Hotel Stocks: Going Global
For a long time now, the magic phrase for stocks has been "global exposure."
Top leisure industry analyst Robert LaFleur indicates it's as true in his sector as it is anywhere.
The gaming, lodging and leisure analyst for Susquehanna Financial Group says room rates have been able to keep ahead of inflation, although the margin is narrowing.
Recommendations:
"You've had a lot of talk about the weak dollar, and its impact on people staying closer to home, and also drawing Europeans and Canadians here, so we look at a company like Starwood [Hotels & Resorts Worldwide] ," he told CNBC. "It has a broad international diversification across multiple price points and multiple brands."
"Marriott is not as internationally diversified as Starwood," he said, "[but] really, it's got every brand across every price point, very high quality operators, extremely attractive from a valuation standpoint."
Disclosures:
Neither LaFleur nor his firm own shares of, or have any commercial relationship with, Starwood or Marriott.
