Hotel buyouts a bonanza for many mutual funds

BOSTON (Reuters) - Hotel buyouts are proving a bonanza for mutual funds which snapped up Hilton, Marriott and other hotel stocks after the September 11, 2001, attacks. Private-equity firm Blackstone Group's (BX.N) $20 billion bid for Hilton Hotels Corp. (HLT.N) on Tuesday sparked a 27 percent rise in shares of the second-biggest U.S. hotel chain over Thursday and Friday, and boosted those of Hilton's rivals.