The Most Popular Hotel Chains Across America

Hotels can meet a whole host of travel needs — whether it’s a luxury escape or a roadside stop, we all need somewhere to lay our heads at night.

Some hotel chains stand out for their convenience and cost, while others are coveted for their dreamy atmosphere and design aesthetic. So which hotel brands are people Googling most in the state you call home? Shane Co. analyzed the Google search volume of hotel chains in four categories — budget/midscale, upscale, luxury, and boutique hotels — in order to find the most popular hotel chains across the U.S. map.

America’s Best Cheap Hotels

Is there anything more American than a roadside motel? In the ’50s and ’60s, motor lodges like Howard Johnson and Holiday Inn started popping up at a rapid pace off of high-traffic highways like Route 66 and Interstate 40. While their popularity has simmered a bit from decades past, their legacy remains, and in the 2020s, boutique hotels are mimicking their vintage charm. 

Perhaps the most famous of these roadside inns, Holiday Inn, is most searched in the deep South states of Louisiana and Mississippi, as well as the heartland states of Kansas and South Dakota. 

While Holiday Inn may have more history, Hampton Inn is the budget hotel Americans are Googling most. Hampton Inn is most searched in a whopping 21 states across the Northeast, Midwest, and South (including in Tennessee, where the original Hampton Inn was built).

Most searched in California, Nevada, and New Mexico is the iconic Motel 6, peppered across interstate exits since 1962. All we’ll say to these Western states is, “We’ll leave the light on for you.”

America’s Best Upscale & Luxury Hotels

In terms of upscale hotel brands, Hilton Garden Inn and Marriot’s trendy Aloft Hotels take the cake, most searched in eight and seven states, respectively. Breakfast buffet by day and live music venue by night, Aloft is a design hotel for music lovers. The hotel brand offers modern accommodations, but with nightly rates that won’t break the bank.

Now let’s show some appreciation for the finer things in life. The world’s largest luxury hotel chain, The Luxury Collection (another Marriott brand), reigns supreme, most searched in 12 states, including Colorado, Illinois, New York, and Washington. While Luxury Collection hotels are sprinkled across the U.S. map, the global brand also boasts stunning hotel locations in Santorini, Bangkok, and Mexico City, among other international destinations.

Runners-up are Omni Hotels & Resorts, most searched in 10 states, and Loews Hotels, most searched in eight states. Well-known luxury hotels, like St. Regis, The Ritz-Carlton, and W Hotels, where nightly room rates in the U.S. can start as high as $293 per night, fall lower on this list, each most searched in three states.

America’s Best Boutique Hotels

Boutique hotels have achieved massive amounts of popularity in recent years as travelers are yearning for unique experiences, bespoke design, and a local focus. What’s more, they continue to be the fastest-growing sector in the hotel industry, according to recent reports. 

Hotel Indigo, a boutique hotel brand offering local flavor and neighborhood feels, is the most popular according to Google searches over the past year. The brand owned by IHG Hotels is most searched in 11 states, seven of which are in the South. Curio Collection, Kimpton Hotels, Tapestry Collection, and 21c Museum Hotels follow, all most searched in four to five states.

Closing Thoughts

That wraps up our study on the most popular hotel chains across the U.S. While the engagement ring might be the most important part of a proposal, the hotel or resort is the pièce de résistance when it comes to a honeymoon. In the midst of honeymoon planning? Brides.com has some pro tips for booking honeymoon accommodations for newlyweds.

Methodology

To determine the most popular hotel chains in every state, we analyzed Google Trends search data from September 2021 to September 2022. We started with a list of nearly 100 hotel brands across different price tiers, from budget and midscale to upscale and luxury, sourced from TravelPulse and YouGovAmerica, and compared their relative search interest state to state.