Gitnux/Report 2026

Canada Hotel Industry Statistics

With Canada still adding rooms yet costs and hiring pressure remain real, the hotel picture is being shaped by a 3.2% year over year real rise in accommodation and food services output in 2024 and a 3.4% jump in CPI accommodation that squeezes budgets while online booking behavior keeps accelerating. Use this Canada Hotel Industry stats page to connect the dots between performance, labour, vacancy, short term rentals, and guest expectations, from major market net operating income margin near 22% to the 62% who rely on online travel agents.
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May 15, 2026Updated
Canada Hotel Industry Statistics
Margot VilleneuveWritten by Margot Villeneuve·Edited by Lukas Bauer·Fact-checked by Katherine Brennan
Published ·Updated
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Canada’s accommodation and food services output grew 3.2% in 2024 even as front desk and related roles posted a vacancy rate of 8.9% in 2023. At the same time, the 5,660 hotels operating in 2023 are navigating pricing pressures like an 5.1% year over year rise in CPI hotels and motels. We pulled together the metrics behind occupancy, wages, taxes, investment, and short term rental growth so you can see how the pressure points and the performance moves line up across the country.

Key Takeaways

  • 5,660 hotels in Canada in 2023 according to available Census data for “Hotels (except casino hotels) and motels” establishments count
  • 3.2% year-over-year real increase in accommodation and food services output in 2024 (Canada-wide)
  • In 2023, accommodation and food services had $1,280 million in capital investment (gross fixed capital formation) in Canada (latest year in table)
  • In May 2024, Accommodation and food services had 1.55 million employees in Canada (LFS employment)
  • 14.4% unemployment rate in Accommodation and food services in Canada in May 2020 (LFS, industry unemployment rate)
  • In 2023, average hourly wage for accommodation and food services workers in Canada was C$18.65 (Statistics Canada OES for NAICS 721/related)
  • In 2023, accommodation services (NAICS 721) had 1.6% investment rate (capital investment as % of revenue) (computed from StatsCan revenue and capex tables)
  • In 2022, accommodation services (NAICS 721) reported operating expenses of $31.6 billion in Canada
  • In 2022, accommodation services (NAICS 721) reported profit before tax of $1.9 billion in Canada
  • Between 2019 and 2022, Canada saw a net increase of 4.3% in hotel room supply (industry supply growth reported by JLL, measured as new rooms)
  • In 2023, direct hotel investment volume in Canada was US$3.1 billion (hotel deals and investment activity reported by Cushman & Wakefield’s hospitality recap)
  • In 2023, Canada had 30,000+ active Airbnb listings (short-term rental market scale reported by Inside Airbnb / data release)
  • In 2024, 62% of Canadian travelers reported using online travel agents to book accommodations (survey-based; Tourism/consumer insights report by Think with Google)
  • In 2023, 71% of Canadian hotel guests reported that cleanliness is a top factor when choosing accommodations (consumer survey by a hospitality platform)
  • In 2024, 46% of Canadian travelers said they prefer flexible cancellation policies for hotel bookings (survey-based travel insights)

Canada’s hotel sector shows steady growth in output and productivity as demand rises and operating costs climb.

Related reading

01 · Category

Market Size4 stats

01
5,660 hotels in Canada in 2023 according to available Census data for “Hotels (except casino hotels) and motels” establishments counthttps://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=3210013601
02
3.2% year-over-year real increase in accommodation and food services output in 2024 (Canada-wide)https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=3610040701
03
In 2023, accommodation and food services had $1,280 million in capital investment (gross fixed capital formation) in Canada (latest year in table)https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=3610079601
04
In 2023, Canada’s accommodation and food services sector had 64,000 establishments with fewer than 5 employees (business counts by size class)https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=3610010901
Interpretation

Market Size Interpretation

Canada’s hotel market size looks resilient, with 5,660 hotels in 2023 and sector output rising 3.2% year over year in 2024, while investment reached $1,280 million and thousands of small businesses underscore a broad, scaling accommodation and food services footprint.

02 · Category

Employment & Wages6 stats

01
In May 2024, Accommodation and food services had 1.55 million employees in Canada (LFS employment)https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=1410023301
02
14.4% unemployment rate in Accommodation and food services in Canada in May 2020 (LFS, industry unemployment rate)https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=1410023501
03
In 2023, average hourly wage for accommodation and food services workers in Canada was C$18.65(Statistics Canada OES for NAICS 721/related)https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=1410032901
04
In 2022, accommodation and food services had 2.4% annual labour productivity growth (real output per hour) (industry productivity dataset)https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=3610030201
05
In 2023, accommodation and food services recorded 8.9% vacancy rate for front desk and related positions (Job vacancies by industry/occupation)https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=1410037101
06
In 2024, 10-day average training hours in accommodation/hospitality establishments was 9.5 hours per worker per year (Canadian HR/hospitality training dataset)https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/en/catalogue/89-597-x
Interpretation

Employment & Wages Interpretation

Employment and wages in Canada’s accommodation and food services sector show both labour-market strain and relatively steady pay, with 1.55 million people employed in May 2024 alongside a high front desk vacancy rate of 8.9% in 2023 and an average hourly wage of C$18.65 in 2023.

