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Guests Notice. Do Hotels?: What Our 2026 Consumer Survey Reveals About Hospitality Atmosphere
You check into a hotel after a long travel day. The lobby has warm lighting, a subtle scent that’s hard to name but easy to notice, and music that feels soothing. You planned to grab your key and head straight to your room. Instead, you find yourself at the bar, ordering a drink, wanting to soak up the calm and inviting energy.
Moments like these are the result of intentionally designing environments that make guests feel something worth staying for.
In our 2026 hospitality consumer survey of 1,000 U.S. consumers, completed in partnership with Dynata, respondents were asked about their hotel experiences and how atmosphere shapes their perceptions, behaviors and brand relationships. We found that guests are paying attention to how hotels make them feel, and that emotional experience is influencing decisions well beyond check-in.
For hotels still treating atmosphere as an afterthought, the data suggests it’s time to rethink that approach. Here are our other top findings.
Consumers Prioritize Atmosphere Over Price, Food and Service
When hotel guests evaluate where to stay, the experience of the space itself outweighs factors brands have long competed on. Nearly two-thirds of respondents (63%) say atmosphere is very or extremely important when choosing a hotel — ranking it above food, service and price. Another 24% say it is moderately important.
The influence doesn’t stop at booking. Over half of consumers (52%) say hotel atmosphere affects their overall perception of a brand a great deal, and a little more than a third say it somewhat affects their perception. Combined, the overwhelming majority of guests’ opinions of a hotel brand are shaped by the environment. Having the right lighting, scents, and music for hotels makes a big difference here.
This is a major signal for hotel brands investing heavily in loyalty programs, pricing strategy and food and beverage offerings. While those perks are valuable, atmosphere is a baseline expectation and deciding factor.
%
say atmosphere is very or extremely important when choosing a hotel
%
say hotel atmosphere affects their overall perception of a brand
40%
of millenials & Gen X guests say they've extended a stay because of the atmosphere
30%
of millennials & Gen Z have posted about a hospitality experience on social media
Guests Stay Longer and Spend More in the Right Atmosphere
Unsurprisingly, that emotional connection to a hotel’s atmosphere influences how long guests stay. Sixty-two percent of respondents have stayed longer or spent extra time at a hotel at least once because they enjoyed the atmosphere. Every additional hour a guest spends on property is an opportunity for incremental revenue, whether that’s another drink at the bar, a spa treatment or an extra meal.
When you break it down by demographics, millennials and Gen X lead on dwell time, with 40% saying they’ve extended a stay because of the atmosphere. Nearly a third of that same group says atmosphere is extremely important when choosing a hotel.
Meanwhile, 30% of millennials and Gen Z have posted about a memorable hospitality experience on social media specifically because of a hotel’s atmosphere or design. Word of mouth has always been valuable in hospitality. Today, it shows up on Instagram and TikTok, and the right environment is what earns the buzz.
So, with atmosphere influencing dwell time and spend, what does an environment worth staying for actually look like to guests?
Guests Say Hotels Are Comfortable, Not Memorable
We found that 52% of guests find most of their hotels to be comfortable but not memorable. Only 4% feel most hotels are highly personalized.
Most hotels have comfort figured out. What’s harder to crack is memorability. Satisfied guests have no particular reason to return or recommend, while emotionally engaged guests do. And the line between the two often comes down to whether the atmosphere felt curated or like it came with the building.
The good news is that closing that gap doesn’t require a major capital investment. Guests are already telling us which sensory elements matter most: over 70% identify scent, music or digital displays as elements that enhance their hospitality experience. Scent leads the way at 34%, followed by music at 22% and digital displays at 17%. Here’s how hotels can put each to work:
What makes a hotel more appealing?
- Lounge & relaxed seating 57%
- Immersive ambiance 38%
- Personalized experiences 41%
Music programming — Curate playlists that reflect the brand’s personality and guest demographic rather than defaulting to generic background tracks. The right music sets the emotional tone of a space before a guest consciously registers anything else. Among millennials, 31% say music has the biggest impact on their hospitality experience, making it one of the most direct and scalable investments a property can make.
Signature scent — Deploy a consistent, property-specific scent in lobbies, corridors, and common areas. Scent is one of the most powerful memory triggers available, and a recognizable fragrance becomes part of how guests recall and identify a brand.
Digital displays — Use screens throughout the property to create visual cohesion, reinforce brand identity, and surface relevant promotions or amenities. Static, generic content wastes the medium; dynamic, on-brand visuals elevate it.
Lighting design — Warm, intentional lighting in common areas signals that the space was designed with the guest experience in mind. Harsh or inconsistent lighting undercuts every other atmospheric investment.
Spatial design and layout — Create areas that invite guests to linger, whether that’s a lounge with comfortable seating, a well-positioned café, or a lobby layout that feels like a destination rather than a throughway.
When asked what would make a hotel more appealing, 57% said lounge or relaxed seating areas, 50% said a café or coffee bar, and 38% said immersive ambiance, including scent. Nearly half of the respondents (41%) said personalized experiences based on guest preferences would most enhance their stay.
For mid-scale and national chain properties competing in crowded markets, these aren’t aspirational upgrades. They’re achievable differentiators that guests are already asking for.
Great Atmosphere Gets Guests’ Attention. Hotels Need to Do More With It
Getting guests to notice is only half the equation. A significant portion of guests who encounter in-venue promotions through digital screens or audio-video messaging take no action on them. The attention is there. The conversion isn’t.
That gap represents real lost revenue. Forty percent of consumers specifically want improvements to digital touchpoints like menus, wayfinding and music. When combined with the 41% who want more personalized experiences, over 80% of guests are pointing to tech-enabled enhancements as the biggest opportunity to elevate their stay. A guest who is relaxed, engaged and already inclined to spend more time on the property is the ideal audience for a well-timed promotion. So, having a generic screen graphic feels disconnected from the overall atmosphere and breaks the spell rather than extending it.
Closing that gap means treating digital activation as part of the atmosphere rather than an interruption to it. Promotions delivered through on-brand digital displays, audio messaging that matches the tone of the space, and seamless app integration that makes it easy for guests to act in the moment are all examples of engaging and measurable touchpoints. Hotels that connect their sensory investments to their digital activation strategy will find that each makes the other more effective.
To learn more about how Mood Media helps hotel brands create cohesive in-property experiences, explore our digital signage and background music in hospitality solutions.
About the Authors
Kevin Jones
Kevin Jones, VP of QSR and Hospitality at Mood Media, brings vast experience transforming how restaurants and hospitality brands connect with customers through sensory media and technology. Throughout his 17-year tenure at Mood Media, he’s built a reputation for translating evolving consumer expectations into strategic in-store solutions that drive measurable results. Kevin partners with both global QSR leaders and regional hospitality brands to deliver experiences that balance operational efficiency with authentic customer connection, leveraging real-time feedback and market trends to shape solutions that improve both guest satisfaction and bottom-line performance.
Mood Media Survey
Mood Media surveyed 1,000 U.S. adults ages 18+ in 2026, in partnership with Dynata, a leading global data and insights platform that connects researchers with consumers and business professionals. The study examined how sensory elements — music, lighting, visuals, scent, and overall atmosphere — shape their experience in hotels. It measured how these elements influence mood, comfort, time spent, brand perception, and likelihood to return.
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