For decades, the story was simple: hotels owned hospitality. Brand recognition, loyalty programs, a front desk staffed around the clock. Rentals were the scrappy alternative. That story just flipped.
According to Alchemer’s 2026 Hospitality Benchmark Study, vacation rentals now out-score hotels on loyalty, posting a Net Promoter Score of 50.9 against hotels’ 41.8. That roughly 9-point gap is a chasm in NPS terms — and the travelers driving it are the ones with the most booking years ahead of them.
TL;DR — key takeaways
- Vacation rentals post an NPS of 50.9 vs. hotels’ 41.8 — a ~9-point loyalty gap, per Alchemer’s 2026 Hospitality Benchmark Study.
- Rentals turn more guests into promoters (60.9% vs. 55.5%) and produce fewer detractors (10.0% vs. 13.7%).
- 96.4% of rental guests rate their stay positive, versus 93.0% for hotels.
- Hotels still win near-term intent: 42% of travelers over 40 plan to book mostly hotels next year, vs. 23% mostly rentals.
- Younger travelers lean rental and are pulling the whole category’s loyalty numbers up.
Do vacation rentals or hotels have higher guest loyalty in 2026?
Vacation rentals. According to Alchemer’s 2026 Hospitality Benchmark Study, rentals post an NPS of 50.9 versus 41.8 for hotels. Here’s the full loyalty picture:
| Loyalty measure | Hotel | Vacation rental |
|---|---|---|
| Net Promoter Score (NPS) | 41.8 | 50.9 |
| Promoters | 55.5% | 60.9% |
| Detractors | 13.7% | 10.0% |
| Positive experience overall | 93.0% | 96.4% |
| “Very positive” experience | 66.0% | 69.2% |
Every loyalty measure lines up the same way. Rentals win more advocates and lose fewer guests to disappointment. For a category that spent years as the budget gamble, that’s a remarkable inversion.
Why are vacation rentals pulling ahead of hotels?
Because younger travelers lean rental — and they’re the most enthusiastic when a stay lands. That enthusiasm is pulling the entire category’s loyalty numbers up. Under-30s flip the market script: 37% lean mostly rentals versus 29% mostly hotels, while travelers 61 and older split 64% hotels to just 11% rentals.
In other words, the generation forming its travel habits right now is forming them around rentals. Today’s preference tends to become tomorrow’s default.
Loyalty is built moment by moment. Alchemer helps hospitality brands capture guest feedback across every channel, segment it by lodging type and traveler age, and act before a satisfied guest becomes a quiet detractor. Explore Alchemer for Hospitality →
So are hotels actually losing?
Not yet — and this is the caveat hiding in the data. Hotels still win on near-term booking intent. 42% of travelers over 40 plan to book mostly hotels in the year ahead, versus 23% mostly rentals, and older, hotel-loyal travelers book a lot of rooms.
The honest read: vacation rentals are more loved today, but hotels still fill more beds tomorrow. The strategic tension is that the travelers who love rentals most are the ones just starting their traveling lives, while the travelers anchoring hotels’ lead are further along in theirs. Loyalty leaders and near-term revenue are pointing in different directions.
What should hospitality brands do with this?
Read loyalty and intent as two separate signals. Rentals should press their loyalty advantage while attacking their one weakness — trust — with verified cleaning standards and transparent pricing. Hotels should defend the near-term intent that older travelers give them while working to win the under-40 guest who will define the next decade. The brand that treats a 9-point NPS gap as a warning, not a footnote, is the one still standing when today’s preference becomes tomorrow’s default.
Want the full report? Read the complete 2026 Hospitality Benchmark Report for every breakdown, table and takeaway across loyalty, cleanliness, feedback follow-through, discovery and hotel-vs-rental comparisons.
Methodology: Alchemer’s Research Solutions team surveyed 1,014 U.S. travelers — 540 recent hotel guests and 474 recent vacation-rental guests — in 2026.
FAQ
Q: Do vacation rentals or hotels have higher loyalty in 2026?
A: Vacation rentals. They post an NPS of 50.9 versus 41.8 for hotels, according to Alchemer’s 2026 Hospitality Benchmark Study.
Q: What is the NPS gap between hotels and vacation rentals?
A: Roughly 9 points — 50.9 for rentals versus 41.8 for hotels, which is a wide margin in NPS terms.
Q: Are hotels still more popular than vacation rentals?
A: For near-term bookings among older travelers, yes: 42% of travelers over 40 plan to book mostly hotels next year versus 23% rentals. But younger travelers lean rental.
Q: Why are vacation rentals gaining loyalty?
A: Younger, rental-leaning travelers are the most enthusiastic when a stay lands, pulling the whole category’s promoter and NPS numbers upward, per Alchemer’s 2026 data.