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 count[1]
02
3.2% year-over-year real increase in accommodation and food services output in 2024 (Canada-wide)[1]
03
In 2023, accommodation and food services had $1,280 million in capital investment (gross fixed capital formation) in Canada (latest year in table)[1]
04
In 2023, Canada’s accommodation and food services sector had 64,000 establishments with fewer than 5 employees (business counts by size class)[1]
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)[1]
02
14.4% unemployment rate in Accommodation and food services in Canada in May 2020 (LFS, industry unemployment rate)[1]
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)[1]
04
In 2022, accommodation and food services had 2.4% annual labour productivity growth (real output per hour) (industry productivity dataset)[1]
05
In 2023, accommodation and food services recorded 8.9% vacancy rate for front desk and related positions (Job vacancies by industry/occupation)[1]
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)[1]
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)[1]
02
In 2022, accommodation services (NAICS 721) reported operating expenses of $31.6 billion in Canada[1]
03
In 2022, accommodation services (NAICS 721) reported profit before tax of $1.9 billion in Canada[1]
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)[1]
05
In 2024, Canada’s CPI “accommodation” component increased by 3.4% year-over-year[1]
06
In 2023, Canada’s CPI “hotels and motels” component increased by 5.1% year-over-year[1]
07
In 2024, Canada’s hotel sector reported net operating income margin of about 22% in major markets (CBRE hotel performance benchmarking)[2]
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)[1]
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%.
04 · Category
Industry Trends7 stats
01
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)[3]
02
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)[4]
03
In 2023, Canada had 30,000+ active Airbnb listings (short-term rental market scale reported by Inside Airbnb / data release)[5]
04
In 2024, the city of Toronto reported 10,000+ short-term rental listings on platforms (Inside Airbnb Toronto snapshot)[5]
05
In 2023, Vancouver had about 4,000 active short-term rental listings (Inside Airbnb Vancouver snapshot)[5]
06
In 2023, Montreal had about 3,500 active short-term rental listings (Inside Airbnb Montreal snapshot)[5]
07
In 2023, Canada recorded 4.0 hotel-related insolvencies per 1,000 hospitality firms (insolvency dataset, if available by industry)[6]
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
Canada’s hospitality landscape is tightening even as supply grows, with hotel room supply up 4.3% from 2019 to 2022 and investment at US$3.1 billion in 2023, while the rise of short term rentals is clear with 30,000 plus Airbnb listings nationwide and Toronto exceeding 10,000 listings in 2024.
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)[7]
02
In 2023, 71% of Canadian hotel guests reported that cleanliness is a top factor when choosing accommodations (consumer survey by a hospitality platform)[8]
03
In 2024, 46% of Canadian travelers said they prefer flexible cancellation policies for hotel bookings (survey-based travel insights)[9]
04
In 2023, average length of stay for international visitors in Canada was 8.7 nights (destination monitoring via StatsCan tourism tables)[1]
05
In 2023, average hotel occupancy duration per booking (nights) was 2.4 nights (Canada tourism accommodation usage survey)[1]
06
In 2023, 52% of Canadian travelers said they choose hotels based on online reviews rating (consumer survey, e.g., BrightLocal or similar market)[10]
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).[11]
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).[12]
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
Cite This Report
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APA
Margot Villeneuve. (2026, February 13). Canada Hotel Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/canada-hotel-industry-statistics
MLA
Margot Villeneuve. "Canada Hotel Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/canada-hotel-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Margot Villeneuve. 2026. "Canada Hotel Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/canada-hotel-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
12 sources cited across this report