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Travelers are still paying for hotel stays, from economy rooms to luxury suites, according to third-quarter results from IHG, Wyndham, and Accor.

IHG’s U.S. revenue per available room (RevPAR) rose 6.9%, with gains across all brands and locations.

Wyndham, which tends to cater to middle-income travelers, posted a 6% rise in U.S. RevPAR, about 4 percentage points better than the second quarter. U.S. demand was up about 3%.

Both companies said most of their U.S. business is domestic, drive-to travel, suggesting higher gas prices haven't deterred bookings. They said the World Cup didn’t add much. 

Looking ahead, Wyndham said October U.S. RevPAR is tracking in line with the third quarter, and its 60-day reservation pace is the strongest since the pandemic. IHG said group revenue on the books is up by mid-single digits. 

Wyndham CEO Geoff Ballotti credited stable U.S. employment, wage growth, and tax refunds.

Europe is firming, too. IHG’s RevPAR rose 3% in the U.K. and 4% in continental Europe.

Accor’s global RevPAR rose 4.9%. Room rates climbed 4.7% while occupancy was flat. The Paris-based company has much less exposure to the U.S. market than the other two.

"We're not seeing softness," said Martine Gerow, Accor's Group CFO.

Women Leading Travel Leadership Exchanges

Where should travel leaders place their bets for the next five years? Senior women work it out on stage and across the table, off the record.

Montréal on October 26 digs into leadership and the road ahead with VPs from Air Canada, VIA Rail, and Destination Canada. Las Vegas on December 8 takes it to the casino floor with the sales chiefs of Wynn and MGM.

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Why Hotel Operators Need an Owner Mindset

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Asset-light growth can accelerate scale, but owners still carry the risk. Operators with capital at stake may make more disciplined investment decisions.

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Headlines

IHG Says It’s Winning Hotels From Rival Brands

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IHG’s conversion machine is firing in the Americas, but its growth story ultimately depends on a pipeline to the east of Europe that had a difficult Q3.

Saudi Strikes Spill Over Into Gulf Tourism, Operators Say

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Houthi strikes are measurably cutting Saudi demand, but the UAE’s damage so far shows up in operator sentiment and forward bookings more than in the data. The winter season will test whether travelers view the Gulf as a single risk.

Oyo Parent Prism Halves IPO Size, Leaving More Debt to Be Repaid From Cash Flow

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A smaller IPO is being sold as a sign of strength, but Prism may simply be playing it safe. After two abandoned IPO attempts, a smaller raise could mean it doubts demand at its old valuation, or just wants a smoother sale.

IHCL Is Racing Past Its 2030 Goal of 700 Hotels. Now It Needs a Bigger Number

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Hitting its 2030 target years ahead of schedule is a clear sign that India’s branded hotel market is moving faster than expected. The bigger question now is whether quality can keep pace when a brand like Ginger doubles its footprint so quickly.

Yotel Plans Upscale Brand and YotelAir in City Centers as It Targets 100 Hotels: Exclusive

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Yotel is stretching both ways at once as it looks to build a posher Yotel on top, and city-center pods at the bottom. That would let it pitch to almost every budget, all under Hilton’s roof.

Hilton Bets on Scandic to Crack Nordics

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International hotel brands have struggled to gain scale in the Nordic market. This deal shows one way to do it: letting someone who already knows the market carry most of the risk.

Independence at Scale — Paradox or Opportunity? Watch Video

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Independent hotel brands don’t have to choose between scale and identity. Shared loyalty, distribution, and technology can help them compete with the major global groups while preserving the local character and direct customer relationships that set them apart.

Sonesta Cuts Jobs as a $2 Billion Bid Puts Many of Its Best Hotels in Play

October 20, 2026

Service Properties Trust hired Sonesta to operate 68 of the hotels it owns. But an unsolicited offer for those hotels has created uncertainty. Meanwhile, Sonesta has cut corporate staff.

The Hotel Industry Has A Water Problem 

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Summer heat and drought brought hospitality’s use of water into sharp focus. The industry is betting on simple fixes like aerated showerheads and less laundry — the question is whether more structural but costly measures can scale.

Kempinski Faces Leadership Upheaval as CEO and Senior Executives Depart: Scoop

October 19, 2026

Kempinski’s leadership upheaval raises questions about who will carry out its luxury turnaround and how it will be funded.

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Sponsored search results only work because humans assume the top result is the best one. Sam Shank, who was co-founder and CEO of HotelTonight, which was acquired by Airbnb, says that’s the core vulnerability AI exposes for Booking.com and Expedia, and it’s enormous.

In this bonus episode of Good Morning Hospitality, recorded live at Skift Global Forum, Sam joins host Wil Slickers to break down exactly why AI agents don’t carry the cognitive biases that made OTAs so lucrative, what that means for the future of hotel distribution, and why he’d rebuild HotelTonight as a B2B specialist agent if he were starting today.

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How are public accommodations companies performing around the world? The Skift Travel 200 pulls the data you need to know to understand the market. Paid subscribers get full access here.

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