This report provides a financial quarterly trend analysis for Marriott International, Inc. The U. S. -based company has been in the lodging business since 1957 and currently operates in more than 70 countries worldwide, making it one of the oldest and largest hotel corporations in the world. Marriott International’s stock is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) under the symbol “MAR”, which we will use to reference the company throughout this report. Our team chose to analyze MAR for the following reasons:
In our Organizational Behavior class, we completed the “Work Preferences Indicator” and discovered that the field of hospitality management was recommended for everyone on our team. The hotel industry is booming in Panama (with over 12,000 new rooms currently under construction for delivery by 2013). Marriott has had a strong market presence over the last decade and currently commands one of the highest room rates in Panama City. It is also undergoing an aggressive expansion and remodeling of its two properties at this time.
Most of us are frequent business travelers and often stay in Marriott-flagged properties. One of our team members was a former sales and marketing director for a luxury resort anchored by a Marriott hotel, Los Suenos Resort & Marina in Costa Rica. Using various financial websites, we obtained financial statements and trading information for MAR and its closest competitor, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. , which will serve as an industry benchmark for the purposes of this report.
Key financial ratios for both companies were computed for the four most recent quarters, and these form the basis for the financial trend comparison and industry performance comparative financial analysis. In addition, we carried out a comparative SWOT analysis for MAR and used this qualitative information, together with the quantitative data from the previously mentioned trend and industry comparative analyses, to provide recommendations to investors and lenders.
