Today's Research on Starwood and Marriott: Hotel Industry to Expand This Year

LONDON, February 14, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

Hospitality industry is expecting a good year as the U.S. economy shows signs of recovery. Major lodging companies are also on track with their plans to expand in emerging economies. However, the industry still faces the challenge of soft demand in Europe. The woe is evident from Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc.'s (NYSE: HOT) quarterly results. The company posted fourth quarter loss due to sluggish demand in Europe. Marriott International Inc. (NYSE: MAR) plans to fuel its growth by expanding in emerging economies like India and Thailand. StockCall professionals have completed their technical analysis on Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide and Marriott International; and these free reports are accessible by registering at

http://www.stockcall.com/research  

Starwood Hotels to Grow in North America

Starwood Hotels & Resorts is looking to ramp up its operations to benefit from improved economic conditions and acceleration in travel activities. The company opened 23 hotels in North America throughout 2012. It also expects to ink new conversion deals. Starwood Hotels & Resorts proposes to focus on North American market while carrying out expansions in international markets as well. However, it expects its major chunk of business to take place in North America as more than two third of its new hotels are likely to be situated in the U.S. or Canada. Sign up for the free technical research on Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc. at

http://www.StockCall.com/MAR021413.pdf  

Starwood Hotels & Resorts is also planning to capture mid-market travel traffic to boost its growth. It has various brands such as Aloft and Four Points by Sheraton operating in the mid-market segment. However, its expansion in the mid-market will not come at the cost of its premium segment. Starwood Hotels & Resorts is planning to open 8 new Le Meridien properties in 2013. It also plans to enter Dominican Republic with its Sheraton Santo Domingo brand in 2014.

Starwood Hotels & Resorts stock grew 11 percent in past 12 months. The company announced its fourth quarter earnings at $142 million. Its net income declined due to increased costs. It also suffered from slow growth in Europe. The lodging company plans to neutralize the impact of the slowdown in Europe by growing aggressively in the North American market. The stock is expected to move up in response to better growth in 2013.

Marriott Boosts Presence in Thailand

Marriott International plans to grow by expanding its presence in the emerging markets like China and India. The hotel company recently opened its new flagship hotels in Indian cities like Bangalore and Bhopal. It also plans to boost its presence in Thailand and inked a new deal with TCC Hotel Group. Marriott International will open seven new hotels under this deal. It currently has 12 hotels operating in the country. It plans to have 7,000 rooms capacity in Thailand by 2017. Be sure to read our latest technical research on Marriott International Inc.by registering at

http://www.StockCall.com/HOT021413.pdf  

Marriott International is scheduled to announce its fourth quarter earnings on February 19^th. It is expected to report its EPS at 55 cents per share. The company had earned 46 cents per share for the corresponding quarter of last year. It had been reporting declining revenue for the past three quarters and the trend is likely to continue for the fourth quarter as well. Its revenue is expected to be at $3.66 billion. The company's stock appreciated 15 percent in the past 12 months. However, with improved results, the stock is likely to provide better returns.

About StockCall.com

StockCall.com is a financial website where investors can have easy, precise and comprehensive research and opinions on stocks making the headlines. Sign up today to talk to our financial analyst at

http://www.stockcall.com  

SOURCE StockCall.com