Check out the most recent and important hotel industry statistics, gathered from various trustworthy surveys, studies, and sources within the industry.
Ever wondered how many hotels there are in the world?
Did you know that London is the city with the most 5-star hotels?
Or that there are 10.5 million people worldwide employed in the hotel and resort industry?
The hotel industry was worth $1.52 trillion in 2019, and although this number dropped during the pandemic, it is expected to recover and rise.
Below, we’ve rounded up some of the most interesting and important statistics about worldwide hotels.
Whether you’re booking cheap hotels for your upcoming trip or simply want to understand more about this industry, read on!
Sources: Please find at the bottom of the post a list of all the sources and articles used in this article. I have also attached the source of each statistic.
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As of 2022, there is a total of 742,728 hotels and resorts across the globe.
What is the average occupancy rate for a hotel?
In 2019, hotels in the US had an average hotel occupancy rate of 66%, selling 1.3 billion rooms per year.
Who dominates the hotel industry?
Marriott International Inc. records the largest market share in the hotel industry with a market value of $58.7 billion.
They are also the hotel brand with the highest sales number, generating $13.8 billion in sales in 2021.
What makes a hotel 5-star?
What makes a hotel 5-star is a high and excellent standard of service, amenities, and comfort. There is also no universal rating for hotels, with criteria and awards differing from country to country.
What is the value of the hotel industry?
In 2019, the hotel industry hit its peak with a market size of US$ 1.52 trillion.
Hotel Industry Important Statistics
According to Statista, there were 184,299 hotels worldwide in 2018.
The city with the most 5-star hotels is London, with 75 recorded in 2017.
The leading hotel company with the most properties is Wyndham Hotels & Resort, with 8,941 units across the world.
As of 2022, there are 132,228 hotels and motels in the US, which is 8.3% more than in 2021.
In 2019, the hotel industry recorded $1.52 trillion in market size.
Meanwhile, the whole global hospitality market is predicted to grow by 15.1%, from $3,952 billion in 2021 to $4,548 billion in 2022.
About 10.5 million people are employed in the global hotel and resort industry.
Worldwide hotel industry statistics
How many hotels are there in the world?
1. According to Statista, there were 184,299 hotels worldwide in 2018.
[Statista]
However, a hotel in this definition only counts those that generate revenue on a per-night, per-room basis, and has at least 10 rooms available for the public. This doesn't include all types of vacation rentals.
2. Using a wider definition of the term hotel and also including resorts, there are 742,728 such businesses in 2022 worldwide.
[IBISWorld]
In this case, the survey has included all hotel and resort accommodations that have private or shared facilities, and with or without restaurant facilities attached. However, this excludes other accommodation types like motels, camping grounds, B&Bs, and backpacker hostels.
3. Meanwhile, as of March 2022, there are about 6 million active Airbnb listings.
[Airbnb]
The number of Airbnb listings includes everything from single rooms in a house and whole villas, to unique accommodations. Still, 6 million is a high number and this shows that it’s becoming increasingly popular to stay in accommodations other than hotels.
4. In 2021, there were 2,246 hotel openings across the globe. It’s forecast to grow to 2,805 in 2022 and 2,934 in 2023.
[Statista]
5. In terms of the number of hotel room openings, there were 340.7 thousand in 2021.
[Statista]
6. This figure will similarly grow in 2022 and 2023, reaching 428 thousand and 447.6 thousand respectively.
[Statista]
7. Hotel workspaces will be an increasingly popular trend as the percentage of remote workers across the globe doubled in 2021 alone.
[EHL Insights]
Hotels will benefit from following this trend and providing comfortable workspaces within their property to accommodate digital nomad guests and business travelers.
8. London is the city with the most 5-star hotels, with 75 recorded in 2017.
[Forbes]
The number of 5-star hotels in London is 75, which is the most out of other cities in the world. This means that one of the best countries for 5-star hotel experiences is the UK.
9. The city with the second highest number of 5-star hotels is Dubai at 61, followed closely by New York (59) and Paris (56).
[Forbes]
After London, the cities with the most 5-star hotels are Dubai, New York, and Paris.
10. As of the end of 2021, the country that has the most hotel construction projects in the pipeline was the United States with 4,814.
[Statista]
11. With 3,693 hotel construction projects in the pipeline, China recorded the second highest number in the world.
[Statista]
12. Amongst all the countries in Europe, Southern European countries like Italy, Spain, and Greece, recorded the most hotel brands. Each of them had at least 200 hotel brands.
[Statista]
Italy, Spain, and Greece are the countries in Europe that are home to the most hotel brands, with each having at least 200.
Leading companies in the hotel industry
Which hotel company has the largest market share?
13. Marriott International Inc. records the largest market share in the hotel industry with a market value of US$ 58.7 billion.
[Statista]
14. The second leading company in the hotel industry has US$ 42.8 billion in market share, which is Hilton, Inc.
[Statista]
15. In terms of sales, Marriott International Inc. also ranked first, generating US$ 13.8 billion in sales in 2021 alone.
