Hyatt (H) To Debut In Finland, Strengthen Presence In Europe

To capitalize on demand for hotels in international markets, Hyatt Hotels Corporation (NYSE:H) affiliate signed a franchisee agreement with Primehotels Oy to develop Grand Hansa Hotel in Helsinki. This marks the company’s first The Unbound Collection-branded hotel in Finland and the eighth addition to its portfolio in Europe.

Grand Hansa Hotel is likely to open in 2022. The 224-roomed property, strategically located at Helsinki, will be in close proximity to the Central Railway Station and Helsinki Airport.

Moreover, the Grand Hansa Hotel is expected to boost the company’s brands presence in Europe, joining Hotel du Louvre in Paris, Parisi Udvar Hotel in Budapest, Hôtel Martinez in Cannes, Sofia Barcelona in Spain as well as Hotel du Palais, Biarritz and the recently opened Great Scotland Yard Hotel in London.

The move reflects on the company’s efforts to expand its footprint and strengthen The Unbound Collection brand. In the past six months, shares of Hyatt have gained 13.3% compared with the industry’s 8.9% growth.

Unit Expansion Bodes Well

In order to maintain its position as the fastest-growing global hospitality company, Hyatt is focusing on unit growth. The company is consistently trying to expand its presence in regions like Asia Pacific, Africa, the Middle East and Latin America. Expansion in these markets will enable the company to gain market share in the hospitality industry, which will boost business.

As of Sep 30 2019, the company's portfolio included more than 875 properties in 60 countries across six continents. Moreover, the company has announced further expansion plans in Australia, Brazil, Germany, the U.K., Indonesia, Japan, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Thailand, the Netherlands and others.

Given that the company’s new brand signings have consistently exceeded the openings globally, the trend is expected to continue in the upcoming periods as well. For 2019, Hyatt expects unit growth in the range of 7.25-7.75%, which indicates 80 new hotel openings.

Zacks Rank & Key Picks

Currently, Hyatt carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

Some better-ranked stocks in the Zacks Consumer Discretionary sector are JAKKS Pacific, Inc (NASDAQ:JAKK) , GreenTree Hospitality Group Ltd (NYSE:H) and Civeo Corporation (NYSE:CVEO) . JAKKS Pacific and GreenTree sport a Zacks Rank #1, whereas Civeo carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

JAKKS Pacific has three-five year expected earnings per share growth rate of 5%.

GreenTree’s earnings for 2020 are expected to rise approximately 19.8%.

Civeo reported better-than-expected earnings in three of the trailing four quarters, the average being 42.5%.

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