In Brief: Global hotel construction activity reached 15,976 projects totaling 2.43 million rooms at the end of the second quarter of 2026. The United States and China accounted for 59% of projects in the worldwide pipeline, while India, Saudi Arabia and several regional markets recorded year-over-year growth.
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United States, China Lead Global Hotel Pipeline as Pipeline Reaches Record High – Image Credit Unsplash
Global pipeline reaches new project high
The global hotel construction pipeline totaled 15,976 projects and 2,433,948 rooms at the end of the second quarter of 2026, according to Lodging Econometrics’ Global Hotel Construction Pipeline Trend Report. The project count is the highest recorded in the firm’s global pipeline data.
Of the total, 6,174 projects representing 1,043,290 rooms were under construction worldwide. Another 3,743 projects with 530,326 rooms were scheduled to begin construction during the following 12 months.
Projects in early planning totaled 6,059, accounting for 860,332 rooms. This segment increased 5% in project count and 8% in room count from a year earlier. During the second quarter, developers announced 974 new hotel projects with 138,743 rooms, while construction began on 602 projects totaling 83,232 rooms.
Conversions and renovations increase
The hotel brand conversion pipeline reached 2,927 projects and 351,257 rooms. Compared with the same period in 2025, conversion activity rose 12% by projects and 17% by rooms.
Including renovations, the combined pipeline for hotel renovations and brand conversions stood at 3,760 projects and 521,849 rooms. The combined total was up 8% in projects and 5% in rooms year over year.
The figures indicate that a substantial portion of future hotel supply is expected to come from the repositioning of existing properties, rather than only from newly built hotels. Conversion projects can allow operators to add branded properties without completing full-scale new construction.
Multiple hotel segments set records
Several chain scales recorded their highest project totals. The luxury segment had 1,385 projects with 257,947 rooms, an 8% increase in projects and a 3% increase in rooms from the prior year.
The upper upscale segment reached 1,923 projects and 396,483 rooms, up 8% in projects and 4% in rooms. The upscale pipeline totaled 3,918 projects with 659,976 rooms, representing a 1% increase in project count.
Upper midscale hotels had the largest project total among the listed chain scales, with 4,632 projects and 578,432 rooms. The number of upper midscale projects increased 3% year over year.
United States and China remain the largest markets
The United States continued to lead all countries with 5,975 hotel projects and 703,001 rooms in its construction pipeline. China ranked second with 3,588 projects and 632,256 rooms.
Together, the United States and China represented 59% of all projects in the global pipeline. The United States accounted for 37% of projects, while China accounted for 22%.
India posted one of the largest increases among major markets. Its pipeline reached 1,033 projects and 137,601 rooms, up 36% in projects and 39% in rooms from the previous year. Saudi Arabia had 387 projects and 105,648 rooms, increasing 13% in projects and 15% in rooms. Canada recorded 345 projects and 47,874 rooms, up 4% in projects and 7% in rooms.
Dallas leads cities by project count
Dallas had the largest hotel construction pipeline among individual cities, with 183 projects and 22,840 rooms. Atlanta followed with 157 projects and 17,423 rooms.
Chengdu ranked third with 127 projects and 22,785 rooms. Nashville had 122 projects and 16,281 rooms, while Guangzhou completed the five-largest-city pipeline with 120 projects and 24,633 rooms.
Asia Pacific and Middle East add pipeline growth
Asia Pacific recorded 6,094 projects and 1,085,228 rooms, a 4% increase in projects from a year earlier. Excluding China, the Asia Pacific pipeline totaled 2,506 projects and 452,972 rooms, up 17% in projects and 11% in rooms.
The Middle East had 724 projects and 178,003 rooms, with project totals increasing 11% year over year. Africa’s pipeline reached 343 projects and 52,526 rooms, up 15% in projects and 16% in rooms.
Forecasts point to continued hotel openings
A total of 2,438 hotels with 332,699 rooms opened worldwide in 2025. Lodging Econometrics forecasts that 2,742 hotels totaling 379,921 rooms will open by the end of 2026.
The firm projects 2,590 hotel openings with 389,412 rooms in 2027. For 2028, it forecasts 2,499 new hotels and 361,430 rooms globally.
