Marriott International Inc., the world's largest hotel operator, has battled back against online travel agents such as Expedia.com to become the eighth-biggest Internet retailer by sales. That's one of the reasons investors should buy the stock even after a 10 percent tumble this year.
Through Marriott.com, the Bethesda, Maryland-based lodging company sold $3.7 billion worth of rooms in 2006, more than doubling revenue from the site in 2004. For the first half of 2007, Web sales for Marriott hotels, which range from luxury Ritz-Carltons to lower-priced Fairfield Inns, were up almost 25 percent.
``You're looking for efficiencies any way you can, and this is a terrific place to find them,'' said Joseph Betlej, who manages $1.2 billion including Marriott shares for Advantus Capital Management in St. Paul, Minnesota. ``A room that they sell on their own Web site is the cheapest way they can sell a room.''
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