Did your favorite chain hotel suddenly disappear from the system? Don't be surprised if it happens. Hotel owners usually switch brands more often in a down economy. Marriott's new president, Arne Sorenson (profiled recently by the Washington Post), recently told Wall Street analysts that he expects Marriott to benefit from anxious hotel owners looking to boost business. During the post-9/11 downturn between 2001 and 2003, Marriott gained over 20,000 rooms this way, he said.

Read the full article at USA TODAY