Chicago-based group lifts gross fees 8.6% to $333m and grows pipeline to a record 151,000 rooms, as upscale demand and the Playa all-inclusive deal underpin a confident 2026 outlook.
Hyatt Hotels Corporation has delivered a robust opening to 2026, with revenue per available room (RevPAR) at its system-wide hotels rising 5.4 per cent year-on-year, underlining the continuing appetite among well-heeled travellers for the Chicago-based group’s upscale and luxury offerings.
The chain, which counts brands such as Park Hyatt, Andaz, Thompson and Alila within its stable, also reported a 7.4 per cent rise in Net Package RevPAR across its all-inclusive resorts portfolio – the segment significantly bolstered by last year’s acquisition of Playa Hotels & Resorts.
Hyatt’s development pipeline now stands at approximately 151,000 rooms tied to executed management or franchise contracts, a 9.4 per cent jump on the same period last year and a clear signal of owner confidence in the group’s brand portfolio. Net rooms grew by 5 per cent over the trailing twelve months.
Gross fees climbed 8.6 per cent to $333 million, while adjusted EBITDA rose 2.1 per cent to $266 million. Net income attributable to Hyatt was $38 million, with adjusted net income reaching $61 million. Diluted earnings per share landed at 40 cents, and adjusted diluted EPS at 63 cents.
The headline EBITDA figure was tempered by a revised methodology that, from this quarter, no longer includes Hyatt’s pro rata share of unconsolidated owned and leased hospitality ventures. Prior-period figures have been recast on a like-for-like basis; on that footing, adjusted EBITDA rose 2.9 per cent once 2025 disposals are stripped out.
Mark Hoplamazian, chairman, president and chief executive, said the performance reflected “the continued strength of our core fee business and the resilience of our differentiated portfolio of high-quality brands”. He added that the group was focused on “further elevating Hyatt by strengthening the performance of our brands, our talent, and our technology” to enhance how it operates and build on its competitive advantages.
Hyatt continued to return capital to shareholders during the quarter, repurchasing 840,249 Class A common shares for an aggregate $135 million. Combined with dividends, total shareholder returns reached $149 million for the period.
Confident full-year guidance
Looking ahead, the group has guided full-year 2026 system-wide RevPAR growth of between 2 and 4 per cent, with net rooms growth of 6 to 7 per cent. Adjusted EBITDA is projected at between $1.155 billion and $1.205 billion, a 13 to 18 per cent uplift on 2025, once the period of ownership of hotels acquired in the Playa transaction and last year’s disposals are taken into account.
Net income attributable to Hyatt is forecast in a range of $255 million to $350 million, with capital returns to shareholders of between $325 million and $375 million through a combination of dividends and buy-backs.
Mr Hoplamazian said the combination of Hyatt’s “high-end customer base, robust pipeline with significant opportunities for expansion, and rapidly growing loyalty program” positioned the group to “drive sustained growth and create long-term value for shareholders”.
With corporate travel budgets holding firm and group bookings continuing to recover, Hyatt’s tilt towards premium and lifestyle brands, reinforced by its all-inclusive expansion, leaves it well placed to ride out any softening in mid-market demand later in the year.