China’s hotel construction pipeline reached 3,507 projects and 621,201 rooms at the end of the third quarter of 2026, according to a report by Lodging Econometrics (LE).
The latest China Construction Pipeline Trend Report also recorded a rise in brand conversions. Meanwhile, LE expects more than 1,000 new hotels to open across China by the end of 2026.
Of the total pipeline, 2,482 projects with 433,183 rooms were under construction at the end of Q3. A further 348 projects, representing 59,386 rooms, are scheduled to start construction within the next 12 months.
Additionally, 677 projects with 128,632 rooms remain in the early planning stage.
Upper Midscale and Upscale Hotels Lead China’s Pipeline
The upper midscale segment accounted for the largest share of China’s hotel construction pipeline. It recorded 1,264 projects with 185,074 rooms, representing 36% of projects and 30% of rooms.
The upscale segment followed with 1,070 projects and 216,301 rooms. This represented 31% of projects and 35% of rooms.
Combined, the two segments accounted for 2,334 projects and 401,375 rooms. They represented 67% of all projects and 65% of rooms in the national pipeline.
Other chain-scale segments included:
- Upper upscale: 360 projects and 95,003 rooms.
- Midscale: 276 projects and 28,196 rooms.
- Luxury: 257 projects and 53,249 rooms.
Brand Conversions Reach Record Highs
Brand conversions reached record highs in both project and room totals during Q3 2026. According to LE, they accounted for 253 projects and 41,623 rooms.
Meanwhile, new project announcements (NPAs) totalled 178 projects with 27,212 rooms. Construction starts reached 153 projects, representing 23,333 rooms.
Guangzhou Leads China’s Hotel Construction Pipeline
Guangzhou had the largest hotel construction pipeline among Chinese cities at the end of Q3 2026.
The five leading cities were:
- Guangzhou: 123 projects and 25,231 rooms.
- Chengdu: 121 projects and 21,950 rooms.
- Shanghai: 113 projects and 20,873 rooms.
- Hangzhou: 95 projects and 17,662 rooms.
- Xi’an: 78 projects and 14,011 rooms.
China Forecast to Add More Than 1,000 Hotels in 2026
China recorded 685 new hotel openings, representing 96,036 rooms, through the first three quarters of 2026.
LE expects another 327 hotels, with 44,257 rooms, to open during the fourth quarter.
This would bring the full-year forecast to 1,012 new hotels and 140,293 rooms by the end of 2026.
Looking further ahead, LE analysts expect 939 new hotels with 156,858 rooms to open in 2027.
For 2028, the forecast stands at 710 new hotels and 123,434 rooms.
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