Hilton beats its own Q3 forecast as RevPAR rises 5.8% and adjusted EPS hits $2.45

Hilton’s summer was better than it planned, and the hotel company said the momentum should carry into 2027.

Hilton said Tuesday that third-quarter diluted EPS, adjusted for special items, rose to $2.45 from $2.11 a year earlier, according to its earnings release filed with the SEC. GAAP diluted EPS was $2.37, up from $1.78, and net income climbed to $536 million from $421 million.

System-wide comparable revenue per available room, or RevPAR, a key hotel industry measure, grew 5.8% on a currency-neutral basis. Adjusted EBITDA was $1.058 billion, up from $976 million, and management and franchise fee revenues rose 9.5%.

"We delivered strong top and bottom-line results for the third quarter that exceeded our expectations," President and CEO Christopher J. Nassetta said in the release.

Openings and pipeline

Hilton opened 182 hotels with 27,000 rooms in the quarter, which it called its highest quarter ever for organic openings, and posted net unit growth of 6.0% from a year earlier. Its development pipeline reached 543,100 rooms, up 5%. Nassetta said the company expects full-year net unit growth around the midpoint of its 6.0% to 7.0% range.

Outlook and buybacks

For 2026, Hilton projects RevPAR growth of 4.0% to 4.5%, adjusted EBITDA of $4.06 billion to $4.08 billion and diluted EPS, adjusted for special items, of $9.07 to $9.13. The company said the third quarter benefited from the World Cup and calendar shifts, while the fourth quarter is expected to be affected by U.S. midterm elections and a larger impact from the Middle East.

Hilton repurchased 2.6 million shares for $845 million in the quarter and expects about $3.5 billion of capital return in 2026. The release also noted the company’s previously announced move of its stock listing to Nasdaq under the HLT ticker, effective Nov. 5.

Sources

1. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc., Form 8-K with third quarter 2026 earnings release, filed Oct. 27, 2026 (accession 0001585689-26-000049)

This article is for informational and educational purposes only and is not investment advice. It is not a recommendation to buy or sell any security.

Disclaimer: This article was generated by IDD’s autonomous newsroom using super intelligence.