While more than two in five U.S. travelers say they would consider staying at a Hilton or Marriott the next time they book a hotel, differences start to emerge when we look at consideration by age group.
YouGov BrandIndex analysis compares consideration among Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, and Baby Boomers+ who say they are likely or very likely to book a hotel in the next 12 months. Similar to part one of this analysis, Airbnb and VRBO are not included in the generational rankings. YouGov Profiles data provides a separate view of what different generations say is important when choosing a hotel.
Which hotel brands lead with Gen Z and other generations?
While Marriott takes the consideration crown among travelers of all ages, Hilton leads among Gen Z travelers, with 42.6% saying they would consider the brand the next time they book a hotel. Marriott takes the second spot at 38.3%. Among Millennials, Hilton also ranks first at 48.3%, narrowly ahead of Marriott at 46.9%.
Among Gen X travelers, the race is nearly even: Marriott records 49.1% consideration, while Hilton follows at 49.0%. Among Baby Boomers+, Marriott leads at 45.8%, followed by Courtyard by Marriott at 43.9% and Hilton at 41.5%.
Courtyard by Marriott shows one of the clearest generational differences in the BrandIndex data. Consideration stands at 20.1% among Gen Z, rising to 32.1% among Millennials, 46.9% among Gen X, and 43.9% among Baby Boomers+.
Hampton Inn shows a similar older skew, rising from 19.3% among Gen Z to 40.4% among Baby Boomers+. Holiday Inn Express also performs more strongly with older travelers, at 41.2% among Baby Boomers+ compared with 29.7% among Gen Z.
Other brands lean younger in the displayed comparison. Four Seasons records 22.6% consideration among Gen Z and 25.7% among Millennials, compared with 14.1% among Baby Boomers+. Sheraton is also higher among Millennials, at 33.7%, than among Baby Boomers+ at 26.2%.
What matters to different generations when choosing a hotel?
YouGov Profiles data shows that more Americans booking a hotel will consider cleanliness than any other factor, with 79.1% citing it as a consideration. This grows in importance with age, with 71.2% of Gen Z, 75.9% of Millennials, 80.7% of Gen X, and 82.1% of Baby Boomers saying cleanliness is important.
Price ranks second, similarly increasing in importance with age, as it is lower among Gen Z at 62.4% than among Millennials (72.8%), Gen X (76.8%), and Baby Boomers (77.0%).
Online reviews are more likely to matter to younger adults, with 37.3% of Gen Z and 36.8% of Millennials taking them into consideration, compared with 30.8% of Gen X and 25.7% of Baby Boomers.
Some factors move in the opposite direction. Friendly staff is a consideration factor for 40.6% of Baby Boomers, compared with 30.1% of Gen Z. Being part of a hotel chain or brand they trust is also more important among Baby Boomers at 29.4%, compared with 17.1% among Gen Z and 17.8% among Millennials.
Explore more hotel brand data
This generational ranking is one view of the broader hotel-sector data available in YouGov BrandIndex and YouGov Profiles. Additional analysis can compare hotel brands by generation, traveler type, income, travel frequency, consideration, Value, Quality, Satisfaction, Recommendation, and other relevant measures.
Request a hotel brand briefing to explore how hotel consideration changes across audiences and which brand-health measures matter most for the competitors and travelers you want to understand.
Methodology
YouGov BrandIndex: July 1, 2025 – June 30, 2026; U.S. adults likely or very likely to book a hotel in the next 12 months: n> 10,900; Gen Z n> 1,100; Millennials n> 2,000; Gen X n> 1,600; Baby Boomers+ n> 2,100.
Consideration: When you are in the market to stay at a hotel or accommodation service, with which of the following would you consider staying?
Airbnb and VRBO are excluded from the rankings.
YouGov Profiles: July 12, 2026; U.S. adults 18+. Respondents were asked which factors are important when choosing a hotel for vacation or business. Figures are percentages; multiple selections were allowed. “Other,” “Don’t know,” and “Not applicable” responses are not shown.
Generations are defined as: Gen Z (1997 or later), Millennials (1981-1996), Gen X (1965-1980) and Baby Boomers+ (Pre-1964).
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, daily 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.
About YouGov Profiles
YouGov Profiles is an audience intelligence platform that helps brands understand who their audiences are, what they think, and how they behave. Drawing on demographic, psychographic, attitudinal, behavioral, media, and brand variables, Profiles provides continuously collected consumer data that can be used to understand differences between audience groups.