[Statista]
16. Meanwhile, the hotel company to achieve the second-highest sales number is MGM Resorts International, which made US$ 9.7 billion in 2021.
[Statista]
17. The leading hotel company with the most properties is Wyndham Hotels & Resort, with 8,941 units across the world.
[Statista]
In September 2021, Wyndham recorded nearly 9 thousand properties worldwide, making it the hotel company with the highest number of properties.
18. It’s followed by Marriott International with 7,662 properties, and Choice Hotels International with 7,111 units. Hilton comes in fourth place with 6,619 properties worldwide.
[Statista]
19. In 2021, Hilton’s brand value was worth $7.6 billion, making it the most valuable hotel brand.
[Hotel Tech Report]
Despite having only the fourth most properties worldwide, Hilton remains the most valuable hotel brand compared to its competitors.
20. The single largest hotel in the world is the First World Hotel & Plaza in Malaysia. There are 7,351 rooms on this property alone.
[Hotel Tech Report]
Hotels & motels in the US
How many hotels are there in the US?
21. As of 2022, there are 132,228 hotels and motels in the US, which is 8.3% more than in 2021.
[IBISWorld]
22. The number of hotels and motels in the US has grown by 8.3% on average annually between 2017 and 2022.
23. With 15,007 businesses, California is the US state with the highest number of hotels and motels.
[IBISWorld]
24. This is followed by Texas (14,121) and Florida (9,034).
[IBISWorld]
25. In 2019, hotels in the US had an average hotel occupancy rate of 66%, selling 1.3 billion rooms per year.
[AHLA]
26. This dropped to only 24.5% in April 2020 (or 44% annually) because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
[AHLA]
Hotel occupancy in 2021 and 2022 are expected to rise as they recover from the effects of the pandemic, although still not fully to the pre-pandemic levels.
27. The good news is that it rose back up to 57.6% in 2021 and is projected to hit 63.4% in 2022.
[AHLA]
28. Annual room revenue for hotels in the US faced a similar trend. The $169 billion revenue in 2019 fell by almost 50% to $85.7 billion.
[AHLA]
29. Overall in the Americas, hotel rooms tend to be rented more frequently during summer than during winter.
[Statista]
This was according to a survey in 2019, which shows that certain regions are visited more at particular times of the year.
30. 75% of hotels in the United States are pet-friendly.
31. The whole global hospitality market is predicted to grow by 15.1%, from $3,952 billion in 2021 to $4,548 billion in 2022.
[Hospitality Global Market Report 2022]
Other than hotels, the hospitality market also encompasses other types of accommodation, food and drink services, event planning, amusement parks, and travel and tourism.
32. By 2026, the hospitality market is expected to reach $6,715 billion.
[Hospitality Global Market Report 2022]
33. On average, the hotel and tourism industry accounts for around 10% of global GDP.
[Hotel Tech Report]
34. But in 2020, this percentage fell to just 5.5% of the total GDP worldwide.
[Hotel Tech Report]
35. In 2019, the hotel industry recorded $1.52 trillion in market size.
[Statista]
Employment in the hotel & hospitality industry
How many people are employed in the hotel industry?
36. About 10.5 million people are employed in the global hotel and resort industry.
[IBISWorld]
37. 2.3 million people were directly employed by hotels in the US alone.
[AHLA]
38. This number dropped to 1.65 million in 2020, which is 28% lower.
[AHLA]
39. By the end of 2022, hotel employment in the US is expected to reach 2.19 million, or 93% of the pre-pandemic level.
[AHLA]
40. In the United States, 1 in every 3 employees in a hotel is an immigrant.
[Hotel Tech Report]
This shows just how important immigrants are for the hotel industry workforce.
41. The average salary for a hotel front desk clerk in the US is $27,993.
[Comparably]
42. Hotel front desk clerks in Phoenix have an average salary of $33,615, which is 20% greater than the US average.
[Comparably]
Hotel room occupancy and average daily rate
What is the average hotel occupancy rate? What is the average daily rate for a hotel?
43. In May 2020, The average daily rate (ADR) of hotels in Europe was $85.49 in May 2020. Daily hotel prices were lowest in the Asia Pacific region during the same month.
[Statista]
Still, in whichever country you end up travelling, there are still plenty of ways to get cheap hotels.
44. In the same month, the ADR of hotels was lowest in the Asia Pacific region.
[Statista]
45. Before the pandemic in 2019, the most expensive European region was Southern and Western Europe, which recorded ADRs of $125.25 and $119.64 respectively.
46. In May 2019, the revenue per available room in European hotels was $93.71. This unfortunately dropped to only $11.35 in May 2020.
[Statista]
This number can be calculated by multiplying the average daily room rate by the occupancy rate of a hotel.
