- H1 total hotel revenues up 17% year-on-year to $1.5 billion, buoyed by 18% hike in Q2
- International stays dominate at 70% of room revenue and grow 21% year-on-year
- US remains the top feeder market for international stays and overall room revenue
- 2025 destination hotspots – UAE, followed by Thailand, Spain, Singapore, and Italy
- GHA portfolio continues global expansion with 48 new properties added in H1
Dubai, UAE – UAE-headquartered Global Hotel Alliance, the world’s largest alliance of independent hotel brands, has reported continued growth in the first half of 2025, underpinned by a solid Q2 performance across all key indicators. With hotel revenues, room nights and demand for international travel all building on 2024 momentum, the H1 results set a positive trajectory for the remainder of the year.
H1 2025: Revenue growth led by international travel surge
Total hotel revenues for H1 2025 (the year to June 30, 2025) climbed to $1.5 billion, a 17% year-on-year increase from $1.3 billion in H1 2024. International stays, the cornerstone of GHA hotel brand activity, accounted for 70% of all room revenue – totalling $810 million – a 21% jump compared to the same period last year.
Member’s favourite destinations
Moving onto the destinations generating the most revenue from members’ international stays, the H1 rankings were as follows: the UAE took top slot, followed by Thailand, Spain, Singapore, and Italy.
US leads in feeder market stakes, with significant Q2 rebound
The US remained the leading international source market for GHA’s 850-plus properties around the world, with GHA DISCOVERY loyalty programme members based in the country generating 15% of all international room revenue in H1. After the US, the top feeder markets were the UK, followed by Germany, China and Australia.
Q2 2025: Strong performance supports positive H1 results
Q2 delivered steady growth across all KPIs, contributing to the solid first half. Metric improvements of note included an 18% increase in hotel revenues versus Q2 2024 and a 19% increase in room nights, while the stay countries with the highest ADR in Q2 were the Maldives, UK, Japan, and Fiji.
The power of the growing GHA network to generate cross-brand revenues was clear as they grew 18% to $94.7 million in Q2, contributing to H1 cross-brand revenues of $188.8 million, up 15% year-on-year.
Direct bookings across GHA’s digital platforms also surged 19% in H1 2025, helping hotels to reduce their dependence on high-cost third-party channels.
A membership milestone for GHA DISCOVERY and D$ spend hits new heights
GHA DISCOVERY surpassed the 30-million-member mark in Q2, reaching 30.9 million members thanks to a 16% rise in new enrolments compared to Q2 2024.
The programme’s innovative rewards currency, DISCOVERY Dollars (D$), also saw exceptional growth in redemptions, which rocketed 61% in Q2 year-on-year.
A growing global footprint with close to 50 new hotels added in H1
GHA’s expanding portfolio continued to offer GHA DISCOVERY members more choices across new destinations and unique properties, with 48 hotels added in the first half of 2025.
New additions came from Cheval Collection and Cinnamon Hotels, which recently joined GHA, further bolstering its presence across Asia and popular destinations in the UK and the Middle East.
With demand for international travel continuing to rise, our hotel brands are reaping the benefit of belonging to a truly global alliance. GHA DISCOVERY members are travelling further, staying longer, and booking directly, driving hotel profitability across our portfolio. These results reflect the trust members place in GHA DISCOVERY and the strength of collaboration across our expanding network of brands and hotels. Even amid ongoing market uncertainty, the momentum we’ve built – supported by new brands and hotels joining the alliance – positions us well for a strong and resilient second half of the year. Chris Hartley, CEO, Global Hotel Alliance
About GHA and GHA DISCOVERY
Global Hotel Alliance (GHA) is the world’s largest alliance of independent hotel brands with 45 brands and 850 hotels in 100 countries.
Its award-winning loyalty programme—GHA DISCOVERY—provides 30 million members recognition, D$ rewards and exclusive experiences across its hotels and partners, both with and without a stay. GHA DISCOVERY generated US$2.7billion in revenue and 11 million room nights in 2024.
Through membership in GHA, brands expand their global reach, drive incremental revenue and reduce dependence on third-party channels, all while maintaining management independence and individual positioning.
For more information, visit globalhotelalliance.com or ghadiscovery.com.
