Destination
Check-In
The Hotel Trend
Destination hotels are the place to be
More than ever, travelers are choosing where to go based on where they want to stay. Hotels are no longer a place to just bed down – they’re the destination itself.
From stunning architecture to transportive design to the overall vibe, travelers are prioritizing unique stays.
And as younger travelers (and their social feeds) fuel the dupe obsession, unusual accommodation is redefining what it means to “travel the world” without the long-haul flight.
56% of travelers have picked a destination based purely on accommodation, including 65% of Gen Z, 70% of Millennials, and 38% of Baby Boomers.
Hotel bookings using our “Unique stays” filter are up 60% globally YoY.1
For many, the hotel shapes the holiday. Travelers are choosing a destination based on the accommodation because it:
-
Sets the tone for the entire holiday
-
Allows them to relax in one place without moving around
-
Lets them get a complete escape from everyday life
Traveling duo Yaya and Lloyd of @handluggageonly share the destination hotels they’ve built trips around.
Double the vibes: Picturing their dream vacation stay, 15% of travelers love hotels that feel like they’re visiting two destinations at once.
Reddit’s loving standout stays – conversation views about unique or design-led hotels are up 61% YoY.2
Martin Waller
Founder of design emporium Andrew Martin
My favorite capital city hotel is Johannesburg’s Saxon Hotel, where Nelson Mandela wrote Long Road to Freedom.
“The standard of hotels is so universally consistent with effortless check-ins, splendid breakfast spreads and efficient housekeeping that it needs something utterly different to make a stay memorable, and maybe the most effective (perhaps the only) way to do that is with the magic of design.
Sometimes, the design was achieved centuries ago, and today’s custodians simply need to be sensitive to the genius of their predecessors. The Lake Palace at Udaipur is possibly the most romantic hotel in a country full of breathtaking treasure houses.
By contrast, the Rachamankha Hotel in Chiang Mai was only built 20 years ago, but it captures the essence of centuries-old Lanna culture.
My favorite capital city hotel is Johannesburg’s Saxon Hotel, where Nelson Mandela wrote Long Road to Freedom. Stephen Falcke’s masterful design puts African tribal art center stage against a crisp contemporary backdrop.”
Discover the trends yourself. Search now.
- Data compares global hotel redirects on Skyscanner using the “unique stay” filter between June 1, 2024 – May 31, 2025 and the same period the previous year (June 1, 2023 – May 31, 2024). ↩︎
- Reddit Internal powered by Community Intelligence, Global, June 2024 to June 2025 vs. June 2023 to June 2024. ↩︎