hyatt hotels

A surprising pickup in business and vacation travel in recent months has energized the otherwise languid hotel business. Analysts now expect the uptick to continue. Here are four lodging companies that offer investors the best chance of riding the industry's wave.

The threat of family feuds and a worldwide slump in hotel reservations couldn't dampen Hyatt Hotels Corp. (H) on its first day of trading on the New York Stock Exchange. The high-end hotel chain rose more than 12 percent on Thursday after raising $950 million in its initial public offering the...