Key Takeaways

  • In the second quarter of 2026,the global hotel construction pipeline reached a record 15,976 projects, representing approximately 2.4 million guestrooms, according to Lodging Econometrics' Q2 2026 U.S. Construction Pipeline Trend Report.
  • The global project pipeline for the quartergrew approximately 0.7% year-over-year; among these, there were 6,174 projects under construction, 3,743 projects scheduled to start within the next 12 months, and a record 6,059 projects in early planning stages.
  • The United States led all other countries in hotel projects within the global construction pipeline in the second quarter, with hotel conversions and luxury projects dominating.

Deep Insights

In the second quarter, the United States accounted for 37% of the total global pipeline projects, comprising 5,975 projects and 703,001 guestrooms, althoughthe country's pipeline declined year-over-year in both project count and guestroom count. China followed the United States, ranking second in the global hotel construction pipeline with 3,588 projects and 632,256 guestrooms.

For the second consecutive year, Dallas (183 projects), Atlanta (157 projects), and Chengdu, China (127 projects) ranked in the top three among global hotel construction pipeline cities in the second quarter. Nashville, Tennessee, USA (122 projects) and Guangzhou, China (120 projects) rounded out the top five.

The report shows that the global brand conversion pipeline reached a record 2,927 projects in the second quarter, up 12% year-over-year. Meanwhile, the upper upscale chain segment saw significant pipeline growth during the quarter.

The luxury pipeline grew 8% year-over-year to a record 1,385 projects; the upper upscale pipeline also grew 8% year-over-year to a record 1,923 projects. Additionally, the upscale pipeline reached an all-time high of 3,918 projects in the second quarter, up 1% year-over-year.

In the United States, both the luxury and upper upscale segments set pipeline volume records in the second quarter.

During second-quarter earnings calls, the CEOs of Hyatt Hotels Corporation and Marriott International noted thatthe luxury segment is a bright spot for future growth, driven by sustained strong demand from high-end travelers. Hotel executives also stated during quarterly earnings calls thatconversions remain a robust development opportunity。