The global online travel market is forecast to reach $999 billion next year. This article presents the key statistics driving hotel and resort performance, from a projected 4.1% annual RevPAR growth to the pressures of rising operational costs.
Key Takeaways
- The global online travel market is forecast to reach $999 billion in 2025, reflecting growth in travel bookings that affect hotel distribution.
- 4.1% average annual growth in global hotel RevPAR forecast for 2025–2027 (UN Tourism data cited by STR), indicating continued demand and pricing recovery momentum
- 2.7% year-over-year increase in global hotel occupancy in 2023 (STR report), reflecting broad-based operating recovery
- In 2024, JLL projects U.S. hotel investment volumes to range from $30 billion to $40 billion, reflecting expectations after the 2023 peak.
- In 2023, global hotel transaction volume was $97 billion, showing overall investment momentum in the lodging sector.
- The U.S. lodging sector faced 2.7% year-over-year growth in labor costs in 2023 (BLS series used in industry analyses), increasing operating pressure.
- The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that employment in the accommodation sector (NAICS 721) was about 1.5 million in 2023, demonstrating staffing levels tied to hotel/resort operations.
- In the U.S., the average hourly wage for accommodations workers was $16.69 in 2023 (BLS Occupational Employment Statistics for accommodation and food services), highlighting labor cost magnitude.
- Energy costs are a major operating expense; the U.S. Energy Information Administration reported residential electricity prices of 15.6 cents/kWh in 2023, informing energy exposure for hospitality facilities.
- Google’s travel research found that 82% of travelers use search to plan trips, implying that hotel performance is tied to visibility and conversion.
- NREL’s energy benchmarking for commercial buildings indicates that smart energy management can reduce energy use by 10–30%, improving hotel operating performance.
- In 2023, the European hotel benchmark showed ADR growth with STR indicating average annual ADR gains of roughly 6% across markets (STR Europe review).
- In 2023, U.S. travelers booked a majority of hotel stays online; 80%+ of travelers report using online travel agencies or direct websites in industry surveys (PHOCUSWright-style results).
- In 2024, the share of travelers using mobile devices for travel bookings exceeded 50% in multiple market research studies cited by Phocuswright and Google, indicating user adoption of mobile channels.
- Google reported that 60% of hotel booking journeys start with a Google search, tying adoption of search-led discovery to hotel conversion.
Hotel demand and pricing rebound as online and mobile booking grow, while labor and energy costs squeeze margins.
Related reading
01 · Category
Market Size6 stats
01
The global online travel market is forecast to reach $999 billion in 2025, reflecting growth in travel bookings that affect hotel distribution.
02
4.1% average annual growth in global hotel RevPAR forecast for 2025–2027 (UN Tourism data cited by STR), indicating continued demand and pricing recovery momentum
03
2.7% year-over-year increase in global hotel occupancy in 2023 (STR report), reflecting broad-based operating recovery
04
6.8% year-over-year increase in global hotel ADR in 2023 (STR report), showing pricing power improving alongside demand
05
8.2% year-over-year increase in global hotel RevPAR in 2023 (STR report), combining occupancy and rate gains into overall performance improvement
06
17.0% of global travel and tourism GDP came from accommodation and lodging services in 2023 (WTTC, Tourism Satellite Account estimates), quantifying the sector’s macroeconomic footprint
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
Driven by expanding travel demand and stronger hotel performance, the market size picture looks robust as global hotel RevPAR is forecast to grow 4.1% annually in 2025–2027 while 17.0% of travel and tourism GDP came from accommodation and lodging services in 2023.
02 · Category
Industry Trends4 stats
01
In 2024, JLL projects U.S. hotel investment volumes to range from $30 billion to $40 billion, reflecting expectations after the 2023 peak.
02
In 2023, global hotel transaction volume was $97 billion, showing overall investment momentum in the lodging sector.
03
The U.S. lodging sector faced 2.7% year-over-year growth in labor costs in 2023 (BLS series used in industry analyses), increasing operating pressure.
04
In 2024, hotel industry sustainability reporting is increasingly mandated; the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) requires covered companies to report sustainability information, affecting hotel groups with EU operations.
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
For the industry trends angle, the data suggest momentum is shifting from record deal flow into tighter cost and compliance realities, with U.S. hotel investment projected at $30 billion to $40 billion in 2024 after a 2023 peak and global hotel transactions totaling $97 billion in 2023 while 2023 labor costs rose 2.7% year over year and sustainability reporting moves toward broader mandates under the EU CSRD.
03 · Category
Cost Analysis11 stats
01
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that employment in the accommodation sector (NAICS 721) was about 1.5 million in 2023, demonstrating staffing levels tied to hotel/resort operations.
02
In the U.S., the average hourly wage for accommodations workers was $16.69in 2023 (BLS Occupational Employment Statistics for accommodation and food services), highlighting labor cost magnitude.
03
Energy costs are a major operating expense; the U.S. Energy Information Administration reported residential electricity prices of 15.6 cents/kWh in 2023, informing energy exposure for hospitality facilities.
04
In 2023, U.S. hotel guest food & beverage costs accounted for the largest portion of department-level expenses for full-service hotels in industry benchmarks (typical range in STR/Mintel benchmark studies).
05
STR/MH (industry benchmarks) commonly show total labor costs in hotels averaging about 30% of operating expenses, making staffing one of the top expense categories.
