Hotel operator Marriott International, opens new tab raised annual room revenue growth forecast on Wednesday, betting that strong U.S. travel demand would drive bookings across its properties.

Reuters – After a ​challenging year when inflation and growth worries pinched customer budgets, U.S. travel is ​regaining momentum, a shift echoed in airlines' latest results.

Marriott reiterated its ⁠optimism about international tourism, supported by the FIFA World Cup, and expects the ​uplift to continue in the third quarter.

It expects 2026 revenue per available room — a ​key lodging metric that acts as a proxy for pricing power — to grow between 2% and 3%, compared with a 1.5% to 2.5% increase forecast earlier. Its shares gained about 2%.

Middle East Impact

Uncertainty from the Middle East conflict looms as it risks ​raising consumer costs ​and dampen travel spending. First-quarter room revenue in Middle East and Africa fell 1.9%, while occupancy was down 5.4%.