Market Trends

🗺️ Columbus, OH, 2026: AAA and Bread Financial® reveal that 61% of Americans plan to travel in 2026, with 76% of trips centered on life milestones. Popular events include birthdays (32%), family reunions (30%), and weddings (19%). 46% use travel advisors, with 71% buying travel insurance. Gen Z (89%) and Millennials (88%) prioritize milestone trips more than Baby Boomers (57%). Survey conducted December 15-17, 2025, included 1,714 U.S. travelers.

🗺️ In 2026, experiential travel trends reveal that 25% of travelers want searches to start with 'mood', not geography. A report by ALL Accor and Globetrender highlights 8 trends: awe-inspired events attract 89% of travelers; 95% value maintaining routines while traveling; 84.5% seek deeper connections; and 87% feel nostalgic for simpler times. ALL Accor's loyalty program, featuring over 7,000 events annually, transforms points into unique experiences, with 72% valuing unforgettable moments.

🌐 Linear-active cultures like Germans and Swiss prioritize structure and efficiency, valuing scheduled wellness programs and detailed itineraries. Multi-active cultures, including Italians and Latin Americans, thrive on flexibility and interpersonal connections, favoring lively interactions and personalized experiences. Reactive cultures such as Chinese and Japanese emphasize harmony and indirect communication, opting for tranquil, respectful service. Hospitality and wellness providers face challenges accommodating diverse cultural types while ensuring tailored, culturally aware offerings. This impacts guest satisfaction and service optimization globally.

🛌 Two weeks ago in Toronto, Daniel Langer, a luxury industry expert, criticized modern luxury hotels for prioritizing Instagrammable aesthetics over guest comfort. He noted functional issues like unintuitive light switches and doorless bathrooms, which undermine luxury by sacrificing privacy and convenience. In one Paris hotel, ordering water required using a slow app or visiting the restaurant. Langer urges a return to intuitive and private service, warning that neglecting client needs leads to lost loyalty.

🏨 Guest experience in the hospitality industry is impacted by employee engagement and systemic factors. Gallup’s research highlights that organizations with high employee engagement see stronger profitability. The World Health Organization identifies burnout as a result of chronic workplace stress, affecting service quality and revenue opportunities. Cornell University research shows improved online reputation enhances revenue metrics like RevPAR. Effective team development must consider cognitive and emotional loads, ensuring systems support staff wellbeing for consistent guest experiences.

🗺 COLUMBUS, Ohio—2026 travel trends show 61% of Americans planning trips, with 76% centering on milestones like birthdays (32%) and weddings (19%). Gen Z and Millennials lead this shift, with 89% and 88% planning milestone trips. 59% reported travel tensions, while 46% use travel advisors. Only 9% will travel internationally for events. Budget transparency is practiced by 46% of group travelers, and 71% purchase travel insurance. The focus is on meaningful, financially smart travel experiences.

🏨 In Minneapolis–St. Paul, hotel recovery lags behind national trends due to corporate travel declines and oversupply. From 2016 to 2021, thousands of rooms were added, increasing competition. By 2025, the RevPAR gap with the U.S. exceeded $20, compared to $5 in 2019. Looking ahead, strong group bookings and sports events offer hope for 2026. Recent protests and business closures have disrupted downtown areas, impacting hotel operations. RevPAR is expected to surpass pre-pandemic levels later in 2026.

💻 AI is transforming the hotel industry by enhancing guest experiences and operational efficiency. Currently, around 28% of hospitality companies are AI leaders, while smaller hotels lag due to cost and data issues. The industry faces a projected 50-60% annual AI market growth amidst privacy and bias challenges. AI aids dynamic pricing, housekeeping, and guest interaction, yet human service remains essential. Hotels are forming AI task forces, reassessing data strategies, and emphasizing staff upskilling to integrate AI successfully.

📅 FHS Saudi Arabia, 2026 edition, will occur at Mandarin Oriental Al Faisaliah, Riyadh, from April 20-22. Over 1,100 global hospitality leaders, including CEOs from Al Khozama and Taiba Investments, will attend. The summit, focusing on investment opportunities across Saudi Arabia, will host presentations and panel debates on six tracks. With $1.6 billion in business opportunities and 11 significant announcements last year, the event aims to forge partnerships and shape Saudi Arabia's hospitality future.

🗺 Travelers in 2026 are prioritizing experiences: pet-friendly bookings surged 260% and extreme adventures by 79%. "Sweat Jetting" boosts marathon tourism, with Chicago Marathon seeing a 300% rise. Family trips are increasingly child-led, with heritage tours and cooking classes up 40% and 47%, respectively. Nightlife evolves with DJ sets on water (+29%) and listening bars (+64%). The Trendcast report analyzed data from 2024-2025, predicting evolving travel behaviors.