The 2026 Rulebook

Listen closely: The leaders running hospitality today are revealing what will define it tomorrow.

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The future of hospitality is being decided at the top. As 2026 approaches, the industry's most influential leaders are challenging long-held norms and reshaping how hotels are designed, operated, and experienced.

Our Cover Story unpacks the trends and insights driving that change - offering a clear view of where hospitality is headed next.

Puneet Chhatwal

Managing Director & CEO, IHCL; Chairman, FAITH

India's hospitality sector has fundamentally shifted. The last decade created the conditions for what we are now witnessing: Sustained high demand, faster pace of new supply addition, infra-led emerging destinations and evolving hospitality formats and business models. We are in an inflection phase where the sector is redefining what's possible.

“India will continue to be among the fastest-growing major economies, on its path to becoming the world’s third-largest global economy. 2026 will see the opening of new airports in key cities in India, with Jewar Airport in NCR and Navi Mumbai. These new airports and recent expansion of capacity in Bengaluru, Goa and Hyderabad have boosted the travel infrastructure in the country’s key gateway cities.

“The road to 2030 will look different from what we have experienced so far. India's hospitality sector remains underpenetrated and presents a strong opportunity for sustained growth across all segments. Over the next five years, an additional 100,000 branded hotel rooms are expected to come on stream, taking the country’s total branded supply to 300,000 rooms. This milestone will be reached in half the time it took to add the first 100,000 rooms with the upcoming capacity spread across segments from economy to luxury and across destinations of metros as well as emerging markets. The rise of tier-2 and tier-3 cities destinations is attracting both capital and travellers, driving regional development.