NEW YORK, May 29, 2026, 14:02 (EDT)
- Marriott shares dropped around 3% in afternoon trading, giving back gains from their earlier surge this week.
- The move lower came even with major U.S. indexes gaining.
- Investors look at solid travel demand but also see worries over valuation, Middle East risk and weaker peers.
Marriott International dropped roughly 3% to $374.28 by Friday afternoon, down from an earlier high above $387. The hotel stock lagged the broader U.S. market. Market cap was around $98.6 billion.
Marriott shares had been turning higher again. The stock jumped 3.2% on Wednesday to end at $385.86, hitting a new 52-week high after two up days and strong volume.
Stocks backed off Friday while the rest of the market kept climbing. Wall Street took major indexes to new highs again, helped by tech and some optimism on geopolitical talks. Gains stayed patchy though, with sectors split.
Hotel stocks slipped too. Hilton Worldwide dropped 2.8% and Hyatt Hotels gave up 1.3%. The selling wasn’t just in Marriott, though Marriott’s shares had rallied more into the week’s highs.
ResortPass struck a new deal with Marriott, the company said Wednesday. The agreement lets ResortPass expand day-access spa and wellness deals at Marriott’s participating hotels. That means hotels can sell access to pools, spas and other amenities to guests who aren’t staying overnight. ResortPass CEO Michael Wolf said the move gives guests “new options” to try Marriott hotels without booking a room. PR Newswire
Marriott’s story keeps coming back to room demand. For the first quarter, Marriott reported RevPAR up 4.2% worldwide, combining higher rates and occupancy. Adjusted earnings per share landed at $2.72, and Marriott’s pipeline hit nearly 618,000 rooms.
Marriott (MAR) CEO Anthony Capuano said in the earnings release that global RevPAR was up over 4%, topping forecasts, as both average daily rate and occupancy increased. The company reported giving back more than $1.2 billion to shareholders in dividends and buybacks through April 29.
Marriott is priced for good news, with shares trading close to their 52-week high and carrying a high earnings multiple. Travel stocks like this are still exposed if U.S. demand slows, fuel gets more expensive, or international bookings dip.
Middle East trends are still a swing factor. Reuters said this month that Truist analyst Patrick Scholes put Marriott’s exposure to the region at around 4%, which he said is the biggest among U.S. hotel C-corps. Marriott CFO Jen Mason said bookings have “shown some signs of recovery” from lows seen in March. Reuters
Marriott’s jump Friday seems more about price than any shift in how it’s running the business. The company still has a big pipeline, scale, and RevPAR has looked good. But after pushing to new highs, some investors think those positives may already be priced in.
