Marriott International (NASDAQ: MAR) reported strong third-quarter 2026 results, with global revenue per available room (RevPAR) increasing 6.5% year over year and adjusted EBITDA rising 12% to $1.51 billion. Adjusted diluted earnings per share climbed 22% to $3.02, supported by higher hotel revenue and continued room growth.
Following the quarter’s performance, Marriott raised its full-year global RevPAR growth outlook to 4.5%–5%, citing sustained travel demand across its portfolio.
Technology investments were another focus of the earnings call, particularly Marriott’s ongoing modernization of hotel systems and growing use of artificial intelligence. The company has migrated more than 3,000 hotels to a new technology ecosystem and is extending AI into travel discovery through its own digital channels and integrations with Google and OpenAI.
These initiatives are part of a multiyear transformation intended to improve hotel operations and customer experiences, with technology expected to account for a substantial portion of Marriott’s investment spending this year.
Why It Matters: Marriott’s technology transformation involves updating systems across thousands of hotels while keeping daily operations running. Its phased rollout allows teams to resolve technical issues before introducing new systems at more demanding properties. Meanwhile, its investments in AI-powered travel search could change how guests find and book hotels, making accurate information and direct customer relationships more important.
- AI Is Changing How Travelers Find Hotels: Marriott is expanding its presence across AI-powered travel platforms, with a particular focus on ensuring that hotel information remains accurate and accessible when travelers use conversational search tools. CEO Tony Capuano said, “Right now, our view is that AI is largely reshaping travel discovery,” while noting that its influence on booking transactions has been slower to develop. Marriott is testing search and commerce integrations with Google and OpenAI, although management said the potential impact on distribution costs remains difficult to determine while platform providers continue experimenting with monetization models.
- Hotel Technology Modernization Reaches More Than 3,000 Properties: Marriott has transitioned more than 3,000 hotels to its new technology ecosystem, marking significant progress in its multiyear property management system rollout. The company began with U.S. select-service properties to gain deployment experience before introducing the technology into full-service and luxury hotels, where implementation requirements are more demanding. Capuano said integration speed has improved with successive deployment waves, providing greater confidence in the rollout process. Full deployment waves are expected to continue throughout 2027, although management has not yet provided quantitative results demonstrating improvements in hotel operations.
- Conversational AI Becomes Part of Marriott’s Customer Experience: Marriott is introducing Ask Bonvoy within its digital channels as part of an effort to incorporate conversational AI into the travel planning experience. The company is also expanding enterprise AI adoption to support hotel performance and improve interactions with guests and associates. Its work on conversational interfaces complements efforts to make Marriott properties more discoverable through external AI platforms, creating additional ways for travelers to interact with hotel information. Management did not provide usage figures for Ask Bonvoy but identified AI-enabled customer engagement as an area of continued investment.
- Marriott Develops New Digital Features for Loyalty Members: A complimentary upgrade list currently in beta testing is among the latest additions to Marriott’s proprietary technology platform. The feature allows eligible elite members to see their position on an upgrade list before arrival, along with an estimate of available upgrades that match their reservations. Marriott designed the capability to improve transparency around loyalty benefits without eliminating opportunities for property owners to generate revenue from premium room upgrades. The development builds on Marriott Bonvoy’s existing digital engagement capabilities, which serve approximately 309 million members worldwide.
- Technology Investment Continues Through the Next Phase of Deployment: Marriott expects technology to represent 25%–30% of its projected $1.25 billion-$1.35 billion investment spending in 2026, placing the allocation between approximately $313 million and $405 million. The spending supports the company’s digital transformation program while hotel system deployments continue across its property network. CFO Jen Mason indicated that technology spending could decline somewhat in 2027, although the company plans to maintain substantial investment in its systems and digital capabilities. That outlook comes while Marriott continues its property technology rollout and balances modernization costs with other investment priorities.
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