Lodging Econometrics: U.S. hotel construction pipeline reaches 5,975 projects in Q2 2026
July 22, 2026
PORTSMOUTH, N.H. — The total U.S. hotel construction pipeline stood at 5,975 projects with 703,001 rooms at the end of the second quarter of 2026, according to Lodging Econometrics’ Q2 2026 U.S. Hotel Construction Pipeline Trend Report.
Looking ahead, LE projects 738 hotels with 78,909 rooms will open in 2027, representing supply growth of 1.4%. The company also issued its first-ever 2028 forecast, projecting 832 hotels with 88,321 rooms will open that year, a 1.5% increase in supply.
Of the total pipeline, 1,081 projects with 133,216 rooms were under construction. An additional 2,147 projects with 245,871 rooms were scheduled to start construction within the next 12 months, while 2,747 projects with 323,914 rooms were in early planning.
Upper-midscale and upscale hotels continued to account for the largest portions of the pipeline, LE analysts said. The upper-midscale segment had 2,225 projects with 214,027 rooms, while the upscale segment had 1,282 projects with 159,252 rooms. Combined, the two segments represented 59% of projects and 53% of rooms in the pipeline.
The luxury segment reached a record 103 projects with 25,496 rooms, up 12% in projects and 21% in rooms from a year earlier. Upper-upscale projects also reached a record, totaling 367 projects with 65,021 rooms.
New project announcements during the second quarter rose 18% year over year to 280 projects with 33,423 rooms. Construction starts increased 14% to 176 projects with 20,056 rooms.
The conversion pipeline reached a record 1,567 projects with 152,044 rooms, up 15% in projects and 18% in rooms. Conversions and renovations combined accounted for 2,097 projects with 255,834 rooms.
During the first half of 2026, 277 hotels with 31,416 rooms opened in the United States. LE expects an additional 384 hotels with 43,404 rooms to open during the remainder of the year, bringing the 2026 total to 661 hotels with 74,820 rooms and supply growth of 1.3%.
