NEW YORK, July 5 (UPI) -- Following up on Blackstone's acquiring Hilton Hotels for $26 billion in cash, the big question is said to be whether Marriott or Starwood might be next.
The deal, fueling a flurry of speculation, means acquisitive private-equity buyers have finally cracked the Big Three of U.S.-based publicly held hotel giants, the Wall Street Journal said.
Under the plan, Blackstone will pay $47.50 a share, a 40 percent premium to Monday's closing price of $33.87, and assume $6 billion in debt, the Journal said.
Blackstone already controls more than 100,000 hotel rooms in the United States and Europe, including LaQuinta Inns and Suites and LXR Luxury Resorts & Hotels.
Hilton's hotels include the flagship Hilton chain as well as Embassy Suites, Doubletree, Hampton Inn and the luxury Waldorf Astoria collection, some 2,800 hotels and more than 480,000 rooms worldwide.
