Expedia investigation: Utah’s attorney general is investigating whether Expedia Group Inc. conspired with hotel companies including Hilton and Marriott International colluded with the travel website to manipulate search advertising on Google. Other states have joined the investigation, according to news reports.
Marriott 1Q: Marriott International reported 1Q 2019 results: RevPAR up 1.1% worldwide; net income of US$375 million, down 11% year-over-year; adjusted EBITDA of US$821 million, up 7% YOY; and a development pipeline of nearly 2,900 hotels and 475,000 rooms, up 3%. “Marriott’s performance in the first quarter was solid,” President and CEO Arne Sorenson said. “Year-over-year gross room openings accelerated to nearly 19,000 rooms, a first-quarter record.” Membership in Bonvoy, its loyalty program, rose by 5 million to nearly 130 million members. For 2Q, the company expects a 1% to 3% increase in RevPAR worldwide. “Incrementally negative,” opines Michael Bellisario, senior research analyst at Baird Equity Research, who points out that results came in softer than forecasted, mostly driven by soft RevPAR growth.