The future of the hotel industry

When you walk into your hotel, the staff will greet you by name, know your travel preferences, and anticipate your needs. Almost every aspect of your stay will be personalized to your tastes, and you can reconfigure your room at any time to make it suitable for work, exercise, socializing, or sleep. For all leading hotel brands, the well-being of both guests and employees—and the health of the planet—will be top priorities. Welcome to the hospitality industry’s next normal.

The view to 2030 and beyond

Hospitality that benefits people and the planet

How will hotel companies improve the guest experience, create a happier workforce, and help fight climate change? Five of McKinsey’s travel and hospitality experts—Margaux Constantin, Vik Krishnan, Matteo Pacca, Steve Saxon, and Caroline Tufft—envision the hotel industry of the 2030s.

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Visionary Voices

The travel experience will be more inspiring—and more sustainable

As hotels and travel companies seek to respond to travelers’ evolving habits and preferences, technology will play a central role. Industry innovators foresee the rise of new and more efficient ways to plan, book, and enjoy hotel stays.

Alix Boulnois

Chief digital officer, Accor

“I don’t believe people will travel the same way tomorrow as they do today. I don’t believe our hotels will be the same. We should probably imagine hotels that might not have spas or pools, or where the energy of the hotels is powered way differently—where people might trade off some comfort in the hotel for the planet.”

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Frederic Lalonde

Cofounder and CEO, Hopper

“We actually think that there’s a massive video revolution coming, where you’ll see an intersection of commerce—and we think that travel, because of the inspirational aspect and the complexity, will be one of the hottest categories for that. So, as funny as that sounds, we’re all in on video in terms of the next revolution in travel.”

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Francis Davidson

Cofounder and CEO, Sonder

“There’s no reason why instantaneous, really high quality, 24/7 service—with the help of technology—couldn’t be just as good as some of the best five-star hotels but at a three-star price point. So I think what we’re gonna see is an upleveling of the quality of the experience and much greater efficiency within the travel industry and hospitality.”

Hear more from Francis