Dive Brief:

• Hilton’s systemwide RevPAR increased 3.9% year over year in the second quarter of 2026, driven by “underlying demand recovery in the U.S., where business transient and group both exceeded expectations, and a strong World Cup,” Kevin Jacobs, executive vice president and chief financial officer for Hilton, said on an earnings call. 
• In the quarter, Hilton approved 42,900 new rooms for development, growing its development pipeline 6% year over year to a record 541,300 rooms — marking one of its “best quarters in our history for signings,” President and CEO Chris Nassetta said on the call.
• Also on the call, Hilton executives voiced optimism for the year ahead and raised the company’s full-year systemwide RevPAR growth forecast from between 2% and 3% year over year to between 3% and 3.5%, due to the momentum observed in the second quarter and a boost from the World Cup.

Dive Insight:

“We delivered strong top- and bottom-line results for the second quarter, driven by strengthening demand trends and broad-based momentum across our system,” Nassetta said in a Q2 earnings release. 

U.S. RevPAR, specifically, grew 5.4% year over year, “driven by strong demand across all segments,” with business travel exceeding expectations, as well as a boost from the World Cup, Jacobs said. 

For full-year 2026, Hilton forecasts U.S. RevPAR growth to be in the “mid-single digits,” per Jacobs, bolstered by macroeconomic tailwinds, including “supportive” tax and regulatory policy, increased private sector investment in artificial intelligence and “ongoing public infrastructure spending,” Nasetta added. 

Hilton’s “disciplined development strategy” also contributed to strong results.

Hilton’s room signings in the quarter represented the “second-largest” quarterly signings in the company’s history — up 50% from the first quarter, Nassetta said. About 35% of the signings were in the luxury and lifestyle segment, including the forthcoming Waldorf Astoria Miami Beach, its debut in the market, slated to open in winter 2027.

Also during the second quarter, Hilton launched Undergraduate by Hilton, a new upper midscale lifestyle brand aimed at serving a broader range of college and university markets. During the call, Nassetta noted that Undergraduate, which serves as a flexible, scalable complement to its Graduate brand, has “long-term expansion potential of more than 400 hotels.” 

Nassetta attributed Hilton’s dozens of brands and ability to launch new ones as a “competitive advantage,” adding he expects the company’s current brand offerings to continue “driving more than half of our net unit growth in the years ahead.”