GLOBAL REPORT – The global hotel construction pipeline
reached an all-time high project count at the end of 4Q25 with 15,922
projects/2,437,354 rooms, a 1% increase in projects year-over-year (YOY),
according to Lodging Econometrics data.
There are 6,140 projects/1,058,945 rooms currently under
construction worldwide at Q4 2025. Projects scheduled to start construction
anytime in the next 12 months stood at 3,845 projects/553,140 rooms, up 3% by
rooms YOY. Projects in the early planning stage reached record highs at 5,937
projects/825,269 rooms, showing significant growth with a 4% increase in
projects and a 3% increase in rooms YOY.
During 2025, 2,371 new hotels opened worldwide, accounting
for 325,985 rooms. LE analysts forecast 2,617 new hotels/389,175 rooms to open
in 2026, followed by 2,630 new hotels/384,955 rooms to open in 2027.
The pipeline for the luxury chain scale reached record highs
at the end of 2025 with 1,328 projects/252,544 rooms, up 8% by projects and 4%
by rooms YOY. The upper upscale chain scale also achieved record highs with
1,883 projects/391,391 rooms, increasing 9% by projects and 4% by rooms YOY.
The top two chain scales by project count, upscale and upper midscale combined,
total 8,358 projects/1,227,133 rooms, up 1% by both projects and rooms YOY.
The top countries by project count continue to be led by the
United States with 6,146 projects/720,089 rooms. China followed with 3,608
projects/644,938 rooms. The United States represented 39% of the projects in
the total global pipeline, while China accounted for 23%. Sixty-two percent of
the projects in the global pipeline are concentrated within these two
countries. Notable growth is seen in India, which reached record highs with 906
projects/118,334 rooms, showing remarkable increases of 31% by projects and 35%
by rooms YOY. Saudi Arabia also achieved record highs with 394 projects/106,521
rooms, up 25% by projects and 28% by rooms YOY.
The cities with the greatest number of projects in the hotel
construction pipeline were led by Dallas with 193 projects/23,720 rooms.
Atlanta followed with 159 projects/17,804 rooms. Next were the international
cities of Chengdu which ranked third with 136 projects/24,216 rooms, followed
by Guangzhou with 126 projects/25,329 rooms, and Phoenix which rounded out the
top five with 124 projects/16,303 rooms.
Globally, the conversion pipeline reached record highs with
2,815 projects/341,006 rooms, up 13% by projects and 14% by rooms YOY. Combined
hotel renovations and conversions also achieved record highs, standing at 3,777
projects/540,459 rooms, up 9% by projects and 10% by rooms YOY.
Regional pipeline project record counts were achieved by the
Asia Pacific, excluding China, region with 2,323 projects/433,241 rooms, up 11%
by projects and 5% by rooms YOY, then the Middle East with 710 projects/176,402
rooms, up 15% by projects and 13% by rooms YOY; and Africa with 312
projects/47,395 rooms, up 11% by projects and 9% by rooms YOY.