- LE: Dallas led U.S. hotel pipeline with 184 projects and 22,861 rooms at Q1 end.
- Top 50 U.S. markets announced 75 projects totaling 12,137 rooms.
- Renovation and brand conversion activity remained strong.
DALLAS TOPPED U.S. markets with 184 projects and 22,861 rooms in its hotel construction pipeline at the close of the first quarter, according to Lodging Econometrics. The city recorded double-digit growth in projects under construction.
LE’s “U.S. Construction Pipeline Trend Report” found that Atlanta followed with 158 projects and 17,524 rooms, ahead of Phoenix with 123 projects and 16,111 rooms, Nashville with 120 projects and 16,740 rooms, and Austin with 117 projects and 13,850 rooms.
The markets with the most projects under construction at the end of the first quarter were Dallas with 37 projects and 4,111 rooms, Phoenix with 36 projects and 5,096 rooms and New York with 26 projects and 4,636 rooms, the report said. Miami followed with 24 projects and 5,317 rooms, while Atlanta had 20 projects and 2,008 rooms under construction. Phoenix posted year-over-year gains of 19 percent in projects and 11 percent in rooms under construction.
Dallas also had the most projects scheduled to start within the next 12 months, with 68 projects and 7,909 rooms. Atlanta followed with 61 projects and 6,748 rooms, ahead of Austin with 56 projects and 6,097 rooms, the Inland Empire with 47 projects and 4,939 rooms and Nashville with 46 projects and 6,583 rooms. In this stage, Austin posted year-over-year gains of 19 percent in projects and 14 percent in rooms.
Dallas also led projects in early planning with 79 projects and 10,841 rooms, the study found. Atlanta followed with 77 projects and 8,768 rooms, followed by Nashville with 57 projects and 7,993 rooms, the Inland Empire with 54 projects and 5,266 rooms, and Phoenix with 52 projects and 6,957 rooms. Phoenix posted year-over-year gains in this stage of 13 percent in projects and 28 percent in rooms.
In the top 50 U.S. markets, 75 projects totaling 12,137 rooms were announced in the first quarter, LE said. Phoenix led with nine projects and 901 rooms, followed by Tampa with six projects and 694 rooms. New York, Nashville, Chicago, Atlanta, the Inland Empire and Indianapolis each recorded four new project announcements.
Renovation and brand conversion activity remained strong across the U.S. in the first quarter. Houston led with 35 projects totaling 5,336 rooms. Dallas, Atlanta and Washington, DC followed with 31 projects each, totaling 5,430 rooms, 3,836 rooms and 3,757 rooms, respectively. San Antonio had 30 projects totaling 2,881 rooms.
In the 2026 forecast for new hotel openings, Phoenix led with 27 hotels and 3,640 rooms, followed by New York with 21 hotels and 3,458 rooms, Dallas with 20 hotels and 2,328 rooms and Austin and the Inland Empire with 12 hotels each, totaling 1,693 rooms and 1,024 rooms, respectively.
In the 2027 forecast, LE analysts expect Dallas to lead with 27 hotel openings and 2,484 rooms, followed by Atlanta with 24 hotels and 2,199 rooms, Phoenix with 17 hotels and 2,076 rooms and Indianapolis and the Inland Empire with 16 hotels each, totaling 2,246 rooms and 1,410 rooms, respectively.
In October, an LE report found that Dallas led the U.S. hotel construction pipeline at the close of the third quarter with 197 projects and 24,310 rooms.
