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What: Shares of hotel company Orient-Express Hotels
So what: Growth was in the cards for the fourth quarter, as total revenue climbed 10% from a year ago -- to $136 million -- as revenue per available room increased 11%. The company still reported a loss for the quarter, but that loss slimmed from $0.16 per share a year ago to $0.09. That result was also better than analysts' estimates, which called for a $0.12-per-share loss. On the basis of adjusted EBITDA -- a cash-flow-like measure -- the final quarter of the year registered 31% YOY growth.
Now what: In 2011 and early this year, the company noted its efforts to strengthen its balance sheet, including the recent sale of a Virginia hotel for $22 million. Now it sounds like continued growth is on the agenda for 2012. While the state of the global economy will definitely play a role in Orient-Express' fortunes, management sounded stoked about what it's seen so far this year. Their press release noted:
[W]e are encouraged by our booking patterns, which indicate continued healthy demand in the luxury travel sector. Total revenue from owned hotels achieved and on the books for 2012 is currently about 8% above the comparable total at the same time last year.
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