Global Hotel Alliance (GHA), a large alliance of independent hotel brands, has reported a robust start to 2026, delivering strong double-digit growth across all key performance indicators in the first quarter, driven by the continued momentum of its award-winning loyalty programme, GHA DISCOVERY.

Total hotel revenues reached $921 million in Q1 2026, a 24% increase over Q1 2025, while total room revenue climbed to $738 million, up 27% year-on-year.

Total room nights surged 34% ahead of Q1 2025, highlighting strong global travel demand across GHA’s expanding portfolio.

Cross-brand revenue - a key indicator of programme engagement - grew 40% to $135 million, as members increasingly stay across multiple brands within the alliance.

Membership growth also accelerated, with new enrollments rising 36%, bringing total GHA DISCOVERY membership to 35 million globally.

DISCOVERY Dollar (D$) redemptions continued to grow with a 30% increase over Q1 2025, with redeemers spending approximately 6 times in cash on those stays and spending 4.5 times more vs non-redeemers on an annual basis, reinforcing both member engagement in the programme and the favorable economics to hotels on redemption stays.

International stays continued to be the primary growth driver, accounting for 69% of total member room revenue in Q1 2026, underlining the global nature of GHA DISCOVERY’s membership base and sustained appetite for cross-border travel.

The top five feeder markets for international stays - the US, UK, Germany, China and Russia - generated $202 million, representing 41% of total international stay revenue, demonstrating the concentration of high-value demand within key source markets.

Top stay destinations: Thailand, Spain, Singapore, and Italy were the leading markets for member stay revenue, reflecting strong demand across both resort and urban gateway destinations.

The UAE was another top-performing destination in January and February; however, in March travel patterns in parts of the Middle East began to show signs of softening, in line with broader regional dynamics.

“We saw particularly strong performance in key Middle Eastern destinations at the start of the quarter, with some moderation later on as regional conditions evolved. Our globally diversified footprint continues to provide resilience, allowing us to balance shifts in demand across markets,” said Chris Hartley, CEO of Global Hotel Alliance.

Top feeder markets: The US (+22%), UK (+23%), Germany (+21%), and China (+43%) remained the dominant source markets, continuing to underpin global demand across the GHA network.

Other markets with strong growth for international room revenue year-on-year include UAE (+63%), India (+40%) and Singapore (+35%).

Travel patterns varied by origin, with US and UK members favouring European destinations, European members showing strong demand for long-haul destinations, and Australian and Asian members gravitating toward Southeast Asia hubs.

“These results reflect the continued evolution of GHA DISCOVERY as a powerful platform for driving revenue growth and deeper member engagement,” said Hartley.

“We are seeing strong momentum across all metrics - from revenues and room nights to cross-brand activity and membership growth. The scale we are achieving, combined with the continued strength of international travel demand, positions our hotel brands to capture increasing share and deliver more meaningful experiences to our members.” -TradeArabia News Service