47. Even before the pandemic, hotels in the Asia Pacific had the lowest revenue per available room, at roughly $68.
[Statista]
48. Meanwhile, the world region whose hotel occupancy rate suffered the most dramatic decline due to the pandemic was Europe. It fell to 11% in April 2020 but managed to rise again to 63% in April 2022.
49. Around 2/3 of the hotel industry's revenue is from business travel. But in 2021, 84% of CEOs around the world planned to minimize business travel budget after the pandemic.
[Hotel Tech Report]
Hotel booking trends & digitalization
What percent of hotels are booked online?
50. The majority of hoteliers (69%) will implement a new technology if it can increase profitability.
[Statista]
The survey was conducted in 2021 across Asia, Europe, and North America.
51. Meanwhile, the same survey reveals that 40% would use a new technology if the vendor has a good reputation.
[Statista]
52. In early 2021, 70% of hotelier respondents claimed that they would like to digitize hotel information for their guests.
[Statista]
53. 57% were also looking to digitize the check-in and check-out process in their hotels.
[Statista]
54. Meanwhile, in late 2021, 25.3% of hoteliers immediately adopted self-service check in technology due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
[Statista]
55. Of all hotel bookings made in 2019, 27% were directly through the hotel, 25% through its website, and 16% through online travel agencies.
56. In 2020, 27% of hotels surveyed reported to having a cross-functional team responsible for handling digital transformation. 16% said they used third-party service or had no one at all to manage the hotel’s digital transformation.
[Statista]
57. Mobile hotel booking is even more important for solo travellers, with 46% of people who travel alone booking their hotels via mobile.
58. 85.6% of respondents in a survey stated that they’d pay more for an eco-friendly hotel choice.
[Operto]
59. The majority (37.1%) is willing to pay 11-25% more per night, 28.1% would pay up to $10 more, 16.8% would pay 26-50% more, and 3.6% claimed the would pay 51-75% more for an eco-friendly hotel.
[Operto]
Hotels might benefit financially by employing more sustainable and eco-friendly practices, as guests are willing to pay more for this.
60. 52.7% of hotel guests check a hotel’s sustainability, even if it’s not a deciding factor for booking.
[Operto]
61. A small but impactful 3.6% of guests will only book a hotel if it has provable sustainable practices.
[Operto]
62. Another survey revealed that 58% of travelers prefer staying in hotels that give back to either the planet or the local community.
[Responsible Travel]
63. Hotels should not worry that eco-friendly adjustments might infringe on guest experience, as an overwhelming majority is happy to accept such changes: 94% doesn’t mind staying somewhere with energy-saving light bulbs, 89% with HVAC units that turn off when no one’s in the room, and 80% with low flow showerheads.
[Responsible Travel]
64. Similarly, hotels could do with less frequent replacements of toiletry and linen and towel, with 79% and 75% of respondents being happy with these.
[Responsible Travel]
65. While 82% of respondents believe that maintaining a sustainable experience is the responsibility of both the hotel and the guest, 13.2% say that it lies solely on the hotel.
[Oberto]
In general, both hotels and travelers consider sustainability a common goal in the tourism industry.
66. A survey showed that 81% of respondents used the recycling facilities in their hotel to travel more sustainably.
[Statista]
Covid-19 and the hotel industry statistics
How did the Coronavirus pandemic affect the global hotel & hospitality industry?
67. The market size of the hotel industry dropped from US$ 1.52 trillion in 2019 to under $1 trillion in 2020 and 2021.
[Statista]
68. It is predicted to recover and reach US$ 1.06 trillion in 2022.
[Statista]
69. A survey in May 2020 revealed that 60% of respondents would like hotels to increase cleaning and disinfecting frequencies to improve their comfort.
[Statista]
70. 9% of respondents also agreed that facilities such as hotel spas and restaurants should be temporarily suspended during the pandemic.
[Statista]
71. Following the Coronavirus outbreak, 97% of hospitality operators worldwide have set up sanitizing stations throughout their property.
[Statista]
72. Moreover 74% of hospitality operators have issued face masks.
[Statista]
73. Overall, 86% also claimed that they would like to invest in hygiene classifications.
[Statista]
Only 14% answered that they did not want to.
74. In 2021, there were 591 million hotel rooms booked in Booking.com, which is an improvement from the 355 million booked in 2020.
All in all, we can’t deny that hotels play a huge role in the hospitality and travel industry as a whole.
Even with the rise of alternative accommodations like Airbnb and local homestays, the hotel industry is here to stay.
Especially if hotels are willing to adopt new technologies and follow travel trends, such as providing comfortable workspaces for remote workers and business travelers.
Hopefully, these statistics can help you understand the industry more.
Can you think of other aspects of the hotel industry we missed?
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I'm an Economics graduate with a passion for travel. In 2016 I decided to ditch the office environment, work from my laptop and travel to every country in the world. You'll find me working out of a cafe in Bali, perhaps on a riverboat in Brazil or maybe even an airport lounge in New Delhi.
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