Hotel Industry Research: Beyond the Room

Headline findings

From our original research (2026)

Guests plan their trips around experiences. Hotels have plenty to offer, but most of it can't be bought from the hotel.

• 1.3×: travelers search for things to do 1.3 times as often as for hotels, across 25 destinations.⁴
• 9 in 10 hotels promote things to do, but fewer than 1 in 10 let guests book a stand-alone experience on the hotel's own website (500+ hotels).⁵
• 82% of U.S. hotels that sell day access through platforms like ResortPass don't sell it on their own website (280 hotels, 39 states).³
• 8%: asked where to get a pool day pass, AI assistants named a hotel in 92% of answers but told the guest to book with the hotel directly in just 8%.⁴
• 1 of 147 hotel experience pages gives AI a real price it can read, even though only 1 of 261 hotel websites blocks AI search tools.⁴

From the guest economy

• $106: for every $100 U.S. hotel guests spend on lodging, they spend about $106 more off-property on dining, recreation, retail and other goods and services, before transportation.¹
• $786.5B: total U.S. hotel guest spending in 2024. Lodging was $235.5B of it.¹
• $27.3B: estimated annual U.S. destination commerce opportunity beyond rooms and ordinary food and beverage.²
• 22% → 75%: about 14,000 upper-tier U.S. hotels account for three-quarters of that opportunity.²
• $12.4B: the share of the opportunity that would be retained directly by hotels, with a further $10.6B flowing to independent local businesses.²

The Research

• The Hotel Industry Issues Report 2026

  Based on 16,734 coded Reddit posts from a full year: burnout and poor management lead hotel staff complaints (27%), while booking problems at arrival (25%) and charges, deposits and refunds (24%) lead guest complaints.

• The Hotel Discovery Report 2026

  Based on 400 search terms, 525 AI answers, and an audit of 261 hotel websites: Travelers search for things to do 1.3× as often as for hotels, but hotel websites supply just 5% of the sources AI cites for experience questions.

• The Hotel Experiences Report 2026

  We analyzed 500+ hotels: nearly 9 in 10 promote experiences, but fewer than 1 in 10 let guests book one directly. Results broken down by hotel type and channel.

• The Hotel Day Pass Report 2026

  We audited 280 U.S. hotels selling day access through platforms like ResortPass: 4 in 5 don't sell it on their own website. Includes day pass and cabana prices, booking channels, and a Southern California edition.

Statistics & Industry Hubs

• Experiential Travel Statistics 2026

  The size of the experiences market, how travelers book and spend, the role of OTAs and AI, and what it means for hotels: 35+ sourced statistics.

• Hotel Direct Booking Statistics 2026

  OTA market share, revenue per booking, cancellations, rate parity, repeat guests, and AI booking: 40+ sourced statistics.

• Hotel Industry Statistics 2026

  Every figure from our research in one place, with sources and charts you can embed. Start here if you need a number.

Analysis & Insights

• How Much Do Hotel Guests Spend? The $786.5B Guest Economy

  We break down where U.S. hotel guests' money goes. On average, the room accounts for less than a third of total spend.

• Hotel Non-Room Revenue: The $27.3B Destination Commerce Opportunity

  Our model of what U.S. hotels could transact beyond the room, broken down by commerce engine and hotel tier, and who earns from it.

• The AI Hotel Concierge: From Booking Agent to Marketplace Curator

  Why AI won't replace the concierge, and how the concierge's job changes when the hotel runs a marketplace.

• The Missing Layer in the Hotel Technology Stack

  Hotels have mature systems for rooms and restaurants but nothing for the rest of what guests buy. We look at why that gap matters more as AI agents start booking travel.

For journalists and analysts

About DestinationCommerce.ai

Press boilerplate: DestinationCommerce.ai is the hotel commerce platform that helps hotels monetize beyond the room—turning on-property assets, hotel-created experiences, and trusted local partners into one branded commerce layer. Powered by DropDesk LLC.

All charts on these pages are free to republish with a credit link to DestinationCommerce.ai. Detailed model assumptions are available on request, under embargo or on background.

Media contact: hello@destinationcommerce.ai · Philip Beck, founder, is available for interview.

Cite this research: DestinationCommerce.ai (powered by DropDesk LLC), Beyond the Room: Hotel Industry Research, 2026. https://destinationcommerce.ai/research/