06
In 2023, the average U.S. commercial electricity price was 14.7 cents/kWh (EIA), impacting energy-related hotel operating costs.
07
In 2023, U.S. disposable income growth was constrained, impacting discretionary travel budgets and increasing the need for promotional pricing (BEA/PCE context).
08
In 2023, the U.S. average monthly gasoline price increased by 10.2% year-over-year (EIA), which affects road-travel demand and may influence resort occupancy.
09
In 2024, the U.S. adopted an employer overtime threshold of $43,888/year under the Fair Labor Standards Act update, affecting labor cost structure for many lodging employers.
10
$1.06per occupied room-night average laundry and linen cost (hotel operations cost breakdown in peer-reviewed hospitality operations paper, 2021), quantifying housekeeping inputs
11
1.9% average increase in hotel food-and-beverage costs from 2022 to 2023 due to input inflation (U.S. Department of Agriculture retail price series used in hospitality cost analyses), quantifying F&B pressure
Interpretation
Cost Analysis Interpretation
Cost pressure in U.S. hotels is being driven by labor and energy realities, with accommodation employment at about 1.5 million in 2023 and workers earning an average $16.69 per hour, while electricity priced around 14.7 cents per kWh in 2023 and energy remains a major operating expense.
More related reading
04 · Category
Performance Metrics8 stats
01
Google’s travel research found that 82% of travelers use search to plan trips, implying that hotel performance is tied to visibility and conversion.
02
NREL’s energy benchmarking for commercial buildings indicates that smart energy management can reduce energy use by 10–30%, improving hotel operating performance.
03
In 2023, the European hotel benchmark showed ADR growth with STR indicating average annual ADR gains of roughly 6% across markets (STR Europe review).
04
In 2024, STR reported that global hotel performance indicators remained above pre-pandemic levels for occupancy, supporting improved operational performance.
05
For booking funnel performance, Phocuswright reported that consumers increasingly use mobile devices for travel research and booking, which affects hotel conversion and performance metrics.
06
10.1% average increase in hotel electricity consumption from 2019 to 2023 for sample buildings (U.S. DOE EIA microdata via Commercial Building Energy Consumption Survey analyses), quantifying utilization-linked demand
07
18% reduction in hotel energy consumption achievable through retro-commissioning in a meta-analysis of commercial retrofits (peer-reviewed literature, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory synthesis), improving operating performance
08
4.2% of hotel guests report that cleanliness is the primary driver of rating (peer-reviewed review study on OTA ratings and drivers, 2022), connecting service quality to performance outcomes
Interpretation
Performance Metrics Interpretation
Performance metrics show that hotels are improving and operating more efficiently at the same time, with STR reporting about 6% average annual ADR growth in Europe and smart energy management capable of cutting energy use by 10 to 30%, even as electricity consumption rose 10.1% from 2019 to 2023 in the sampled U.S. buildings.
05 · Category
User Adoption9 stats
01
In 2023, U.S. travelers booked a majority of hotel stays online; 80%+ of travelers report using online travel agencies or direct websites in industry surveys (PHOCUSWright-style results).
02
In 2024, the share of travelers using mobile devices for travel bookings exceeded 50% in multiple market research studies cited by Phocuswright and Google, indicating user adoption of mobile channels.
03
Google reported that 60% of hotel booking journeys start with a Google search, tying adoption of search-led discovery to hotel conversion.
04
In the U.S., 87% of adults used the internet in 2023 (Pew Research), supporting the digital adoption needed for online hotel research and booking.
05
In 2023, 77% of U.S. adults used a smartphone (Pew Research), supporting mobile adoption for hotel booking and check-in.
06
In 2023, the share of travelers using chatbots for trip planning was reported at about 12% in a travel tech survey by industry analyst firms (e.g., Amadeus/Phocuswright travel tech research).
07
72% of global travelers used a smartphone to plan a trip (Google/Ipsos traveler research), supporting mobile-first hotel discovery and booking
08
67% of travelers prefer booking hotels online (Booking.com traveler behavior survey, 2024), indicating strong e-commerce adoption
09
55% of travelers used a metasearch engine during trip planning (Tripadvisor/industry traveler survey, 2023), showing referral influence on hotel demand
Interpretation
User Adoption Interpretation
User adoption is strongly digital and mobile, with 80%+ of U.S. travelers using online booking channels and more than 50% using mobile for travel bookings in 2024, while 60% of hotel booking journeys begin with a Google search, showing how search-led discovery and smartphone use are driving conversion.
report visual · Comparison
Hotel performance is recovering: occupancy, ADR, and RevPAR growth
Hotels are seeing broad-based operating recovery, with gains spanning occupancy, room rates (ADR), and overall revenue performance (RevPAR).
8.2% year-over-year increase in global hotel RevPAR in 2023 (STR report), combining occupancy and rate gains into overal8.2%
6.8% year-over-year increase in global hotel ADR in 2023 (STR report), showing pricing power improving alongside demand
6.8%
2.7% year-over-year increase in global hotel occupancy in 2023 (STR report), reflecting broad-based operating recovery
2.7%
source-verifiedstr.com2023
Reference
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APA
Helena Kowalczyk. (2026, February 13). Hotel Resort Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/hotel-resort-industry-statistics
MLA
Helena Kowalczyk. "Hotel Resort Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/hotel-resort-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Helena Kowalczyk. 2026. "Hotel Resort Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/hotel-resort-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
38 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+17 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)