Hilton CEO Argues the Bull Case Despite Iran War and Weak World Cup Signals

Even as the Middle East remains unstable and World Cup bookings disappoint, Hilton’s CEO offered the hotel industry’s most bullish forecast for 2026, arguing that a rebound in the U.S. midmarket demand would more than offset the headwinds.

Speaking at the Semafor World Economy Summit in Washington, D.C., Hilton president and CEO Chris Nassetta said the macroeconomic picture in the U.S. had improved enough to vindicate a bet he made publicly last year.

“I still believe that,” Nassetta said of his prediction that 2026 would outperform 2025 for the entire hotel sector. “Probably more than I did when I said it, because I now have much more hard evidence that things are getting better.”

Middle East Hotels to Rebound 

Nassetta predicted that in five years the Middle East would be “fine,” with the potential to be even better now that “Iran is in a sort of a different state.”

He predicted the region would rank among the company’s highest-growth m