IHG H1 2026 RevPAR Up 4.1% as Operating Profit Rises 10%

IHG Hotels & Resorts posted a 4.1 percent increase in global RevPAR and a 10 percent rise in operating profit from reportable segments to $665 million for the first half of 2026. Growth was propelled by accelerating U.S. trading, international demand, and rapid portfolio expansion via conversions. [1]

What drove IHG's financial performance in the first half of 2026?

IHG's total revenue expanded 6 percent to $2.659 billion, while overall operating profit increased 8 percent to $671 million during the first six months of 2026. [1] Asian Hospitality reported that fee business revenue advanced 7 percent to $971 million, which lifted fee business operating profit by 9 percent to $640 million. [1] Adjusted earnings per share rose 13 percent to 274.7 cents from 242.5 cents in the prior-year period. [1] IHG generated $360 million in adjusted free cash flow and plans to return more than $1.2 billion to shareholders across the full year. [1]

How did regional RevPAR and travel segments perform?

Americas RevPAR increased 4.8 percent across the first half, supported by a 3.3 percent rise in average room rate and a one percentage point gain in occupancy. [1] U.S. RevPAR gained 4.5 percent across the first half, accelerating from 3.4 percent in the first quarter to 5.2 percent in the second quarter. [1] By customer segment, U.S. group rooms revenue climbed 10 percent, leisure advanced 4 percent, and business travel rose 3 percent. [1] Hotel Dive reported that Americas RevPAR rose 5.4 percent year over year in the second quarter alone, assisted by an estimated 100 basis point lift from the FIFA World Cup and resilient U.S. consumer spending. [2] Competitor Hilton also reported U.S. RevPAR gains from the tournament. [2]

How rapidly is IHG expanding its global hotel footprint?

IHG opened 197 hotels encompassing 31,500 rooms in the first six months, representing an 8 percent organic increase when excluding its 2025 acquisition of the Ruby brand. [[1], [2]] The group signed 352 hotels comprising 49,196 rooms—also up 8 percent organically—including 12,500 rooms signed across the Americas. [[1], [2]] Global net system size grew 5 percent to reach 1,048,731 rooms across 7,109 hotels worldwide. [1] The global development pipeline reached 347,691 rooms across 2,385 hotels, up 3 percent year on year, with approximately half of those rooms currently under construction. [1] In the United States, the estate reached 4,129 properties, with net system growth standing at 1.4 percent and a pipeline representing 20 percent of current room supply. [1]

What role are brand conversions and acquisitions playing in system growth?

Conversions served as a primary expansion channel, accounting for 43 percent of all openings and 49 percent of signings during the first half. [1] CEO Elie Maalouf noted that newer offerings like Noted Collection represented one-third of total conversion signings. [2] In addition, the franchise-friendly Ruby brand grew to 42 open hotels, up from 30 properties at the time IHG acquired it. [2]

How is IHG rolling out artificial intelligence and cloud technology?

IHG is currently deploying a cloud-based property management system scheduled to reach 4,000 hotels by the end of the year. [2] On the digital and guest engagement front, the company launched an application inside ChatGPT to connect users to real-time hotel data and direct booking channels. [2] IHG also rolled out an AI conversational search tool across its website and mobile app, while piloting a cloud-based customer relationship management platform to personalize guest interactions. [2]

What are IHG's expectations for the remainder of 2026?

IHG confirmed it is on track to meet full-year consensus profit and earnings expectations. [[1], [2]] While ongoing conflict in the Middle East continues to disrupt international travel patterns in that sub-region, the company expects the broader expansion across Greater China, the Americas, and EMEAA to offset those headwinds. [[1], [2]]