The report, powered by Pollfish, surveyed the 2026 spending and planning intentions of 300 U.S. travelers who had taken at least one overnight leisure trip in the last 12 months. The data gathered found that there is a new elasticity in travel intent that is fragmenting across income levels, trip types and other factors. Budget-conscious travelers are tightening their budgets, whereas luxury travelers are accelerating. When less is spent, however, trips are shortened rather than canceled. When more is spent, the dollars are directed toward meaningful experiences.
“This is not a year that will reward guesswork,” said Bobby Marhamat, CEO TakeUp. “It will reward precision. The difference between capturing demand and losing it might come down to a 10% to 20% tolerance band, or recognizing that a special occasion trip behaves differently than a weekend getaway.”
According to Marhamat and the report’s findings, that means that independent operators need to match the “intentionality” of their guests through clear positioning, segment-aware marketing and context-driven pricing decisions. The role of AI pricing platforms such as TakeUp is to give hotels more confidence in their pricing and give travelers the assurance that rates reflect what’s actually happening in the market because the data is being constantly analyzed.
Other key findings in the report included that:
- Travel demand in 2026 is holding steady, with growth outpacing decline: Fifty-six percent of those surveyed expect to travel about the same as 2025 while 28% plan to travel more and only 13% plan to travel less. An impressive 76% anticipate taking more than one overnight leisure trip in 2026.
- Spending is rising overall but splitting by budget tier: Around 39% expected to spend more on leisure travel in 2026 compared to just 9% who expected to spend less. Nearly 79% of luxury travelers plan to increase spending, while 20% of budget-conscious travelers expect to reduce it.
- More doesn’t mean longer and less doesn’t mean cancel: Among those increasing per-trip spending, 49% planned to use the additional funds on specialized activities or experiences. Of those reducing their spending, they’re making trip length the primary lever for cost control.
- Price sensitivity is elevated but bounded: Forty-two percent reported being more price sensitive about accommodations than in 2025, but 43% would switch property types and 31% would shorten their stay if lodging prices felt too high rather than delay travel.
- Driving is gaining share as a cost-control strategy: Twenty-eight percent expect to drive more often due to economic conditions, compared to 13% who expect to fly more.
“This report shows that travel demand in 2026 is splitting rather than shrinking, which means the opportunity is not about chasing every traveler,” said Kourtney Thomas, head, customer success, TakeUp. “Some guests are expanding their travel plans, while others are becoming much more price conscious. That means hotels need a clear read on demand, price s ensitivity and booking behavior so they can make smarter pricing decisions with confidence.”
Tags: State of Travel Demand 2026 report Bobby Marhamat TakeUp Kourtney Thomas