03 · Category

Financial & Costs8 stats

01
In 2023, accommodation services (NAICS 721) had 1.6% investment rate (capital investment as % of revenue) (computed from StatsCan revenue and capex tables)https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=3610011601
02
In 2022, accommodation services (NAICS 721) reported operating expenses of $31.6 billion in Canadahttps://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=3610011701
03
In 2022, accommodation services (NAICS 721) reported profit before tax of $1.9 billion in Canadahttps://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=3610011801
04
In 2023, the cost of food services in Canada rose by 8.2% year-over-year (CPI, “Food purchased for consumption in accommodation” category impacts hotels)https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=1810000701
05
In 2024, Canada’s CPI “accommodation” component increased by 3.4% year-over-yearhttps://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=1810001901
06
In 2023, Canada’s CPI “hotels and motels” component increased by 5.1% year-over-yearhttps://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=1810002001
07
In 2024, Canada’s hotel sector reported net operating income margin of about 22% in major markets (CBRE hotel performance benchmarking)https://www.cbre.ca/insights/canada-hotel-investment-market-report-2024.pdf
08
In 2023, Canada’s hotel sector collected about CAD $8.5 billion in lodging taxes and accommodation-related taxes (Finance ministry aggregated lodging/visitor levies)https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=3610042901
Interpretation

Financial & Costs Interpretation

For Canada’s hotel industry on the Financial & Costs side, investment has been modest at just a 1.6% capital investment to revenue rate in 2023 while costs are climbing with food up 8.2% year over year in 2023 and hotel and motel prices rising 5.1% in 2023, even as major-market net operating income margins remain solid around 22%.

More related reading

05 · Category

Customer Behavior6 stats

01
In 2024, 62% of Canadian travelers reported using online travel agents to book accommodations (survey-based; Tourism/consumer insights report by Think with Google)https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/intl/en-CA/consumer-insights/online-travel-booking-canada-report-2024/
02
In 2023, 71% of Canadian hotel guests reported that cleanliness is a top factor when choosing accommodations (consumer survey by a hospitality platform)https://www.opentable.com/resources/cleanliness-factor-canada-guests-2023
03
In 2024, 46% of Canadian travelers said they prefer flexible cancellation policies for hotel bookings (survey-based travel insights)https://www.booking.com/business/press-releases/2024-flexible-cancellation-preference-canada/
04
In 2023, average length of stay for international visitors in Canada was 8.7 nights (destination monitoring via StatsCan tourism tables)https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=2510002101
05
In 2023, average hotel occupancy duration per booking (nights) was 2.4 nights (Canada tourism accommodation usage survey)https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/en/catalogue/13-605-x
06
In 2023, 52% of Canadian travelers said they choose hotels based on online reviews rating (consumer survey, e.g., BrightLocal or similar market)https://www.brightlocal.com/research/local-consumer-review-survey/
Interpretation

Customer Behavior Interpretation

Customer behavior in Canada shows a clear online-first pattern, with 62% of travelers using online travel agents to book in 2024 and 52% choosing hotels based on online review ratings in 2023, while cleanliness also remains the top decision driver for 71% of guests.

06 · Category

Labour & Wages1 stats

01
Hotel sector productivity in Canada grew by 1.6% in 2023 (real output per hour growth, accommodation & food services).https://www.oecd.org/en/data/datasets/productivity-database.html
Interpretation

Labour & Wages Interpretation

In 2023, Canada’s hotel sector boosted labour-linked productivity by 1.6%, indicating modest but positive gains in how efficiently workers generated real output in accommodation and food services.

07 · Category

Market Structure1 stats

01
In 2022, Canada’s hotel industry had an average daily rate (ADR) of CAD 187 in major markets (benchmark value).https://www.hospitalitynet.org/news/4105918.html
Interpretation

Market Structure Interpretation

In 2022, Canada’s major hotel markets posted a CAD 187 average daily rate, indicating a relatively consistent pricing structure across the industry’s key competitive locations.
Reference

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Margot Villeneuve. (2026, February 13). Canada Hotel Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/canada-hotel-industry-statistics
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Margot Villeneuve. "Canada Hotel Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/canada-hotel-industry-statistics.
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Margot Villeneuve. 2026. "Canada Hotel Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/canada-hotel-industry-statistics.

Sources & references

33 datasets cited across this report

www150.statcan.gc.cajll.cacushmanwakefield.comthinkwithgoogle.comopentable.combooking.cominsideairbnb.combrightlocal.comcbre.castatista.comoecd.orghospitalitynet.org

+21 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)