SiteMinder report reveals major shift in how travellers are researching their 2026 hotel stays
Sydney, Australia – Online travel agencies (OTAs) have overtaken search engines as travellers’ primary starting point for hotel discovery, according to SiteMinder’s Changing Traveller Report 2026, released today. Twenty-six percent of travellers surveyed will now begin their hotel research on an OTA, up from 18% last year, while those who will start with a search engine have fallen to 21% from 36%.
Word-of-mouth recommendations from friends and family have doubled from 7% to 14%, familiar hotel brands have grown from 3% to 7%, while AI use as a discovery starting point has reached 4%, up from 1% last year — rising higher among Gen Zs and Millennials.
“The hotel discovery landscape is more dynamic than it’s ever been before,” says Trent Innes, Chief Growth Officer at SiteMinder. “Not only is the starting point of research diversifying, but travellers are moving more seamlessly between channels, often using several simultaneously to build confidence in their choices. This non-linear journey has become the natural rhythm of modern travel planning.”
While AI remains an emerging channel for initial hotel discovery, the technology is set to rapidly transform the broader booking journey. Eighty percent of travellers now want AI-powered capabilities, with price monitoring and alerts (44%) leading their wishlist, according to SiteMinder.
The report, the world’s largest consumer research on accommodation, surveyed 12,000 travellers across 14 countries including Australia, China, France, India, Spain, Thailand, the UK and the US.
It also revealed that:
- The world’s ‘dream destinations’ are holding steady: Japan (17%), the US (10%), and France (10%) maintain their top positions for 2026, while South Korea has jumped to fourth (9%), driven by K-culture’s growing influence.
- The OTA-to-direct pathway is strengthening: 18% of travellers who begin their search on an OTA will ultimately book directly with their hotel, a pattern increasing by 3.3 percentage points, year-on-year.
- Event-driven travel is accelerating: 63% are more likely to travel for special events next year, led by Gen Z (81%) and Millennials (74%) travelling for concerts and festivals.
- Quality is being prioritised on-site: 58% plan to choose superior or luxury rooms (+4pp year-on-year), suggesting a shift toward more meaningful, elevated experiences.
- Dynamic pricing is gaining acceptance: 65% of travellers now support demand-based pricing, while 42% would pay more for accommodation in popular destinations if it helped to reduce overtourism.
These behavioural shifts are happening alongside a renewed appreciation for travel, according to SiteMinder. Nearly half (49%) of respondents report a stronger desire to travel in the next 12 months, with just 12% indicating lessened interest.
Separately, the report uniquely highlights how guests from different markets will approach their pre-arrival journey and on-site experience in the year ahead. For example, it reveals that Chinese travellers will book deluxe rooms and favour well-known hotel chains more than any other group, and that Spanish travellers will prioritise customer service above all markets. Indonesians will be the most likely to book via an OTA and American guests will again lead in direct hotel bookings and domestic travel, often returning loyally once they find clear value.
“This new research reinforces a critical truth,” adds Innes, “there is no single formula for capturing demand in the current travel landscape. Travellers across markets are shaping their journeys in increasingly distinct ways — from how they discover hotels online to the experiences they prioritise once they arrive — and it’s the hotels best positioned to anticipate and respond to these vast differences that will be most effective in finding and maximising their ideal guests in the year ahead.”
SiteMinder’s Changing Traveller Report 2026 is available here.