Shoulder Seasons Challenge Peak Periods As Year-Round Hotel Demand Strengthens in 2025: SiteMinder :: Hospitality Trends

A new report by SiteMinder, the world’s leading guest acquisition and revenue platform, shows hotel arrivals beyond traditional peak periods strengthened in 2025, creating more consistent year-round demand.

SiteMinder’s Hotel Booking Trends, based on more than 130 million hotel bookings, reveals that 65% of markets saw their busiest month account for a smaller share of annual arrivals in 2025. Major peak periods, including July in Italy (10.77% of annual check-ins), August in Spain (11.19%) and Portugal (11.84%), and December in Thailand (10.12%), all became less concentrated as shoulder periods intensified.

SiteMinder’s VP of ecosystem and strategic partnerships, James Bishop, says the findings reveal an accelerating shift in traveler booking behavior.

“The data shows a clear and ongoing evolution in booking patterns,” says Bishop. “Despite record peak periods, shoulder seasons are gaining significant momentum as travelers distribute their stays more evenly throughout the year in search of more unique experiences, less crowds and better value. This trend means hotels can no longer rely on static, seasonal approaches to acquiring their guests and must stay responsive to new demand as it emerges.”

The findings come as SiteMinder’s survey of 700 hoteliers recently revealed that 36% of properties still update their rates either monthly or less frequently.

Further analysis of SiteMinder’s 2025 data shows:

• Room rates rose in 70% of markets, with the global average reaching US$194. Austria led with a US$15 increase, followed by Portugal and Spain, both up US$11.
• Asian travel demand reshaped global revenue, with preliminary data showing outbound travel from China and India exceeded pre-pandemic levels for the first time. As travel accelerated region-wide, Agoda climbed in 40% of SiteMinder’s Top 12 lists while China’s Trip.com debuted in Germany, Spain and the US.
• Direct bookings held steady, despite predictions that AI would either erode or amplify the channel, with revenue share staying within 1.5 percentage points of the prior year in 95% of markets. Hotel websites again generated the highest value per booking at US$516 on average.
• Booking windows extended and cancellations fell, with the average lead time reaching 32.15 days and cancellations dropping to 19.15%.
• Expedia Group led across all of North America, marking the first time it has been the top revenue-driving channel in the US, Canada and Mexico since 2020.

The annual SiteMinder’s Hotel Booking Trends report is the most authoritative analysis of hotel bookings across 20 of the world’s most established destinations. It is powered by SiteMinder’s platform, which serves more than 50,000 hotels, generating 250 million+ room nights and over A$85 billion in revenue for its hotel customers each year.

“These findings point to a travel industry that has found a consistent rhythm after years of large-scale shifts,” says Bishop. “Travelers are booking earlier, canceling less and spreading their stays more evenly throughout the year, while hotel rates continue to rise across most markets. For hotels, this creates both stability and opportunity, but only if they have the insights and tools to respond to changing demand patterns as they happen, rather than weeks or months after the fact.”

SiteMinder’s Hotel Booking Trends report, including the Top 12 hotel booking revenue-makers of 2025, is available here.

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About SiteMinder

SiteMinder Limited (ASX:SDR) is the name behind SiteMinder, the world’s leading hotel guest acquisition and revenue platform, and Little Hotelier, an all-in-one hotel management software that makes the lives of small accommodation providers easier. The global company is headquartered in Sydney with offices in Bangkok, Barcelona, Berlin, Dallas, Galway, London, Manila, Mexico City and Pune. Through its technology and the largest partner ecosystem in the global hotel industry, SiteMinder generates more than 130 million reservations worth over US$55 billion in revenue for its hotel customers each year. For more information, visit siteminder.com.