Beyond the Room: What the Next Era of Hotel Growth Will Look Like
Synopsis
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.
For years, rising average daily rates (ADRs) and strong traveler spending have been comforting signals for the industry. If rates were healthy and guests were still willing to pay for great locations and great rooms, things felt stable. But anyone looking ahead can see the ground shifting. In fact, CBRE forecasts U.S. RevPAR growth of only 0.1 % in 2025, reflecting weakening occupancy and rising cost pressures.
Travelers preferences are changing faster than the traditional hotel model, and the next phase of growth will not come from nudging ADRs a bit higher. It will come from reimagining the hotel as something bigger. A lifestyle hub. A retail touchpoint. A place where the brand relationship deepens long after the guest has checked out.
Accenture’s new research, “Beyond the Stay: Rethinking Value in Hospitality,” makes this point very clear. 90% of hotel executives say they are already exploring new revenue streams outside the room. That number alone tells us the industry isn’t simply experimenting around the edges. Leaders are recalibrating, and the reason is straightforward. A guest in 2026 will walk in with expectations shaped not by other hotels but by the best experiences in their everyday life. Whether it is ordering groceries in minutes or watching streaming apps serve up perfectly tailored recommendations, travelers are now accustomed to convenience, personalization and control in almost everything they do. They expect the same from hotels.
This is why room revenue, even with rising ADRs, can’t carry the full weight of future growth. Guests want more from their stay and from the brand behind it. Think curated welcome amenities that actually reflect their tastes, not a generic one-size-fits-all package. Easier spa and dining reservations without having to call the front desk. A room where their preferences follow them automatically. Smart recommendations for activities that feel tailor-made. And once they return home, personalized offers that extend the experience and keep the connection alive. All of this adds up to new opportunities to create value at every touchpoint, not just at check-in.
One of the biggest shifts we will see is the rise of retail, lifestyle merchandising and e-commerce as real revenue engines. Hotels are increasingly turning the most-loved parts of the stay into products guests can purchase. The mattress, the bathrobe, the room scent, the lighting design. Luxury and boutique brands are already leading the way with high-quality merchandise that feels aspirational. And some are going even further, offering full home collections with linens, décor, furniture and locally curated products.
This isn’t souvenir shopping, it is brand extension that enables guests to take a little piece of the experience home and interact with it every day. Interestingly, many are buying items from hotel’s e-commerce websites as a status piece without even staying there,
E-commerce is accelerating this trend, expanding the audience far beyond people standing in a lobby store. Today, four types of buyers are fueling hotel retail growth. There are loyal guests who want to recreate the stay at home. Aspirational travelers who love the brand identity. Remote buyers who may never have entered the property but want to gift branded items to others. And design enthusiasts who follow limited-edition collaborations. The key here is that retail revenue is no longer confined to occupancy or foot traffic. It can grow independently of the physical stay.
Another area gaining momentum is bundled experiences. Marriott’s “travel retailer” model, where Food & Beverage (F&B) perks, room attributes, and wellness packages will be offered as bundled packages like shopping carts on any e-commerce site, is an early signal of where the industry is heading. By bringing together room attributes, dining credits, wellness services and activities in one clean digital flow, hotels can remove friction from the planning process. Travelers appreciate simplicity. They also appreciate knowing they are getting value without hunting across multiple sites. Bundles help hotels capture more guest spend inside the ecosystem and create a sense of clarity and convenience that is especially valuable during multi-night or multi-family trips.
Loyalty programs will also look different in the years ahead. Many hotels still see loyalty as a retention mechanism, but that mindset is changing. Loyal guests spend more, accept higher prices more readily and engage more deeply when programs feel personalized. The next generation of loyalty will tap into these patterns with dynamic rewards, micro-upgrades, personalized offers and incentives tied to behavior beyond nights stayed. Accenture’s research shows loyalty remains underused with 41% of hotel leaders still seeing it as retention rather than growth lever even though loyal guests are twice as likely to accept higher prices. We are already seeing strong signals from APAC markets, where consumers are highly responsive to gamified retail loyalty programs and expect the same level of sophistication from hotels.
Across all these developments, one dynamic consistently stands out. Travelers are measuring hospitality against the best digital and consumer experiences in their daily lives. They don’t only compare hotels with other hotels anymore. They also compare hotels to their favorite retail brands. This mindset is nudging hospitality leaders to rethink where value is created and how guests experience that value at every step of the journey.
The momentum behind these shifts is strong. 70% of hotel executives expect to see revenue growth from these new models within the next 12 months. 80% expect meaningful returns within two years. In practice, this means more intuitive upsells, better cross-selling, stronger ecosystem thinking and more fluid ways to keep guests engaged long after their stay ends.
The next few years will redefine what it means to be a hotel brand. The winners will not simply offer great rooms. They will build ecosystems of high-margin experiences that fit naturally into the way guests live, travel and shop. Growth will come from reimagining the business model rather than adjusting rates. And the hotels that embrace this shift early will be the ones setting the pace for what hospitality looks like in 2026 and beyond.