Doorman Antonio Williams outside the Park Hyatt hotel
in downtown Chicago. (E. Jason
Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune)

By Julie Wernau | Hyatt Hotels Corp. will be concentrating on long-term growth and
expansion in light of near-term declines in occupancy, room rates and
lucrative group bookings that have hurt the hotel sector, the company
said in its first earnings call this morning since the company’s public
offering in November.

Mark Hoplamazian, president and chief executive officer for Hyatt, said
while the company stresses the importance of owning a portion of its
portfolio –  102 hotels versus 424 managed or franchised — they have
been concentrating efforts on increasing franchising and management
agreements that require little to no capital, particularly in Southeast
Asia, India and China, where revenue per available room has fared
better than in the U.S.

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