Bethesda-based LaSalle Hotel Properties announced Wednesday that the hotel management firm experienced a drop in net income for the first quarter of 2007 of $17.6 million.

This year, LaSalle reported a net income of $15.7 million, a drop of more than 50 percent from last year?s mark of $33.3 million. Net income for the first quarter of 2006 also included a $38.4 million boost from the sale of the Chicago Marriott Downtown.