(Adds share performances in 22nd, 23rd paragraphs.)
By Nadja Brandt and Armorel Kenna
March 16 (Bloomberg) -- Julian Saipe is finally taking his family on the dream vacation he put off amid last year’s recession. Apparently, so are plenty of other people.
Saipe was surprised to find the Oceana boutique hotel in Santa Monica, California, felt no need to negotiate a lower price. “I tried to do a deal and they said no,” said Saipe, 41, managing director of Zafferano, a corporate party catering business in London. “It seems really busy.”
Hotel occupancy rates are forecast to rebound this year in the U.S. and Europe. Room prices may follow in 2011, according to analysts including Patrick Scholes at FBR Capital Markets & Co. Some luxury hotels have already been able to lift rates as demand for $600 rooms, butler service and poolside cabanas recovers in cities such as Miami, New York and London.