Since COVID-19 passed, the hotel stock market has been gradually gaining momentum. Tourists are coming back, international travel is recovering, and domestic tourism is picking up strongly—prompting many people to start wondering whether stocks in this sector are interesting.

I’ve also looked into hotel stocks, both in Thailand and abroad, and it turns out there are some truly worth paying attention to.

In Thailand, MINT (Minor) is particularly strong. Last year’s performance showed net profit increasing by more than 43%. It has a wide range of hotel brands, from luxury to mid-range, making it a good fit for many types of travelers. AWC also looks good—it’s located in prime locations in Thailand and benefits from comprehensive, end-to-end real estate development.

CENTEL is also interesting. This company invested 3 years’ worth of capital totaling 19,000 million baht to expand by opening 9 new hotels, and it is also preparing to revamp its luxury-brand hotels. It is expected that revenue in 2568 will reach 15,000 million baht, growing by over 23%. ERW and SHR also each have their own strengths. ERW has good risk diversification, while SHR focuses on the high-end segment and has strong funding.

For overseas markets, MAR (Marriott) is the largest hotel group in the world, with many brands such as Ritz-Carlton and Sheraton—there’s no need to elaborate. HLT (Hilton) also has a wide network, with professional management. WH (Wyndham) focuses on the mid-range and budget markets, which are markets with a large volume.

When selecting hotel stocks, you need to consider several factors: financial performance, growth potential, occupancy rate, average daily rate (ADR), and revenue per available room (RevPAR)—all of them matter. You should also check whether the company has strong brands, whether it has risk diversification, and whether the hotel’s location is a popular tourist attraction.

For trading, Thai investors can buy Thai stocks through regular brokers, invest via mutual funds, or choose CFD services if they prefer short-term trading—but you need to be careful about the risks.

In summary, hotel stocks have been truly worth watching over the past year, thanks to the recovery in tourism and the government’s supportive policies. But remember that investing involves risks. The global economy, political conditions, or unforeseen events can all have an impact. You should study the information thoroughly before making a decision.