In Brief: Latin America’s hotel construction pipeline reached 783 projects and 114,148 rooms at the end of the third quarter of 2026, with early planning activity increasing 29% from a year earlier and Mexico, Brazil and the Dominican Republic accounting for most planned development.
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Rendering of the upcoming Waldorf Astoria Residences Guadalajara – Image Credit Hilton
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Pipeline Growth
According to the latest Lodging Econometrics (LE) data, Latin America’s hotel construction pipeline totaled 783 projects and 114,148 rooms at the close of the third quarter of 2026, up 4% in project count from a year earlier.
Early planning included 300 projects with 38,851 rooms, up 29% in project count and 21% in room count year over year. The segment represented 38% of all projects in the regional pipeline, making it the largest development phase by project count.
Hotels under construction accounted for 288 projects and 45,186 rooms. Another 195 projects, with 30,111 rooms, were scheduled to begin construction within the next 12 months.
Development by Hotel Segment
Luxury hotels accounted for the largest chain-scale pipeline, with 148 projects and 24,584 rooms. The upscale segment followed with 142 projects and 20,699 rooms. Midscale hotels also had 142 projects in development, totaling 16,956 rooms.
Together, the luxury, upscale and midscale categories represented 432 projects and 62,239 rooms, or 55% of both projects and rooms in Latin America’s overall construction pipeline.
The upper-upscale category had 137 projects totaling 22,795 rooms, up 11% in project count from the third quarter of 2025.
New Announcements and Conversions
Developers announced 56 new hotel projects with 7,461 rooms during the quarter, up 44% in project count and 16% in room count year over year. During the quarter, 22 projects with 3,279 rooms began construction.
Renovation and brand conversion work totaled 189 projects and 33,835 rooms, up 9% in projects and 16% in rooms year over year.
Conversions alone accounted for 139 projects and 20,826 rooms. Conversion projects increased 21%, while rooms increased 48%.
Country and City Pipelines
Mexico remained Latin America’s largest hotel construction market, with 229 projects and 32,856 rooms. It accounted for 29% of regional projects and rooms in the pipeline.
Brazil ranked second, with 145 projects and 19,885 rooms. Its project count rose 18% year over year, while planned rooms increased 22%. The Dominican Republic had 88 projects and 17,356 rooms, its highest reported project total.
Mexico, Brazil and the Dominican Republic together accounted for 59% of projects and 61% of rooms in the regional pipeline.
Mexico City had the largest pipeline by project count, with 25 projects and 2,702 rooms. Lima, Peru, followed with 19 projects and 2,421 rooms. San Juan, Puerto Rico, had 15 projects totaling 2,978 rooms.
Expected Openings Through 2028
Latin America opened 51 hotels with 9,107 rooms during the first three quarters of 2026. Another 39 hotels with 5,933 rooms are expected to open during the fourth quarter, bringing the 2026 total to 90 hotels and 15,040 rooms.
The forecast calls for 115 hotel openings with 17,300 rooms in 2027 and 116 openings with 15,426 rooms in 2028.