There is likely to be renewed enthusiasm for Australian hotel stock in 2002, according to investment advisor Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels. The catch, as ever, will be price valuations. “The perception is that many Australian hotel markets are at the bottom of the hotel cycle and it is therefore a good time to buy,” said Geordie Clark, executive vice president, Jones Lang La Salle Hotels. “However, post-September 11, the price gap between owners and buyers has proven to be a deal obstacle and we expect this challenge to continue in 2002.” The latest Jones Lang La Salle annual Top Owner survey shows there was little hotel buying activity in Australia in 2001, compared to Sydney Olympics year 2000 when a spate of acquisitions and development activities resulted in a 17 percent increase in the number of rooms owned by the Top 20 companies. “The local market has been relatively untouched by the more recent global merger and acquisition activity and many Australian markets have completed their development phase of the cycle,” said Clark.