Hotel industry worldwide - statistics & facts
As a home away from home, hotels play a significant role in many travelers’ lives. From luxurious resorts to budget chains, there are hotels to match all consumer needs. Some establishments are even known across the world, such as the classic Waldorf Astoria in New York or the awe-inspiring Burj Al Arab Jumeirah in Dubai. While other accommodation options like Airbnb have become extremely popular, hotels are still a huge business globally. In 2025, the hotel market’s revenue worldwide was expected to exceed 450 billion U.S. dollars, showing an increase over the previous year. Global hotel occupancy rates have also seen growth over the last years, rebounding back to pre-pandemic levels.
What are the biggest hotel companies in the world?
Battling for the top spot are a few key players in the hotel industry. When looking at the leading global hotel brands by value, Hilton ranked first, with a brand value of over 11.5 billion U.S. dollars in 2024. Incidentally, the CEO of Hilton Worldwide, Christopher Nassetta, was the highest-paid hotel CEO worldwide that year. Meanwhile, in a ranking of the leading hotel and resort companies worldwide by sales, Marriott International took the leading spot, with sales amounting to roughly 25 billion U.S. dollars. While sales and brand value are important indicators, they are not the only figures that can be used to measure a hotel company's success. For instance, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts surpassed Hilton and Marriott International in a ranking of the hotels with the most properties worldwide, reporting almost 9,300 units in 2025.
Markets with the most hotel projects in the pipeline worldwide
The number of hotels in the construction pipeline worldwide that were already under construction was around 6,300 in 2025. Some regions, however, were predicted to experience stronger growth than others. As of 2025, the United States and China were by far the countries with the highest number of hotel projects and the highest number of hotel rooms in the pipeline. It therefore comes as no surprise that the top five cities with the most rooms in the construction pipeline worldwide were located in these two markets.
As evidenced by not only the significant number of projects under development but also by upward trends in revenue and occupancy, the outlook for the hotel industry in the coming years is one of growth.
