New hotel openings in 2025 reached 640 with 74,079 rooms in the U.S., expanding the nation’s gross hotel supply by 1.3% at year-end. Lodging Econometrics forecasts continued growth in the years ahead, with 708 new hotels and 80,034 rooms expected to open in 2026, for a 1.4% gross increase in supply. LE analysts expect accelerated growth in new hotel openings again in 2027 with 824 new hotels and 88,095 rooms scheduled to open by year-end, for a 1.5% anticipated gross expansion in the national hotel census.
This national growth trajectory is powered by strategic development in key gateway markets. Five metropolitan areas — Dallas, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Washington, DC and Chicago — are driving significant activity, supported by robust networks of hotel developers, ownership and management companies, along with the architects, contractors, designers and purchasing firms (project teams) bringing projects to life worldwide. The following market analysis examines hotel development pipelines (new construction, conversions and renovations) in these five markets, along with the industry stakeholders headquartered within a 150-mile radius of each market and their total global development activity. Included stakeholders have 10 or more open hotels and/or projects in their portfolios, revealing where development opportunities and partnerships are strongest.
Dallas commands the strongest development activity with 221 projects totaling 28,847 rooms in its pipeline at the end of Q4 2025, driven by booming population growth and corporate relocations. The city’s influence extends globally — 46 ownership and management companies within a 150-mile radius are driving 233 global projects amounting to 33,935 rooms worldwide, supported by seven project team member offices collectively working on 120 projects.
Atlanta follows with 194 hotel development projects totaling 22,118 rooms. The metro area is home to 49 ownership and management companies collectively driving 329 new construction, renovation and conversion projects accounting for 44,424 rooms globally, along with five project team member offices working on 79 projects. This concentration of industry expertise positions Atlanta as a critical hub for hospitality development throughout the Southeast and beyond.
Los Angeles ranks third among these five markets, with 116 projects representing 20,226 rooms. Within a 150-mile radius, 41 ownership and management companies are working on 135 projects globally totaling 27,264 rooms worldwide, supported by three project team member offices working on 66 projects. The market’s combination of tourism demand, business travel, and the entertainment industry presence continues to attract substantial investment.
Washington, DC has 98 projects representing 12,335 rooms in its development pipeline. The nation’s capital hosts 63 ownership and management companies — the highest concentration among these five markets — collectively working on 379 projects totaling 87,292 rooms globally, along with two project team member offices working on 39 projects. This robust network reflects DC’s status as both a government and corporate center with deep hospitality expertise and international reach.
Chicago rounds out the analysis with 95 projects representing 13,460 rooms. The Chicagoland area is home to 35 hotel ownership and management companies within a 150-mile radius, collectively managing 139 global projects totaling 24,487 rooms, supported by two project team member offices working on 26 projects. As a major Midwest gateway and business hub, Chicago continues to attract steady hospitality investment despite having fewer locally based ownership groups than other markets in this analysis.
Lodging Econometrics tracks all hotel development activity worldwide, maintaining comprehensive data on hotel developers, ownership and management groups, architects, contractors, designers and purchasing companies across every market. These five gateway markets exemplify the concentrated expertise and capital deployment driving the forecasted U.S. growth trajectory through 2027, with local market strength translating into global development influence that will help deliver nearly 1,600 new hotels domestically over the next two years.
For more information on these markets or any other market in the U.S. or globally, including comprehensive data on developers, ownership and management companies, and project team members — complete with contact information and phone numbers plus emails with our National Account Portfolio directories — contact Lodging Econometrics 1-603-431-8740, ext. 0025 or [email protected].
