As the Q4 earnings season comes to a close, it’s time to take stock of this quarter’s best and worst performers in the travel and vacation providers industry, including Hilton (NYSE:HLT) and its peers.

Airlines, hotels, resorts, and cruise line companies often sell experiences rather than tangible products, and in the last decade-plus, consumers have slowly shifted from buying "things" (wasteful) to buying "experiences" (memorable). In addition, the internet has introduced new ways of approaching leisure and lodging such as booking homes and longer-term accommodations. Traditional airlines, hotel, resorts, and cruise line companies must innovate to stay relevant in a market rife with innovation.

The 19 travel and vacation providers stocks we track reported a satisfactory Q4. As a group, revenues beat analysts’ consensus estimates by 2.2% while next quarter’s revenue guidance was 6.5% above.

Amidst this news, share prices of the companies have had a rough stretch. On average, they are down 21.5% since the latest earnings results.

Hilton (NYSE:HLT)

Founded in 1919, Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) is a global hospitality company with a portfolio of hotel brands.

Hilton reported revenues of $2.78 billion, up 6.7% year on year. This print was in line with analysts’ expectations, and overall, it was a satisfactory quarter for the company with a decent beat of analysts’ adjusted operating income estimates but EBITDA guidance for next quarter missing analysts’ expectations.

Christopher J. Nassetta, President & Chief Executive Officer of Hilton, said, "We are pleased to report a strong fourth quarter, with both top and bottom line results exceeding our expectations. All segments drove RevPAR outperformance, with strong trends in leisure occupancy, as well as continued growth in business transient and group results, and we expect favorable trends to continue into 2025. We also delivered the highest number of approvals, construction starts and openings in our history in 2024, helping us achieve net unit growth of 7.3 percent. With a development pipeline of nearly half a million rooms, we are confident that we are well positioned to deliver net unit growth between 6.0 percent and 7.0 percent in 2025."

The stock is down 16.2% since reporting and currently trades at $216.10.

Is now the time to buy Hilton? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free .

Best Q4: Pursuit (NYSE:PRSU)

With attractions ranging from glacier tours in the Canadian Rockies to an oceanfront geothermal lagoon in Iceland, Pursuit Attractions and Hospitality (NYSE:PRSU) operates iconic travel experiences, experiential marketing services, and exhibition management across North America and Europe.

Pursuit reported revenues of $45.8 million, down 84.3% year on year, outperforming analysts’ expectations by 8.8%. The business had a stunning quarter with a solid beat of analysts’ EPS estimates and full-year EBITDA guidance exceeding analysts’ expectations.

Although it had a fine quarter compared to its peers, the market seems unhappy with the results as the stock is down 14.4% since reporting. It currently trades at $31.81.

Is now the time to buy Pursuit? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free .

Weakest Q4: Hyatt Hotels (NYSE:H)

Founded in 1957, Hyatt Hotels (NYSE:H) is a global hospitality company with a portfolio of 20 premier brands and over 950 properties across 65 countries.

Hyatt Hotels reported revenues of $1.60 billion, down 3.5% year on year, falling short of analysts’ expectations by 3.1%. It was a softer quarter as it posted a significant miss of analysts’ adjusted operating income and EPS estimates.

Hyatt Hotels delivered the weakest performance against analyst estimates in the group. As expected, the stock is down 29.2% since the results and currently trades at $114.91.

Read our full analysis of Hyatt Hotels’s results here.

Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL)

One of the ‘Big Four’ airlines in the US, Delta Air Lines (NYSE:DAL) is a major global air carrier that serves both business and leisure travelers through its domestic and international flights.

Delta Air Lines reported revenues of $15.56 billion, up 9.4% year on year. This number beat analysts’ expectations by 4.5%. It was a strong quarter as it also put up EPS and revenue guidance for the next quarter exceeding analysts’ expectations.

The stock is down 37.3% since reporting and currently trades at $38.53.

Read our full, actionable report on Delta Air Lines here, it’s free.

Royal Caribbean (NYSE:RCL)

Established in 1968, Royal Caribbean Cruises (NYSE:RCL) is a global cruise vacation company renowned for its innovative and exciting cruise experiences.

Royal Caribbean reported revenues of $3.76 billion, up 12.9% year on year. This result was in line with analysts’ expectations. Taking a step back, it was a satisfactory quarter as it also logged EPS guidance for next quarter exceeding analysts’ expectations but a miss of analysts’ EBITDA estimates.

The stock is down 21.1% since reporting and currently trades at $187.

Read our full, actionable report on Royal Caribbean here, it’s free.

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