US Hotels Get Summer Boost as Travelers Still Prioritize Trips

US summer travel demand remains strong, according to PwC’s latest US Consumer Poll on Summer Spending.

The survey found that 71 percent of Americans plan to spend the same amount or more on summer travel than they did last year. This shows that many households still see vacations as important, even while they remain careful about everyday costs.

For hotels, this is a positive signal. Travelers may not be spending freely, but many are still planning trips instead of canceling them. That could support hotel demand through the summer, especially in domestic leisure destinations where travelers can control costs more easily.

Memorial Day gives hotels an early signal

Memorial Day usually marks the start of the US summer travel season. PwC said 34 percent of adults planned to travel during the holiday weekend, with average expected spending of $898 per traveler. Younger consumers led the trend, with 49 percent of Gen Z adults and 43 percent of millennials planning trips.

Younger travelers are changing demand

Gen Z and millennials are important audiences for hotels this summer. They are more likely to take several shorter trips, look for experiences, and use digital tools during planning. That can help hotels in the city, weekend, event, and drive-to markets.

AI is becoming part of travel planning

AI tools are also changing how travelers discover hotels. Deloitte’s 2026 travel outlook found that the use of generative AI for trip planning tripled from 2023 to 2025, with millennials leading adoption. Travelers are using these tools to build itineraries, compare hotels, and choose things to do at the destination.

This creates a new visibility challenge. In a traditional search, travelers may see many hotel options. In an AI-led search, a tool may recommend only a few. Hotels with accurate descriptions, updated availability, clear pricing, and strong reviews will be better positioned to appear in those recommendations.

The outlook is positive, but not easy

The US travel market is still growing, but slowly. The US Travel Association expects inflation-adjusted travel spending to grow 1 percent in 2026, supported mainly by domestic travel. That means demand is resilient, but economic pressure has not disappeared.

Recently, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts launched a native hotel search app inside ChatGPT, showing how AI is becoming a new front door for hotel discovery. The move reflects the same shift highlighted by PwC’s survey: travelers are still planning trips, but the way they find and compare hotels is changing.

Photo by Jose Garcia on Unsplash