(Reuters) – U.S. hotel operator Marriott International
Marriott’s shares, down 40.3% this year, fell 3.8% in premarket trading as the company also reported an 84.4% plunge in revenue per available room (RevPAR) – a key performance measure for the hotel industry.
However, Marriott said it now expects a gradual rise in occupancy rates across the world although it may be a few years before it sees a return to pre-COVID period demand levels, echoing smaller rival Hilton’s comments from last week.
“While our business continues to be profoundly impacted by COVID-19, we are seeing steady signs of demand returning”, Marriott Chief Executive Officer Arne Sorenson said in a statement.
For the full year, the company currently estimates rooms could grow by 2 to 3 percent.
The company’s loss attributable to stockholders was $234 million, or 72 cents per share, in the second quarter ended June 30, compared with net income of $232 million, or 69 cents per share, a year earlier.
Marriott last reported a quarterly loss in the third quarter of 2011.
Total revenue plunged 72.4% to $1.46 billion.
On an adjusted basis, Marriott reported a loss of $0.64 per share.
Analysts on average had estimated revenue of $1.68 billion and loss of $0.42 per share for the quarter, according to Refinitiv IBES data.
(Reporting by Ashwini Raj and Ankit Ajmera in Bengaluru; Editing by Maju Samuel)
