Blending New Exploration with Routine Comforts
For 79% of travelers, familiar menu items serve as a source of comfort, even miles away from home.
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Hilton’s “Cozy Comforts”: Each year, DoubleTree by Hilton presents 20 million chocolate chip cookies at check-in, while Hampton by Hilton stirs up 6 million pounds of waffle mix for morning breakfasts.
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of travelers reporting that they enjoy exploring local grocery stores to try authentic local food and drink offerings.
While traveling, 86% of families prioritize dining together. Nearly half (48%) of travelers cook their own meals while away, a simple act that turns a temporary space into a home-away-from-home. For guests who want to share an experience as well as a meal with their families, plenty of Hilton properties offer something special: at Royal Palm Galapagos, Curio Collection by Hilton, diners get a guided tour through a walkable lava tunnel and learn about the volcanic origins of the island, before enjoying a five-course meal made with locally grown ingredients. Baker’s Cay Resort Key Largo, Curio Collection by Hilton partners with Dock-to-Dish, a local seafood initiative that allows families to fish together, and then the resort prepares a meal with their fresh catch while discussing sustainable fishing practices.
Counteracting comfort food is the recent rise in grocery store tourism, with 77% of travelers reporting that they enjoy exploring local grocery stores to try authentic local food and drink offerings. Validating this epi-curiosity, many Hilton properties regularly stock local snacks for purchase in their lobbies.
Guests at Hotel Fraye Nashville, Curio Collection by Hilton, for instance, can find popular local candy Goo Goo Clusters, while Canopy by Hilton Portland Waterfront guests can discover Maine favorites like Wicked Whoopies’ whoopie pies and Maine Crisps crackers.
When there’s no time for the grocery store or restaurants, travelers often fall back on familiar meal delivery options. More than half a million orders have been placed through Grubhub Onsite since the program debuted in 2023 at Homewood Suites by Hilton, Home2 Suites by Hilton, Hampton by Hilton, Spark by Hilton and Tru by Hilton properties.
When it comes to comfort, perhaps nothing reminds someone of home more than their pet. With 64% of travelers searching for pet-friendly accommodations when planning, it’s clear that pets are family. In fact, Hilton.com reports that “pet-friendly” is the fifth most popular search filter on the site. Hilton’s pet-friendly brands seek to meet the needs of four-legged guests by offering spacious accommodations, pet relief areas and team members who can offer local recommendations for nearby pet-friendly dining and parks. As part of Hilton’s partnership with Mars Petcare, guests also have access to expert advice on traveling with pets from the Mars Pet Expert Team during their stay.
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of global travelers without a pet will avoid getting a pet to make travel easier.
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of global travelers without a plant will avoid getting a plant to make travel easier.
Finding Comfort in Reliability
In 2026, hotels that deliver a consistent experience will stand out, easing decision fatigue and enhancing peace of mind. Seventy-four percent say they find it valuable to engage with hotel brands that they know and trust while traveling.
The more reliable the experience, the more loyal travelers become. Sixty-two percent report being very loyal to at least one loyalty program per category (be it hotel, airline or car rental). Among these global travelers, 66% are willing to spend a little more to continue to book with that brand. For Hilton Honors members surveyed, 87% agree that having an elite status is important to them.
Once travelers build trust in their chosen brand, they’re willing to explore new types of accommodations and destinations with that brand. Fifty-eight percent also report using loyalty points to try new properties, activities and destinations.
The same is true at Hilton, where some of the top redemption properties for Hilton Honors members in 2025 included: Grand Wailea, A Waldorf Astoria Resort in Maui; Conrad Tokyo; New York Hilton Midtown; Waldorf Astoria Las Vegas; and Hilton Cancun Mar Caribe All-Inclusive Resort. Hilton Honors members have also redeemed more than 10 billion Points to book Small Luxury Hotels of the World (SLH) properties since the launch of the exclusive partnership.
Beyond service and perks, comfort is often defined by the space itself. At Graduate by Hilton, for example, lobbies are designed to feel nostalgic, by offering layered, college-inspired design that includes leather sofas, cozy armchairs, and large communal tables perfect for working or gathering.
Outside of the Comfort Zone: ‘Curiosity Leave’
Another emerging trend shows a desire for a better work-life balance that allows for more personal exploration time to push the limits outside of one’s comfort zone. Call it curiosity leave.
A striking 72% expressed a desire to take time off work to explore a personal passion, skill, or hobby, while 60% say they would take an extended break from work to travel for months or even years. But time remains both a luxury and a limitation: nearly three in five (59%) full-time and part-time employed respondents say their job doesn’t allow enough time off to plan proper vacations. In fact, half of global travelers would willingly take a pay cut in exchange for unlimited leave and 44% would leave their job if they were denied a vacation time request.
Finding the right rewards programs or properties that match or complement the why behind their vacation can help travelers meet their goals. For example, the Conrad Hotels & Resorts 1/3/5 program offers time-tailored itineraries built to last one, three, or five hours long. Think sand sculpting workshops at Conrad Orlando, jewelry making classes with local artisans at Conrad Punta de Mita, or learning ancestral clam-picking skills at Conrad Algarve.
In addition to booking rooms with Points, Hilton Honors also rewards members for their loyalty by offering opportunities to bid or redeem for exclusive experiences that speak to their interests and hobbies. Nearly half (48%) of Hilton Honors members say they use Points to try activities outside of their comfort zone, like attending the 2025 British Grand Prix weekend and major sporting and music events at Wembley Stadium connected by EE.
