Hotel IPOs

It is not often that hotel companies go public, at least companies with marquee names like Hyatt.http://msnbc.msn.com/id/12240525/ In today’s lush economic times (even for the lodging industry) going public may seem obvious but the privately held company owned by the very private Pritzker family has been around for more than a few economic cycles and has planted its flag rather succesfully in virtually every continent. In a rare interview, Chairman and CEO, Tom Pritzker has signalled the likelihood of an IPO after a restructuring of the company following a messy legal dispute involving family members. While the dispute, together with the dismal economic climate a short two years ago may have precluded an IPO till now, it is hard to explain why the company retained a familial rather public structure through the industry’s boom years in the 80’s and late 90’s. Whatever the reason, the company’s stock in a future IPO should be a great buy given its strong brand recognition, particularly internationally. Hyatt is planning on opening 15 new hotels over the next three to four years in one of the fastest growing markets, India. That together with a further 10 hotels being developed in China puts the company in the forefront of the race for a big footprint in the two most populous countries in the world.