THE AMERICAN HOTEL & LODGING ASSOCIATION 2022 STATE OF THE HOTEL INDUSTRY REPORT IN COLLABORATION WITH ACCENTURE
1 THE YEAR OF THE “NEW” TRAVELER THE AMERICAN HOTEL & LODGING ASSOCIATION 2022 STATE OF THE HOTEL INDUSTRY REPORT IN COLLABORATION WITH ACCENTURE TABLE OF CONTENTS FOREWORD ............................................................................................................................... 2 TRAVEL READINESS TRENDING POSITIVELY, BUT REMAINING VOLATILE ........................ 4 HOSPITALITY OUTLOOK 2022 ................................................................................................. 7 MEET THE “NEW” TRAVELER ................................................................................................. 11 TECHNOLOGY TRENDS TO WATCH ...................................................................................... 14 BIG BETS .................................................................................................................................. 16 REPORT METHODOLOGY ....................................................................................................... 18 REFERENCES ............................................................................................................................ 20
2 FOREWORD As much as 2020 was a watershed year for the hotel industry, so was 2021. While the pandemic continued, the industry began to re-emerge, fueled by national vaccine distribution and consumer optimism. Our first State of the Hotel Industry report, released in January 2021, demonstrated just how resilient the hotel industry is and forecast what was ahead for hotel owners and operators, workers, and travelers. One year later, vaccines are available to anyone in the United States ages five and older, and 63% of the U.S. population is fully vaccinated.1 Yet cases are on the rise,2 as are concerns about new virus variants and outbreaks.3 The reality is that COVID-19 continues to influence daily life — and this collective coexistence will be the norm for the foreseeable future. The virus underlies the implications of this year’s State of the Hotel Industry report, which include forecasted macroeconomic trends as well as expected shifts in consumer and business sentiment. The next phase of recovery will be uneven, potentially volatile. But one thing remains certain: 2022 is the year of the “new” traveler. Bleisure travel—that is, blending business and leisure travel—has exploded during the pandemic, representing a profound shift in consumers’ attitudes and behaviors related to travel. This, in turn, will significantly impact hotel operations as the industry responds to meet the needs and expectations of their guests. All indications are that the hotel industry will continue moving toward recovery in 2022, but that full recovery is still several years away. According to an analysis for AHLA by Oxford Economics, hotel room night demand and room revenue are proj...
