- Report: Domestic travel comprised 77 percent of U.S. arrivals in 2025.
- Hotel website bookings again ranked third among U.S. booking channels.
- Expedia Group led U.S. hotel booking channels in 2025.
DOMESTIC TRAVEL GAINED share across the U.S. in 2025, with 77 percent of arrivals coming from within the country, up from 73.78 percent the prior year, according to SiteMinder. Direct bookings via hotel websites again ranked third among the top 12 U.S. booking channels, despite predictions that AI would erode or amplify them.
SiteMinder’s Hotel Booking Trends, based on more than 130 million bookings, showed U.S. hotels experienced more predictable booking behavior in 2025. Cancellations declined from 19.22 percent to 18.78 percent, below the global benchmark of 19.15 percent, while average booking lead times shortened from 31.49 days to 30.57 days, near the global average of 32.15 days.
“More consistent booking behavior gives U.S. hotels the predictability they need to plan ahead, which is welcome news for properties facing an evolving guest mix,” said Brian Reising, SiteMinder’s regional vice president for the U.S. and Latin America. “Hoteliers would do well to use this window of opportunity to offset the modest decline in room rates we saw last year by crafting packages that drive incremental spend or encourage guests to extend their stay by a night or two.”
The U.S. recorded one of the longer average lengths of stay among major markets at 1.61 nights, with 72.85 percent of stays lasting one night, up from 72.45 percent the prior year. By comparison, average stays were 1.56 nights in France, where 74 percent were one night, 1.48 nights in Germany, where 78.11 percent were one night, 1.43 nights in Canada, where 80.26 percent were one night and 1.41 nights in the U.K., where 80.5 percent were one night.
Further analysis of SiteMinder’s U.S. data showed average daily rates declined 2.89 percent year over year in 2025, falling to $247.03 from $254.39. Fridays remained the most expensive day of the week, with a year-round ADR of $286.57, down from $294.19, while Sundays were the lowest-priced day at $223.54, compared with $231.75 the year before.
Seasonal pricing patterns were largely unchanged. July again recorded the highest ADR at $269.08, while January remained the lowest-priced month, with average rates of $217.15. The share of annual check-ins during the two busiest months, July and August, edged down to 20.74 percent from 20.79 percent, while January increased its share of arrivals to 6.05 percent from 5.73 percent.
Expedia leads bookings
The top 12 booking channels for U.S. hotels in 2025 were Expedia Group, Booking.com, hotel websites for direct bookings, Agoda, Airbnb, Hotelbeds, global distribution systems, OTS Globe, Hopper, Hostelworld Group, WebBeds and Trip.com, SiteMinder said.
The ranking reflects stronger domestic demand, with Expedia Group moving into first place for the first time since 2021, the report showed. Expedia also ended 2025 as the leading channel in Canada and Mexico for a second consecutive year, marking the first time since 2020 it has held the top position across all three major North American markets. Highlighting Asian outbound travel, Agoda retained fourth place globally and in the U.S., while China’s Trip.com entered the U.S. top 12 for the first time.
Reising said the rankings show hoteliers are operating in a layered distribution environment that blends online travel agencies, direct bookings and business-to-business platforms.
“Hotels should ensure their distribution strategy reflects how varied booking behavior has become, meeting travelers wherever they choose to transact,” he said.
A December SiteMinder report also showed U.S. hotels near 2026 FIFA World Cup host cities reporting year-over-year increases in bookings and ADR. For the U.S. opening match at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles on June 12, booking volumes in nearby destinations rose 80.5 percent, with ADR up more than 21.4 percent for stays in the week before the game.
