According to the Q3 2026 U.S. Hotel Construction Pipeline Trend Report from Lodging Econometrics (LE), the total U.S. pipeline stands at 5,901 projects/692,999 rooms.
At the close of the third quarter, there are 1,094 projects/137,371 rooms under construction. Projects scheduled to start construction in the next 12 months total 2,175 projects/246,793 rooms. Projects in early planning stand at 2,632 projects/308,835 rooms. Construction starts for the quarter total 152 projects/19,106 rooms, while new project announcements total 195 projects/22,016 rooms.
LE analysts report that the luxury chain scale reaches record-high project and room counts at Q3, with 108 projects/25,776 rooms, up 14% by projects and 19% by rooms YOY. The upper upscale chain scale also reaches a record-high project count at the close of the third quarter, standing at 375 projects/66,028 rooms, up 3% by projects YOY. The upper midscale chain scale continues to have the largest project count in the U.S. pipeline, with 2,206 projects/211,553 rooms. Following is the upscale chain scale with 1,257 projects/157,225 rooms. Together, the upscale and upper midscale chain scales account for 66% of the projects and 63% of the rooms in the pipeline. The midscale chain scale stands at 918 projects/76,487 rooms.
Brand conversion activity stands at 1,516 projects/146,544 rooms, up 3% by projects YOY. Combined with renovation activity of 525 projects/105,365 rooms, the total renovation and brand conversion pipeline in the U.S. stands at 2,041 projects/251,909 rooms.
At the close of Q3, extended stay projects in the U.S. pipeline total 2,352 projects/236,219 rooms, accounting for 40% of projects and 34% of rooms in the total pipeline. Middle tier extended stay brands make up the majority of the segment with 1,628 projects/152,287 rooms, representing 28% of projects in the total U.S. pipeline, and 69% of the extended stay pipeline. Upper tier extended stay stands at 575 projects/66,866 rooms, while lower tier extended stay accounts for 149 projects/17,066 rooms.
Of the extended stay projects in the pipeline, 424 projects/44,689 rooms are currently under construction. Extended stay projects scheduled to start construction in the next 12 months total 1,006 projects/102,999 rooms, up 2% by projects and 1% by rooms YOY. Another 922 projects/88,531 rooms are in the early planning stage.
At Q3, there are 1,506 shared site projects/149,303 rooms in the U.S. pipeline. A shared site refers to a single property in which more than one hotel or lodging brand operates within a shared development property. Of these shared sites, at Q3, 264 projects/29,021 rooms are under construction, 607 projects/58,364 rooms are scheduled to start construction in the next 12 months, and 635 projects/61,918 rooms are in early planning. The upper midscale chain scale accounts for the largest share of shared site projects at 44%.
Through the third quarter, 407 new hotels with 46,031 rooms have opened in the U.S., with another 191 projects/22,160 rooms anticipated to open by year-end 2026. LE projects 2026 to finish at 598 new hotels with 68,191 rooms, a 1.2% supply increase. Looking ahead, LE analysts forecast 668 new hotels/72,667 rooms to open in calendar year 2027, representing a 1.3% supply increase. For 2028, LE forecasts 775 new hotels/86,377 rooms to open, amounting to a supply increase of 1.5%.