It turns out that the practice of New Year's resolutions isn’t specific to aspirational gym-goers or new bullet-journalists. 2026 is shaping up to demand hoteliers to refocus their operations in the new year. From a growing divide between the luxury and economy segments, to unprecedented decreases in international tourism to the United States, the state of the hospitality industry requires new and creative ways to meet the moment for travelers. As we focus on the future of hospitality, let’s explore 5 opportunities to grow into 2026.

1. Personalization

In 2026, personalization is the name of the differentiation game at all chain scales. And while it may seem overwhelming at first, there’s significant potential to unlock here. Every interaction throughout the guest journey serves as an opportunity to collect data about your guests and insert it into your property’s formula for making them feel special. Personalization can be as simple as facilitating pre-arrival room preferences or relevant upgrades, messaging guests upon check-in, and following up throughout the stay. The success of personalization hinges on automation: by automating routine tasks with easily predictable outcomes, staff can allocate more attention to complex preferences. 

2. AI for for hotel staff

In 2026, AI is forecasted to play a pivotal role in hospitality, both internally and externally. For hotel staff, AI can answer routine guest queries, analyze guest sentiments, or catch maintenance tasks before they become emergencies. For above-property management, the LLM capabilities of AI can provide key insights into hotel trends, guest satisfaction, and more. As more products and associated capabilities enter the market, deciding what to automate may seem overwhelming when everything seems important. We’ve found that suggested replies to FAQs, guest sentiment analysis, and workflow organization have all helped properties meet and exceed guest expectations and provide property trend visibility to management companies.

3. AI for travelers

In 2025, we began to see travelers opting for platforms such as ChatGPT for itinerary creation and hotel recommendations over search engines or OTAs. This migration to AI-generated answers will continue for many travelers in 2026. While AI-generated itineraries have led some travelers to hallucinated destinations, travelers gravitate towards AI tools for initial brainstorming, price comparison, and optimizing loyalty point usage. This new use case challenges hotels, especially independent properties and management companies, to think beyond TripAdvisor and optimize their web content for maximum visibility in AI tools’ responses. 

4. All eyes on luxury

For hoteliers in the luxury segment, the premiumization effect is expected to drive luxury customer expectations even higher into 2026. As luxury hotel ADR continues to rise, luxury travelers are responding with resilient room demand and, in turn, more complex preferences. These travelers’ expectations go beyond the hotel room – in 2026, luxury travelers will look for upgraded exclusivity, food and beverage offerings, and wellness amenities. As we enter the new year, reconsider how your property is elevating the guest experience to meet the new standard for a luxury stay. If you’ve already made investments outside the room, ensure that luxury travelers are aware of what’s available to them as a guest on your property. 

5. International tourism

US-based hoteliers have undoubtedly felt the decline in international leisure tourism throughout 2025. As we look toward 2026, the FIFA World Cup emerges as an opportunity to rebound from falling 2025 numbers, beginning on December 5 with the release of the match schedule. In the meantime, find out what the World Cup means for your city, and which areas of your property will need extra help to meet the increased demand from international and domestic travelers.

2025 saw both significant opportunities and challenges for the hospitality industry. By factoring these upcoming trends into 2026 preparation, hotels can position their teams and tech to work together for a seamless guest experience. Whether it’s responding to guest requests quickly through ticketing and housekeeping software, or enhancing the experience with guest messaging, hospitality leaders can set things in place today for a stronger competitive advantage in 2026 and beyond. If you’re interested in positioning your hotel for a successful 2026, schedule a conversation with us today.

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