Marriott’s profits dip in 4Q

Marriott reported a 7 percent dip in fourth-quarter income Thursday, attributing the decrease to its little-known synthetic fuel business and not its core hospitality business.

The Bethesda-based company, which is the world’s largest hotel chain by revenue, reported a net income of $220 million, or 52 cents per share. That figure was down from $237 million, or 54 cents per share, in the fourth quarter of 2005. Despite the drop, Marriott still beat Wall Street analyst’s expectations, which had predicted the fourth quarter would close out at 49 cents per share.