- Amadeus: Lead generation and competition top hotel sales challenges.
- Corporate meetings ranked the top growth opportunity for 2026.
- Ease of use remains the top requirement for sales technology.
GENERATING QUALIFIED LEADS and differentiating in a competitive market are the top challenges facing hotel and venue sales teams worldwide in 2026, according to Amadeus. As planners consider more options, response speed plays a greater role in purchasing decisions.
The study of more than 315 salespeople highlighted key factors shaping group and corporate sales performance, including lead quality, commercial alignment, corporate demand, RFP management, technology adoption and AI.
“In today’s environment, hotels need to move quickly, align across commercial teams, and focus on the opportunities most likely to convert,” said Iain Saxton, Amadeus senior vice president for on-property solutions, hospitality. “This report gives the industry a clear view into what top global sales leaders are prioritizing—and how connected intelligence and simpler workflows can unlock new levels of performance.”
Qualified demand and lead quality from third-party channels were the leading growth challenges, cited by 63 percent and 60 percent of respondents, respectively.
Meanwhile, corporate meetings were identified as the top growth opportunity, with seven in ten sales leaders ranking them as their leading segment for 2026. Social, military, educational, religious and fraternal events followed.
The findings also highlighted a growing focus on commercial alignment. Sharing account intelligence and demand signals was cited by 54 percent of respondents, while 33 percent pointed to aligning pricing, forecasting and sales strategy as a priority.
Sales leaders also identified consolidating inquiries across channels and qualifying leads faster as key priorities, with streamlined intake processes helping improve win rates and reduce operational friction.
More than half of respondents cited ease of use as the most important requirement for sales technology, followed by connected data and automated workflows aimed at reducing administrative work and increasing time spent with clients.
AI is also gaining traction across hotel sales teams, the report noted. Around 82 percent of respondents reported already using AI, primarily for proposal personalization, market and competitive insights and prospect research and lead qualification. As commercial systems become more connected, AI is expected to play a larger role in identifying, prioritizing and converting opportunities.
In a separate report, Amadeus found that travelers increasingly view travel as a tool for mental well-being, with emotional well-being, self-discovery and personal growth among the key motivations behind trip decisions.
