What Travelers Want in 2027 and Where They’re Looking
Trend report season is here, and Skyscanner’s 2027 Travel Trends report is making the rounds with names built for headlines: Signal Severance, Gym-cation, Together Trips. They’re worth a read.
The number that matters most for hotel marketers sits a few clicks deeper, in the report’s section on how people plan. When US travelers look for trip inspiration, 41% turn to YouTube. Instagram comes in at 25%.
AI Starts the Search. Video Confirms It.
Skyscanner’s data also shows trust in AI is slipping. Only 48% of US travelers feel confident using AI recommendations to plan and book a trip, down from 54% last year.
My read is that people use AI for ideas and research, and about half then go confirm what it told them on their own. That checking happens on video. The other half takes the AI answer at face value, which is its own reason to keep your property information accurate everywhere.
For the half that wants proof, they want to see the place.
Polished Content Blends In
Most hotels have put nearly all their social effort into Instagram, and most of that into high-end, editorial imagery. When every property in your comp set has the same golden-hour drone shot and the same model by the infinity pool, nobody stands out.
What’s performing for our clients looks a lot less polished. Associates on camera, shot on an iPhone, no script. People trust that more than they trust perfection.
What YouTube Shorts Did for One Hotel
One of our hotels posts YouTube Shorts alongside its Instagram Reels, and the gap is hard to ignore.
On Instagram, they have over 24,000 followers, and their most recent Reel pulled about 2,600 views. On YouTube, they have 400 subscribers, and their latest Short cleared 1,600 views. That’s a second audience they weren’t reaching at all, from content they were already making.
The two platforms also treat your video differently over time. Shorts tend to keep collecting views long after they’re posted, because people find them through search. Reels views tend to land closer to when you publish.
Three Trends Worth Filming
Not all seven trends belong in your content calendar, but these three fit most properties.
- Together Trips: Make a roundup of everything a group can do together at and around your property. Put a group of associates on camera instead of one host.
- Signal Severance: Show the spaces where guests can actually put the phone down. Have the associate who knows them best explain how to enjoy them.
- Gym-cation: Hand the camera to your yoga instructor or trainer and build a three-day plan with a different workout each day. Guests arrive with the routine already figured out.
Advice to Hotels
Make YouTube Shorts part of your 2027 plan. You don’t need a new production budget. Roughly 80% of what you post can be the same vertical video you’re already making for Reels. The other 20% should be built for how people find things on YouTube, with clear titles on topics travelers actually search, like “3-day workout at [your resort].”
Pick the trends your property can genuinely show, put your associates on camera, and keep it shot on a phone. Travelers checking what AI told them are going to look for you on YouTube, so make sure you’re there.
📊 Stat of the Week
Instagram is putting more weight on what’s new. If your hotel posts a great Reel and then goes quiet for two weeks, most of that Reel’s reach is gone by the next morning. A steady posting rhythm will do more for your property than one big production every month.
📰 Industry Intel
YouTube Is Still the Most-Used Social Platform in America
According to Pew Research Center’s latest social media fact sheet, released October 19, 84% of US adults use YouTube, more than any other platform. Facebook follows at 70%, and Instagram comes in at 51%.
Impact on Hotels: Most hotel social plans are built almost entirely around Instagram, which reaches about half of US adults. YouTube reaches far more of them, and as this week’s lead story shows, it’s also where travelers go for trip ideas. You don’t need a new team or a new budget to show up there. Start posting the vertical videos you’re already making for Reels as Shorts, and treat YouTube as the second audience it is.
Instagram Tests Letting Users Open the App Straight to Reels
Instagram is testing an option that would let users make Reels their home screen, with Stories still at the top and the regular feed a swipe away.
Impact on Hotels: This is still a test, but the direction is clear. Instagram can see that Reels is where people are spending their time, and for a lot of users it’s become their main source of news, information and entertainment. Now Instagram is checking whether people would rather start their whole experience there. If Reels becomes the front door, the first thing a potential guest sees when they open the app is video, and a feed built mostly on static photos is going to get less and less of their attention.
TikTok Shares What’s Driving Black Friday Sales on Its Platform
TikTok released a “Road to Black Friday” video series showing how retail brands are using creator partnerships and TikTok LIVE to drive holiday sales. TikTok also reported that #holidayshopping content jumped 263% from August to September.
Impact on Hotels: Plenty of hotels aren’t on TikTok, and you don’t need to be for this to matter. These lessons carry over to Instagram and YouTube. People are already looking for holiday deals on social, and the brands winning are the ones putting real people on camera. If you’re running a Black Friday or Cyber Monday offer, get it out now, and have an associate on camera walking through what’s actually included instead of posting a graphic with a percentage off.
ChatGPT Ads Now Run in 89 Countries
OpenAI expanded ChatGPT ads to 26 more countries, bringing the total to 89, just over eight months after the program started as a US pilot. More than 100,000 advertisers have run campaigns so far, and the ads only appear for users on ChatGPT’s Free and Go plans.
Impact on Hotels: Travelers already use AI to research trips, and now there’s a paid way to show up in those conversations. It’s early, and with traveler trust in AI recommendations already slipping, I’d give this some room to breathe before moving real budget. Put it on your Q1 planning list and ask your brand or agency team whether a small test makes sense for your property.
✈️ What's Happening at Casual Fridays
We made one shift for three resorts in three different markets: we put their associates on camera in unscripted interview Reels alongside their high-quality visuals. One Reel landed 250% above the account’s average interaction rate, and another passed 14,900 organic views. See the full results on Instagram.
If you’re mapping out your 2027 budget, this Reel shows everything we handle for hotels, from creative direction and lifestyle production to team trainings and AI agent building. Watch the Reel on Instagram, then reply to this email if you want to talk through what 2027 could look like for your property.
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