07 May 2026
Q1 Trading Update to 31 March 2026
Very strong Q1 trading performance with better than expected Global RevPAR growth of +4.4%.
Continued development momentum, with underlying signings and openings ahead of last year.
Confident of achieving consensus growth forecasts and profit expectations.
Highlights
- Q1 global RevPAR +4.4%, with Americas +3.6%, EMEAA +5.6% and Greater China +5.7%
- Q1 global rooms revenue on a comparable basis strongest for Groups +7% and Business +6%, with Leisure +1%
- Average daily rate +2.0% and occupancy +1.5%pts
- Gross system size growth +6.6% YOY, +1.4% YTD; opened 14.9k rooms (82 hotels) in Q1, +2% more than the same period last year
- Net system size growth +5.0% YOY, +0.9% YTD; global system of 1,036k rooms (7,014 hotels)
- Signed 21.4k rooms (163 hotels) in Q1, +6% more than the same period last year when excluding the Ruby brand acquisition in the comparable period; global pipeline of 343k rooms (2,347 hotels), +3% YOY
- $240m of 2026’s $950m share buyback programme completed to date, reducing the share count by 1.1%
Elie Maalouf, Chief Executive Officer, IHG Hotels & Resorts, said:
“With thanks to our teams we delivered a very strong Q1 trading performance, benefiting from our diverse global footprint and better than expected demand in most regions around the world. Global RevPAR grew +4.4%, with notable strength in the US on top of good growth this time last year, and further acceleration in Greater China following a return to growth in the prior quarter. Our diverse EMEAA region also performed well despite challenges from the conflict in the Middle East, where we continue to do all we can to support our guests, teams and owners.
We are proud to have reached the milestone of more than 7,000 hotels, having opened 82 properties during Q1. Strong pipeline momentum continued with the signing of 163 hotels, which was ahead of 2025. This included the first signing for our new Premium brand Noted Collection in EMEAA and the arrival of our Essentials conversion brand Garner into Greater China. Demand for quick-to-market conversions to IHG’s brands and enterprise platform continues to be high, representing 35% of rooms opened and 53% of signings in the quarter.
Looking ahead, our comparable on-the-books global revenue for Q2 indicates continued growth, with the impact of the Middle East conflict and some wider disruption to international travel flows expected to be more than offset by increases in demand elsewhere. Our business model is strategically diversified and resilient in capturing demand across geographies, chain scales and the different stay occasions of business, leisure and groups travel, as well as being heavily weighted to domestic and intra-regional travel. While still early, our confidence of achieving full year consensus growth forecasts and profit expectations is underpinned by the strength of our performance year-to-date. We are delivering on our strategic priorities and growth algorithm, which capitalises on the scale and capabilities of IHG’s platform, our leading positions and the attractive long-term structural growth drivers for both demand and supply across our markets.”
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Ends
About IHG®
IHG Hotels & Resorts (tickers: LON:IHG for Ordinary Shares; NYSE:IHG for ADRs) is a global hospitality company, with a purpose to provide True Hospitality for Good.
With a family of 21 hotel brands and IHG One Rewards, one of the world's largest hotel loyalty programmes with over 160 million members, IHG has more than one million rooms across 7,000 hotels in over 100 countries, and a development pipeline of a further 2,300 properties.
- Luxury & Lifestyle: Six Senses, Regent, InterContinental, Vignette Collection, Kimpton, Hotel Indigo
- Premium: Noted Collection, voco, Ruby, HUALUXE, Crowne Plaza, EVEN
- Essentials: Holiday Inn Express, Holiday Inn Hotels & Resorts, Garner, avid
- Suites: Atwell Suites, Staybridge Suites, Holiday Inn Club Vacations, Candlewood Suites
- Exclusive Partners: Iberostar Beachfront Resorts
InterContinental Hotels Group PLC is the Group's holding company and is incorporated and registered in England and Wales. Approximately 400,000 people work across IHG's hotels and corporate offices globally.
Visit us online for more about our hotels and reservations and IHG One Rewards. To download the IHG One Rewards app, visit the Apple App or Google Play stores.
For our latest news, visit our Newsroom and follow us on LinkedIn.
Contact details
For further information, please contact:
Investor Relations:
Stuart Ford (+44 (0)7823 828 739);
Kate Carpenter (+44 (0)7825 655 702);
Joe Simpson (+44 (0)7976 862 072);
Media Relations:
Neil Maidment (+44 (0)7970 668 250);
Mike Ward (+44 (0)7795 257 407)


