Summary Box: Marriott moves to 4th-quarter profit as business travel improves
THE QUARTER: Marriott International Inc. returned to a fourth-quarter profit as business travel starts to gain traction and leisure travelers continue to take advantage of discounts.
THE UPSIDE: Signs of a travel recovery are becoming more evident. Business travel is clearly improving. The lodging company also gave earnings outlooks in range of Wall Street's expectations and raised its guidance for a 2010 key revenue figure.
THE DOWNSIDE: It may still be a while before leisure travel comes back, because high unemployment and the weak economy are still squeezing consumers.
Copyright 2010 AP News
