Market Trends

🛫 Hilton's 2026 Trends Report reveals that 29% of global travelers are engaging in "skip-generation" travel, involving grandparents and grandchildren. To cater to this demographic, hotels must focus on dual-demographic requirements, functional room configurations, meaningful programming, and specialized staff training. Marketing should target grandparents, the primary decision-makers. As this trend grows, adapting hotel infrastructure and services to support skip-gen travel can boost loyalty and high-margin bookings. GCSTIMES offers sustainable solutions and operates in over 140 countries.

🏨 Canada, Q4 2025: Hotel construction pipeline includes 332 projects/45,429 rooms, a 5% room increase YOY. Ontario leads with 189 projects/27,039 rooms. Toronto tops cities with 74 projects/12,170 rooms. By chain scale, upper midscale dominates with 130 projects/13,548 rooms. New projects hit record-highs with 29 projects/5,783 rooms. 2025 saw 40 hotels/4,744 rooms open; 2026 forecasts 40 hotels/4,944 rooms, and 2027 anticipates 49 hotels/5,501 rooms, showing steady growth.

📈 The 2026 ALIS Conference highlighted the hotel industry's unique phase: ample capital but limited deal flow. Capital is available from CMBS lenders, bridge providers, and JV partners, yet transactions are restricted by low cash flows and major PIPs. Sellers are aligning on pricing with a narrowed bid-ask gap at 5%. RevPAR growth in 2026 is expected to be modest, with luxury outperforming other segments. AI adoption is accelerating, potentially capturing 50% of travel-search share by 2026.

📖 2026 Forecast predicted; highlighted opportunities for growth and structural advantages. Impact of rhetoric and traveler trends discussed. Key section: "Second Wallet" at 19:26, emphasizing transaction environment and implications. Strategies for surpassing national forecasts by 24:15.

📈 Exclusive luxury hospitality trends for the 2020s emphasize scarcity with hotels maintaining occupancy below 75 keys for privacy and bespoke service. Multigenerational travel and agriluxury offer family-friendly and agricultural experiences. Key focuses are on sustainability, cultural stewardship, and comprehensive wellness, with wellness retreats spanning 3 to 21 days. Luxury hospitality now integrates cognitive longevity treatments and "everything somm" services, enhancing guest experience pre-arrival. These trends redefine luxury as exclusive, sustainable, health-centric, and culturally enriching.

🌎 UK holidaymakers in 2026: 55% prioritize shared experiences over inheritance, especially those 55+. 26% plan to spend more on longer trips, while 18% favor shorter trips. 70% design vacations around personal interests; history (54%) and food (31%) are top picks. Top travel experiences: city breaks (57%), beach (42%), all-inclusive (37%). 48% of over-55s indulge in luxury without guilt. Despite economic challenges, travel spending remains strong, driven by passion-led pursuits.

🏨 Chicago, IL — A comprehensive analysis of 219 TripAdvisor reviews from October 2023 to January 2026 for The Neighborhood Hotel, Little Italy shows a 4.9 out of 5 rating, with 94% rated five stars. 24% of guests cited proximity to UIC, Rush Hospital, or the Illinois Medical District. 50.2% mentioned the neighborhood. Small details like design and coffee were noted by 36.1% and 21.0%, respectively. The findings highlight how neighborhood integration and institutional proximity drive demand.

🏨 Chicago, 2025: U.S. hotel investments surged 17.5% to $24 billion, driven by private equity and strong debt markets. New York led with $3.7 billion in transactions, followed by Phoenix ($1.5 billion) and Washington, D.C. ($1.2 billion). Since September 2024, debt costs dropped nearly 300 basis points. Luxury RevPAR rose 3%, while midscale and economy segments declined. In 2026, World Cup host cities may see significant RevPAR growth due to increased demand and limited supply growth under 1.7%.

🗺️ 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.