long-term averages. This would lead to incremental rate increases, thereby driving RevPar higher.
The North American Recovery: System-wide occupancies in North America appear to be pretty steady and above the prior peak level achieved in 2006 following the gradual improvement in the economy.

With the boost in the economic sector and an improving travel and tourism industry, hotel companies are well poised for growth. North America is still the largest market for Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc. (HOT-Free Report). In 2014, the company expects another year of robust growth in North America and plans to open about one-third of its new hotels in the region.

International Expansion: Owing to the saturation in the U.S market, major hoteliers are exploring growth opportunities abroad. Some international markets offer greater potential based on the higher pace of economic growth. The demand for hotels in the international market is greater than in the U.S. and the pace of recovery is particularly faster. The positive fundamentals in foreign markets have spurred hoteliers to grab a larger piece of the overseas pie.

A number of U.S.-based hoteliers are targeting the unsaturated markets of Asia-Pacific, Brazil, Russia and Africa. Within Asia, China promises lucrative growth opportunities with visits expected to increase substantially in 2014. China is in fact a major contributor to both Starwood Hotels and Marriott International, Inc. (MAR-Free Report) revenues.

Apart from China, India is now becoming a hot spot for western hoteliers, as the country is emerging as a global business hub. Major players in the industry are also eyeing the Latin American countries, particularly Brazil and Mexico. Brazil primarily attracts affluent domestic tourists in the flush of an economic resurgence.

Moreover, with major events like the FIFA World Cup in 2014 and the Summer Olympics in 2016, the Brazilian government has turned its focus on improving the country’s infrastructure. The events will significantly increase tourism in the country and the demand for hotel rooms will shoot up.

In Europe, too, the scenario is improving. In fact, select markets in Southern Europe, which were hard hit during the recession, have begun to report growth. The bullish trend can be validated by Starwood’s system-wide occupancy data in the fourth quarter, which was an impressive 68.0% in Europe.

About Zacks

Zacks.com is a property of Zacks Investment Research, Inc., which was formed in 1978. The later formation of the Zacks Rank, a proprietary stock picking system; continues to outperform the market by nearly a 3 to 1 margin. The best way to unlock the profitable stock recommendations and market insights of Zacks Investment Research is through our free daily email newsletter; Profit from the Pros. In short, it's your steady flow of Profitable ideas GUARANTEED to be worth your time! Click here for your free subscription to Profit from the Pros.

Get the full Report on H- FREE
Get the full Report on HLT- FREE
Get the full Report on HOT- FREE
Get the full Report on MAR- FREE

Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/zacksresearch

Join us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/Zacks-Investment-Research/57553657748?ref=ts

Zacks Investment Research is under common control with affiliated entities (including a broker-dealer and an investment adviser), which may engage in transactions involving the foregoing securities for the clients of such affiliates.

Media Contact
Zacks Investment Research
800-767-3771 ext. 9339
support@zacks.com
http://www.zacks.com

Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss. This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole. Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking, market making or asset management activities of any securities. These returns are from hypothetical portfolios consisting of stocks with Zacks Rank = 1 that were rebalanced monthly with zero transaction costs. These are not the returns of actual portfolios of stocks. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index. Visit http://www.zacks.com/performance for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release.

Read the analyst report on H

Read the analyst report on HLT

Read the analyst report on HOT

Read the analyst report on MAR


Zacks Investment Research