H1 2026 was stronger than many in the hotel industry expected.
US performance surprised on the upside, major hotel groups largely raised or maintained positive forecasts, and group and event demand remained one of the stronger engines. But the second half of the year looks more selective.
The headline is not that demand has disappeared. It is that growth is still there, but hotels will have to work harder for it.
Here are three things to watch for H2.
1. Growth is still there, but it is not automatic
CoStar reported that analysts were waiting to see how optimistic hotel companies would be after a strong first half of 2026. The mood is positive, but not wildly optimistic.
HVS also forecast 4.5% US RevPAR growth for full year 2026, while noting that some of the exceptional early summer performance was driven by major events, including the FIFA World Cup, and that growth would slow after those peaks.
For hotels, this means H2 planning should not assume that H1 momentum will simply carry itself. Growth is still possible, but it will depend more on the right demand drivers, the right calendar and the right positioning.
2. Segment and guest mix matter more
The market is not moving evenly.
Luxury, upper upscale, group demand and event driven destinations have generally been stronger, while price sensitive segments and some international markets are facing more pressure. Accuracy’s European hospitality review expects European RevPAR growth of approximately 1% to 3% for 2026, but also describes the market as resilient and fragmented.
That is probably one of the most useful H2 signals.
Hotels cannot only ask, “Is the market growing?” They also need to ask, “Which guests are growing for us, and why would they choose us?”
A hotel with strong group demand, conference business or higher value leisure guests may have a very different H2 from a hotel relying mainly on more price sensitive transient demand.
3. Value needs to be sharper
Guests are still travelling, but that does not mean every offer feels equally compelling.
Deloitte’s consumer tracker shows that global leisure travel intention at the start of the 2026 summer season was broadly in line with previous summers, rather than showing a widespread pullback.
Source: Deloitte.com
So the issue is not simply demand. It is relevance.
In a more selective market, value does not only mean a lower price. It means giving guests a clearer reason to choose one property over another: the location, the experience, the service, the ease of the stay, the local connection, or the feeling that the hotel understands why they are travelling in the first place.
That is where H2 becomes interesting.
A strong first half is good news. But the hotels that do best in the second half will likely be the ones that know exactly which guests they are trying to win, and make the value of staying with them very easy to see.
Running is one of the ways hotels are answering that question. We partner with hotels to give their guests guided runs from the property, with local guides who know the cities inside out. If that sounds like something your guests would use, you can start the conversation here.
