It’s not about the booking – it's about everything that came before it.

By the time a traveler reaches the booking page, most of the decision is already made. Here's what that means for hotels — and for the partners that support them. 

For a long time, the question everyone in the hospitality industry was trying to answer was the same: how do you get a traveler to book? 

A booking used to follow a predictable process. A traveler searched for hotels in a destination, compared a handful of options, read a few reviews, and clicked confirm. Hotels competed on price, location, and availability. The path from searching to booking was predictable. What I find most interesting — and most important for our industry to understand — is that this model no longer reflects how decisions are actually made nowadays. 

Hospitality is evolving before our eyes. Traveler expectations are shifting, technological change is accelerating, and economic uncertainty is reshaping how hotels and destinations compete. The Travel Dreams 2026: From data to delight report — drawing on the views of 500 leading hoteliers and 6,000 leisure and business travelers from the largest global travel markets — makes this shift impossible to ignore.  

For hoteliers, the question is no longer simply "how do I get booked?" It is: "where does the decision to book my property actually begin — and am I present there?"  

The decision moves earlier  

AI is influencing decisions throughout the process, but one of the most striking findings in the research is just how early in the journey travelers are forming their preferences. In many cases, shortlists are determined long before a traveler reaches any booking platform.  

Today, travelers are most likely to find AI helpful during the planning stage (42%), using it to research options, compare prices, and read reviews. This is followed by the inspiration and discovery stages (36%), while 32% find AI most useful at the booking stage itself. That order is significant: it suggests that by the time a traveler reaches a booking page, much of the evaluation and decision-making has already taken place. 

Travelers are increasingly using chatbots earlier in the journey to explore destinations and travel ideas. Five years ago, only 6% of travelers surveyed used chatbots to inspire their journeys – while today that figure has tripled to 18%. In fact, chatbots are now on par with celebrities and travel influencers and have bypassed actual travel agents when it comes to influencing voyagers’ travel decisions. 

Getting generative engine optimization (GEO) and search engine optimization (SEO) right, appearing in AI summaries, and reaching people online is now the most critical part of the strategy to drive customer demand in 2026, according to hoteliers and DMOs surveyed.  

What happens if your hotel is overlooked before the search even begins? If you're not on the shortlist before the traveler starts searching, you may never be on it at all.  

The real decision point   

Travel Dreams 2026 data shows us that traveler fundamentals have not actually changed that much. Travelers are still focused on factors such as price, location, and safety when choosing a hotel; price (52%) and location (50%) remain the top considerations globally. Those things matter as much as they always have.  

What has changed is how and when those fundamentals get filtered. 69% of travelers are now satisfied that AI summaries provide enough detail for an informed choice without any further thought. That figure rises to 87% in India and 86% in China. It means a significant portion of your potential guests may have already decided whether your property is worth considering before they ever visit your website. 

Reviews, too, play a powerful role in shaping that evaluation. 88% of travelers said reviews are important when choosing where to stay, rising to 91% among Millennials. Good or bad, reviews can significantly influence whether a property makes the shortlist. 

The traveler who reaches the booking page has already done their homework. They are not browsing — they are committing. 

Reducing friction at the moment of commitment 

There are still plenty of opportunities for a traveler to abandon a booking, even after they’ve spent time comparing options and decided where they want to stay. A traveler who has researched their choices, built confidence in a brand, and is ready to book may still walk away if they face rigid policies, slow websites, or a confusing checkout process. 

This is why flexibility matters. Hoteliers report that rising expectations for flexible cancellation and refund policies (39%) are among the most significant changes in traveler behavior over the past five years. Travelers want reassurance that plans can change if needed, and hotels that respond to those expectations are better positioned to secure the booking. 

Technology has an important role to play, but not simply by adding more automation. Its value lies in helping hotels create a smoother, more personalized experience—from discovery to booking and beyond. The goal is simple: make it easier for travelers to choose your property and feel confident they've made the right decision. 

Where the booking happens matters as much as whether it happens 

Knowing that a traveler is ready to book doesn't tell you where they'll ultimately make that reservation. And in today's environment, that distinction matters. OTAs continue to capture a growing share of bookings in many markets, while hotels work hard to strengthen direct relationships with guests.  

The challenge for hoteliers is building visibility and preference early enough in the journey to influence the decision-making process. When travelers encounter and connect with a hotel during inspiration and planning, they're more likely to seek it out later, rather than simply choosing from a list of options at the point of purchase. The relationship starts long before anyone reaches a booking page. 

Looking ahead 

The path from intent to booking is more complex than ever before, but also full of opportunity – the future of hospitality belongs to those who can turn complexity into clarity, data into delight, and every journey into something genuinely memorable.  

For hotels and their technology and distribution partners, that means taking into consideration where decisions form — and ensures presence and ease for the traveler at every critical moment. 

In the end, the booking is rarely where the decision is won. It is where the decision is confirmed. The work that matters most happens earlier. Hotels that understand that — and partner with the right technology ecosystem to act on it — are the ones that will capture the most committed, highest-value guests in 2026 and beyond.