2026 State of The Industry

The AHLA 2026 State of the Industry Report describes a hotel sector that remains fundamentally resilient while adapting quickly to economic, market, and political change. In 2025, U.S. hoteliers sought to realign their operations in response to a broad range of external challenges, demonstrating resilience across the industry. 

Key findings from the 2026 State of the Industry report include:

• Hotels generated $85.1 billion in local, state, and federal taxes in 2025 (up $1.7 billion from 2024), and that total is projected to rise to nearly $87 billion in 2026.
• Hotel guest spending in 2026 is expected to reach nearly $805 billion, a 1.7% increase over 2025.
• Rising operating expenses were a primary factor keeping gross operating profit per available room (GOPPAR) at roughly 90% of 2019 levels.
• The industry paid nearly $128 billion in wages and benefits in 2025 and is projected to approach $131 billion in 2026.
• The hotel workforce is projected to grow by more than 30,000 jobs in 2026, bringing direct hotel operations employment to approximately 2.2 million. 

If you are media, an educator, or a legislator please reach out to membership@ahla.com for a copy of the report.