Dive Brief:
- Marriott International saw worldwide RevPAR increase 3.4% year over year in the second quarter of 2026, bolstered by 5% year-over-year growth in the U.S. and Canada, according to an earnings report published Monday.
- RevPAR gains were driven by luxury and resort hotels, with luxury RevPAR up more than 9% year over year in the second quarter, Marriott CEO Anthony Capuano said during a Monday earnings call. Despite luxury leading, “strength was pervasive across chain scales,” Capuano said.
- On the results, Marriott increased its full-year systemwide RevPAR outlook, now expecting growth between 3% and 3.5% for 2026. Also during the second quarter, “development activity remained strong,” and Marriott made progress on its multiyear technology transformation, per Capuano.
Dive Insight:
Marriott’s second-quarter results exceeded expectations, with RevPAR in the U.S. and Canada seeing the highest quarterly increase in 13 quarters, or just over three years, Capuano said on the call.
Marriott saw year-over-year RevPAR growth across all customer segments in the U.S. and Canada in Q2, with leisure RevPAR increasing 7% and group RevPAR rising 4%. Meanwhile, business transient RevPAR increased 3% year over year in the region, with government RevPAR benefiting from easier year-over-year comparisons, according to Capuano.
According to Marriott CFO Jen Mason, strong World Cup performance in June and July provided a slightly larger boost to the company’s full-year global RevPAR than expected. Marriott competitors Hilton and Hyatt also benefited from the tournament, the companies’ CEOs noted during Q2 earnings calls last month.
Looking ahead, Marriott expects that “the strong demand trend that extended into July across chain scales and customer segments” will continue, Mason said. Third-quarter RevPAR will likely see a lift from World Cup performance, while the fourth quarter could see “a small negative impact” from November's midterm elections, she added.
In terms of development, Marriott’s global pipeline grew nearly 7% year over year to a new record of approximately 629,000 rooms at the end of June, Capuano said. Conversions, including multi-unit deals, remained a significant driver of growth throughout the first half of 2026, representing 34% of signings and 40% of openings during the period.
Marriott’s overall system size increased 4.5% year over year in the second quarter to more than 10,000 properties, with nearly 1.8 million rooms, per the report.
On the technology side, Marriott is “increasingly leveraging AI across the enterprise to help deliver revenue to owners more efficiently, as well as elevating the guest experience and automating workflows for associates,” Capuano said on the call. In June, Marriott launched Ask Bonvoy, an artificial intelligence-powered search tool for travelers.
Marriott also plans to roll out a new “intent to recommend” incentive in the U.S. and Canada that will provide a fee discount for hotels that receive strong guest satisfaction scores, Capuano shared on the call.
