Marriott Lifts 2026 Guidance on 6.5% Q3 RevPAR Growth

Marriott International raised its full-year worldwide RevPAR growth projection to between 4.5 percent and 5 percent after posting a 6.5 percent global RevPAR gain for the third quarter of 2026 [1], [3]. The updated guidance marks an increase from the company's August forecast of 3.5 percent to 4 percent growth [1]. According to Hotel Dive, performance beat management's internal expectations due to resilient travel demand and a calendar lift from the summer World Cup [3]. Asian Hospitality reported that adjusted diluted earnings per share reached $3.02, comfortably ahead of the prior guidance range of $2.74 to $2.82 [1].

RevPAR Growth Across Customer Segments

The 6.5 percent worldwide RevPAR increase was led by North American leisure and luxury properties rather than corporate travel [2], [3]. U.S. and Canada leisure RevPAR advanced 9 percent year over year, while group travel gained 7 percent and business transient climbed 5 percent [3]. Domestic luxury and resort properties posted a 12 percent gain [3]. Globally, international RevPAR rose 4.4 percent, pulled upward by a 9 percent increase in Asia-Pacific excluding China, whereas Europe, Middle East, and Africa properties averaged 4 percent growth amid ongoing regional conflict [1], [2].

Pipeline Expansion and Construction Volumes

Marriott's development inventory reached 4,209 properties and over 634,000 rooms, an increase of more than 6 percent year over year [1], [3]. Of that total, 1,750 properties containing over 278,000 rooms—representing 44 percent of the pipeline—are under active construction or pending conversion [1], [2]. Lodging Magazine noted that conversions made up over a third of signings and more than 40 percent of room openings during the first nine months of the year [2]. The total operating footprint closed the quarter at more than 10,200 properties containing nearly 1.834 million rooms [1], [2].

Operating Fees and Capital Distribution

Gross fee revenues expanded 14 percent to $1.522 billion [1]. Base and franchise fees rose 13 percent to $1.341 billion, helped by co-branded credit card collections that Marriott expects will rise in the high-30 percent range across the full year [1], [2]. Owned, leased, and other revenue net of expenses dropped to $41 million from $70 million a year earlier, pulled down by renovation downtime and the prior sale of a North American hotel asset [2]. The company bought back 3.5 million shares for $1.3 billion during the quarter, bringing year-to-date capital returns to roughly $4.0 billion [1], [2].

The published results do not provide exact average daily rate or occupancy percentages, breaking down regional RevPAR primarily through growth percentages. Marriott also did not specify the net count of corporate layoffs resulting from its internal customer center restructuring [3].