Rising travel costs across key segments of the industry are reshaping how Americans plan, book and prioritize trips, according to research from Internova Travel Group, one of the world’s largest travel services companies.

The findings reveal that higher prices are accelerating a shift toward more strategic, experience-driven travel. Consumers are taking fewer but more thoughtfully planned trips, while travel supplier partners and destinations are seeing growing polarization between value-focused and premium travel, with increasing pressure on the middle of the market.

European hotels continue to record revenue growth, but profit outcomes remain uneven across regions. While overall GOP margins are holding steady at the continental level, performance varies materially by sub-region. A closer look at Spain shows continued growth in revenue and profit, alongside stabilising margins and rising pressure across labour and undistributed cost lines.

Most hotel leaders will look back at 2026 and realize it was the year the rules changed without an announcement. There will be no single launch moment. No dramatic platform reveals that forces everyone to scramble. No overnight collapse of the systems hotels depend on today. What will happen instead is slower and more dangerous. The assumptions that shaped how hotels attracted demand, converted guests, and operated day to day will stop being true, one by one, until the old playbook no longer works, even though it still looks familiar.

Emily Weiss, Senior Managing Director and Travel Industry Lead at Accenture, argues that the industry cannot rely on higher ADRs to grow as RevPAR growth slows and costs rise. She explains how hotel brands are already shifting toward revenue beyond the room and stay, using retail and e commerce, bundled experiences, and next generation loyalty to keep guests engaged before, during, and after a visit. The message is clear: winners in 2026 and beyond will build lifestyle ecosystems that fit into how guests live and shop, not just how they sleep.