Hotel consideration can shift meaningfully by age group. Among Australians likely to book accommodation, the names that rise to the top vary between Gen X and Millennials.
YouGov’s Australia hotel rankings 2026 look at Consideration among Australians who are likely to book accommodation. This follow-up focuses on Gen X and Millennials to show how hotel brand rankings differ between two commercially important groups.
In this article, we cover:
- Which hotel brands lead Consideration among Gen X and Millennials
- Which brands show the clearest Gen X or Millennial differences in Consideration
- Methodology behind the rankings
Novotel leads with Gen X, while Hilton leads with Millennials
Among Gen X accommodation bookers, Novotel ranks first with a Consideration score of 27.0%. Accor follows at 23.0%, ahead of Hilton at 22.1%, Mercure at 20.9% and Holiday Inn at 20.7%.
The Millennial ranking has a different leader. Hilton ranks first among Millennials at 23.7%, followed by Novotel at 20.5% and Marriott at 20.4%. Sheraton ranks fourth at 19.4%, while Four Seasons and Accor are close behind at 18.5%.
Novotel leads Gen X by a clear margin, while Hilton’s position is strongest among Millennials.
Several brands lean more strongly toward Gen X
The largest Gen X advantage in the displayed table belongs to Mercure, which scores 20.9% among Gen X compared with 14.2% among Millennials, a 6.7-point difference. Novotel also has a clear Gen X tilt, at 27.0% among Gen X and 20.5% among Millennials.
Mantra is 5.5 points higher among Gen X than Millennials, while Accor is 4.5 points higher and Holiday Inn is 4.2 points higher. Several of the brands with higher Consideration among Gen X sit within the Accor portfolio, suggesting a broader Gen X consideration pattern across the group.
Millennials put Hilton and Marriott higher in the ranking
Hilton ranks first among Millennials and third among Gen X. The score gap is modest, 23.7% among Millennials versus 22.1% among Gen X - but it is enough to change the lead position.
Marriott also sits higher with Millennials, ranking third at 20.4%, compared with eighth among Gen X at 19.0%. Four Seasons is another Millennial-leaning name in the displayed table: it ranks fifth among Millennials at 18.5%, compared with 14th among Gen X at 15.0%.
InterContinental also performs more strongly with Millennials than Gen X in this view. It ranks ninth among Millennials at 17.1%, compared with 15th among Gen X at 14.2%.
Explore more Australia hotel brand data
These rankings provide a selected view of hotel-sector data available in YouGov BrandIndex. A deeper walkthrough can show how hotel brands compare across additional audiences, competitor sets and brand-health measures.
Book a demo or reach out to us for a walkthrough of Australia hotel brand data. Explore hotel Consideration by age group, movement over time, audience profiles, and related measures such as Value, Quality, Satisfaction, Recommendation and Reputation where available.
Methodology
This article draws on YouGov BrandIndex data collected from 1 July 2025 to 30 June 2026. The analysis is based on Australians who say they are likely to stay in paid accommodation (e.g. hotels or motels) within the next six months and compares hotel brand Consideration among Gen X and Millennials.
Minimum bases are Millennials n> 680 and Gen X n> 760. Consideration is reported as the percentage of respondents who would consider buying from the brand the next time they are in the market to purchase travel and leisure products. Scores are shown to one decimal place.
Disclosure: The data analysis in this article was conducted by YouGov with the assistance of AI tools.
About YouGov BrandIndex
YouGov BrandIndex is an always-on brand tracking tool that measures consumer perceptions of thousands of brands across sectors and markets. It helps marketers monitor brand health, benchmark competitors, identify audience-specific strengths and weaknesses, and understand how perceptions change over time.