Dive Brief:
- Marriott International saw RevPAR increase 6.5% year over year in the third quarter of 2026, representing 7.4% growth in the U.S. and Canada as well as 4.4% growth in international markets, according to a Monday earnings report.
- The company saw higher ADR and occupancy globally in the quarter, with “broad-based growth across customer segments and chain scales” in the U.S. and Canada, Marriott CEO Anthony Capuano said in a statement.
- On the results, Marriott raised its full-year 2026 global RevPAR growth outlook to a range between 4.5% and 5%. The company also saw momentum on the development and loyalty fronts during Q3, Capuano said.
Dive Insight:
Marriott reported Q3 growth “above prior expectations” as “travel demand has been remarkably robust this year, despite geopolitical uncertainty,” Capuano said on a Monday earnings call.
Leisure RevPAR rose 7% YOY globally and 9% in the U.S. and Canada in Q3, “as people around the world continue to prioritize in-person experiences like travel,” Capuano said. CFO Jen Mason added that the World Cup in June and July provided a boost to the company’s RevPAR.
Meanwhile, group RevPAR increased 6% YOY globally and 7% in the U.S. and Canada in Q3, while business transient RevPAR was up 4% globally and 5% in the U.S. and Canada for the period, per Capuano.
Luxury and resort hotels led RevPAR growth in the U.S. and Canada in Q3, with the segment’s RevPAR increasing 12% year over year, Capuano said.
Looking ahead to the fourth quarter, Marriott expects “the strong demand trends that we saw in the third quarter across chain scales and customer segments to continue” in the U.S. and Canada, Mason said.
Additionally, Marriott’s development activity remained strong in Q3, with the company’s global pipeline growing more than 6% year over year to a record 634,000 rooms, Capuano said. Marriott’s global portfolio added roughly 20,100 rooms in the quarter, representing 4.6% year-over-year net rooms growth, per the release.
The company also saw record global organic signings year to date through September, per Capuano. Conversions “continued to be an important driver of growth,” representing more than a third of signings and more than 40% of openings, he said.
During Q3, Marriott announced hotel conversions under its Series by Marriott and JW Marriott brands. The company is also expanding its W Hotels brand with a hotel in Charlotte, North Carolina, and its first branded apartment rental property in Cleveland, Ohio.
Marriott also made progress on its multiyear technology transformation during Q3, expanding its use of artificial intelligence across the enterprise, Capuano said.
On the loyalty front, Marriott’s collaborations with Uber, Starbucks and other partners helped drive Marriott Bonvoy membership to approximately 309 million members in Q3, per Capuano.
Marriott appointed a new senior vice president of loyalty in September as it taps into experiential loyalty offerings and teams up with “everyday lifestyle partners” to cater to shifting guest preferences.
Also in September, Marriott confirmed to Hotel Dive it had undertaken a strategic review of its Customer Engagement Centers, with “organizational changes” being implemented as a result of the review.
A company spokesperson told Hotel Dive last week that Marriott expects to make “job reductions and role changes” across some global corporate disciplines as part of its “regular budget and planning process.”
“We are not breaking out the number or specifics of impacted roles, but I can tell you that while some roles are being eliminated, many affected associates are expected to apply for and be selected for the new positions and will remain employed with the company,” the spokesperson said in a statement.
