Early 2026 insights: how guest behaviour is shaping the year ahead

A month into 2026, it's the perfect moment to take stock of the year so far,  to see how guests are behaving, understand emerging trends, and plan strategically for the months ahead.

Early booking and guest data already reveal useful clues about what’s catching travelers’ attention and how they’re making decisions.

By reviewing your own numbers, feedback, and online engagement, you can turn these insights into smart marketing, pricing, and operational strategies that boost occupancy, revenue, and guest satisfaction.

Guest preferences are shifting, and early 2026 data shows some clear patterns:

• Booking early: Travelers are researching months in advance, especially for spring and summer trips
• Experience over basics: Spa packages, foodie breaks, and weekend escapes are increasingly popular
• Mobile matters: Most guests start their search on a phone, so fast, user-friendly websites are a must

While these trends are useful, nothing beats looking at your own data. Your bookings, website analytics, and guest feedback tell the real story for your business.

Guests in 2026 are looking for:

• Clarity and reassurance: Transparent pricing, cancellation policies, and clear inclusions make booking easier.
• Experiences over rooms: Guests want more than a place to sleep; they’re looking for unique experiences.
• Personalised communication: Tailored emails, offers, and recommendations outperform generic messages.

Check your data to see which of these trends match your business. Are experience packages outperforming standard rooms? Do flexible bookings convert better?

Several technologies make it easier than ever to spot trends:

• Booking engine analytics: See which rooms, packages, and dates are in demand.
• Website analytics: Track page visits, bounce rates, and conversion funnels.
• CRM (Customer Relationship Management) Systems: Analyse repeat bookings and engagement with email campaigns.
• Feedback tools: Spot patterns in what guests love or wish was better.

These tools are powerful, but only if you know what to look for and how to act on it.

Data isn’t just numbers, it’s a roadmap to smarter decisions:

• Occupancy analysis: Identify quiet periods and plan targeted offers
• Booking pace tracking: If guests are booking earlier, adjust pricing or promotions
• Guest segmentation: Tailor offers for leisure, corporate, and repeat guests

The goal is to move from reacting to trends to planning ahead.

Once you’ve reviewed your data, you can put it into action:

• Experience-led campaigns: Showcase unique packages that excite guests
• Advance planning incentives: Encourage early bookings with perks instead of discounts
• Segmented email marketing: Send personalised suggestions based on past bookings
• Retarget undecided guests: Remind them of rooms or packages they viewed before

Test and measure these strategies to find what clicks with your audience.

Even with good intentions, it’s easy to misread data:

• Focusing only on revenue: Occupancy, booking pace, and engagement matter too
• Ignoring small patterns: A high bounce rate on one page can point to bigger UX issues
• Assuming correlation equals causation: A dip in bookings might be seasonal, not pricing-related

Use data carefully and let patterns guide your decisions.

To get meaningful insights:

• Look at booking trends over time (month-on-month and year-on-year)
• Segment by source (direct bookings vs OTAs, email campaigns, social referrals)
• Analyse guest type (leisure, corporate, repeat, first-time visitors)
• Review cancellations and no-shows to spot potential barriers

From here, you can refine pricing, messaging, and packages confidently.

Once you understand your data, technology helps you move fast:

• Dynamic pricing tools: Adjust rates based on demand
• Email automation: Send timely, personalised offers
• CRM alerts: Notify staff of repeat or high-value guests
• UX testing tools: Spot bottlenecks on your website and test improvements

Tech doesn’t replace insight - it makes execution quicker and smarter.

Insights are only useful if you put them to the test:

• Set goals: More bookings, higher engagement, improved occupancy.
• Track metrics: Conversion rates, average booking value, email click-throughs.
• Review regularly: Monthly checks help spot trends early.
• Refine strategies: Use real results to tweak offers, messaging, and processes.

A habit of data-driven iteration can give you a big competitive edge over the year.

Early 2026 is the perfect time to turn data into action. By paying attention to what bookings, website activity, and feedback are telling you, you can uncover patterns that reveal what truly matters to your guests.

When you turn these insights into practical actions, you don’t just fill rooms or increase revenue, you create experiences that stick in guests’ minds, build loyalty, and keep your business ahead of the evolving trends shaping travel this year.