Extended Stay Is 40% of the U.S. Hotel Pipeline

By Nathan Snyder, Editor · November 5, 2026

Extended-stay hotels now account for 40% of projects in the U.S. hotel construction pipeline, while luxury and upper-upscale projects sit at record levels, according to Lodging Econometrics’ Q3 2026 U.S. Hotel Construction Pipeline Trend Report.

In its Oct. 26, 2026 press release, Lodging Econometrics (LE) put the total U.S. pipeline at 5,901 projects / 692,999 rooms. Of that, 1,094 projects / 137,371 rooms were under construction, 2,175 / 246,793 were scheduled to start within 12 months, and 2,632 / 308,835 were in early planning. Construction starts in the quarter totaled 152 projects / 19,106 rooms; new project announcements totaled 195 / 22,016.

Extended Stay Dominates the Count

At the close of Q3, extended-stay projects totaled 2,352 projects / 236,219 rooms — 40% of projects and 34% of rooms in the total pipeline, according to Lodging Econometrics. Middle-tier extended-stay brands made up most of that segment at 1,628 projects / 152,287 rooms (28% of total U.S. pipeline projects and 69% of the extended-stay pipeline). Upper-tier extended stay stood at 575 / 66,866; lower-tier at 149 / 17,066.

Of those extended-stay projects, LE counted 424 / 44,689 under construction, 1,006 / 102,999 scheduled to start in the next 12 months, and 922 / 88,531 in early planning. Hotel Dive and Hotel Management both led with the same 40% extended-stay share from LE’s release.

Luxury and Upper Upscale at Record Highs

LE analysts reported that the luxury chain scale reached record-high project and room counts at Q3: 108 projects / 25,776 rooms, up 14% by projects and 19% by rooms year over year. The upper-upscale chain scale also hit a record project count at 375 projects / 66,028 rooms, up 3% by projects year over year.

Upper midscale still held the largest project count in the U.S. pipeline (2,206 / 211,553), followed by upscale (1,257 / 157,225). Together, upscale and upper midscale accounted for 66% of projects and 63% of rooms. Midscale stood at 918 / 76,487.

Conversions, Shared Sites and Openings Ahead

Brand conversion activity stood at 1,516 projects / 146,544 rooms, up 3% by projects year over year, according to Lodging Econometrics. Combined with renovation activity of 525 / 105,365, the renovation-and-conversion pipeline totaled 2,041 / 251,909. Shared-site projects — more than one hotel brand on a single development — totaled 1,506 / 149,303.

Through Q3, 407 new hotels with 46,031 rooms had opened in the U.S., with another 191 / 22,160 anticipated by year-end. LE projects 598 new hotels / 68,191 rooms for full-year 2026 (a 1.2% supply increase), then 668 / 72,667 in 2027 (1.3%) and 775 / 86,377 in 2028 (1.5%).

A companion LE markets release put Dallas atop the Q3 market pipelines at 184 projects / 23,646 rooms, followed by Atlanta (154 / 16,938), Nashville (122 / 16,197), Austin (112 / 13,169) and California’s Inland Empire (110 / 10,909).