Hyatt Hotels (NYSE: H) reported Q4 EPS of $0.26, $0.02 better than the analyst estimate of $0.24.

Comparable owned and leased hotels RevPAR increased 2.1% (4.4% excluding the effect of currency) in the fourth quarter of 2015 compared to the fourth quarter of 2014.

Mark S. Hoplamazian, president and chief executive officer of Hyatt Hotels Corporation, said, "Our business continues to perform well. We finished 2015 with solid fourth quarter results and anticipate another year of growth in 2016 based on expected comparable systemwide RevPAR growth of approximately 3.0% to 5.0%, excluding the impact of currency."

Mr. Hoplamazian continued, "Our fourth quarter results capped off another solid year during which we continued to execute consistent with our long-term strategy. The combination of higher RevPAR and increased margins as well as new hotel openings resulted in continued progress relative to our long-term goals.

"Over the last five years we have expanded our system of hotels by approximately 40%. Our expansion is a reflection of owner and guest preference for our brands. Virtually all of the hotels that we opened over the last five years were new or recently renovated, resulting in a current global system that we believe is unrivaled in product quality, innovation, and leading design. Our openings have provided more travel opportunities for our guests and more career opportunities for our colleagues. In 2016, we expect to open a record number of hotels as the momentum for our brands continues to build.

"Our healthy balance sheet has allowed us to make investments in our business, while at the same time returning capital to shareholders. Over the last five years we have decreased our shares outstanding by more than 20%. While we continue to focus on making investments in our business, we expect to continue repurchasing our stock, as reflected by a recent $250 million expansion of our share repurchase authorization.

"Looking forward, we are confident in our short-term outlook, in part due to our high mix of earnings in the U.S. Over the long term, we expect to create significant shareholder value, given our portfolio of strong brands, very high-quality owned and leased hotels, and significant liquidity for future investments

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