Marriott hits record development pipeline as global travel demand intensifies

Marriott International (NASDAQ:MAR) delivered a robust first-quarter performance for 2026, fueled by resilient leisure demand and a steady recovery in international business travel.

The Bethesda-based hospitality leader reported that worldwide revenue per available room (RevPAR) rose 4.2% year-over-year, driven by gains in both average daily rates and occupancy levels.

The company’s bottom-line results highlighted significant operational leverage.

Reported net income for the quarter was $648 million, or $2.43 per diluted share.

On an adjusted basis, net income climbed to $726 million, with adjusted diluted EPS reaching $2.72—a 17% increase compared to the $2.32 reported in the first quarter of 2025.

Adjusted EBITDA for the period grew 15% to $1,398 million.

Meanwhile, Marriott continued to scale its global footprint, adding approximately 15,900 net rooms during the first three months of the year.

This growth brought the company’s global system to more than 9,900 properties.

Notably, the worldwide development pipeline reached a new record of approximately 4,107 properties and nearly 618,000 rooms.

Approximately 43% of these pipeline rooms are already under construction, including hotels pending conversion.

Elsewhere, Marriott remained aggressive in its capital return strategy, repurchasing 2.1 million shares for $0.7 billion during the first quarter.

Including dividends, the company returned over $1.2 billion to shareholders year-to-date through late April.

Total debt at the end of the quarter stood at $16.5 million against a cash balance of $0.5 billion.