Business travel isn’t just back — it’s doubling down on premium destinations.

New data from Hickory Global Partners, based on 2025 booking activity across its global platform, reveals an interesting pattern: The cities that cost the most are often the ones corporations choose most often. For meeting and event planners, that convergence of price and popularity has real budget implications — and strategic opportunities.

The U.S.: Big Cities, Bigger Price Tags

According to Hickory’s analysis of average daily rate (ADR) spend — reflecting hotel costs tied to meetings, seminars and employee accommodations — New York City ranks as both the most expensive and the most popular U.S. destination for business travel.

It’s followed on the most expensive list by Chicago, Las Vegas, San Diego and Dallas, which are all markets that combine robust meeting infrastructure with strong corporate demand.

The popularity rankings closely mirror those costs. After New York, the most-booked destinations include Houston, Chicago, San Diego and Atlanta.

This indicates that high-demand cities are commanding premium rates — and corporations are still paying them.

But there’s nuance.

Cities like Dallas and San Diego are seeing ADR growth as companies seek alternatives to the traditional Big Three. Meanwhile, markets such as Columbus and Charlotte are gaining traction thanks to strong industry hubs in finance, fashion, energy and life sciences.

International: Prestige Still Sells

Globally, London tops both the most expensive and most popular lists. Paris and Tokyo remain high-ADR stalwarts, buoyed by expansive hotel inventory and world-class meeting space.

But one result stands out: Rio de Janeiro ranks as the second most popular international destination by corporate hotel room volume, despite an ADR of just $71. That’s a striking contrast to London and New York, which pair top-tier pricing with top-tier demand.

Other consistently strong performers include Amsterdam, Singapore and Toronto — destinations where strong local economies and “bleisure” appeal help justify higher room rates.

What This Means for Planners

Chris Dane, president and managing partner of Hickory Global Partners, notes that corporations continue prioritizing in-person relationship building — and they are increasingly choosing immersive, high-quality destinations to do it.

That aligns with broader forecasts projecting global business travel spending to reach $1.7 trillion in 2026, an 8% increase over 2025.

Planners can draw three main implications from this data:

1) Budget realism is critical. If your stakeholders want New York or London, prepare them early for premium ADRs and ancillary costs.

2) Secondary markets are strategic plays — for now. Cities like Columbus and Charlotte may offer strong infrastructure without Tier 1 pricing, but rising demand could quickly narrow that gap.

3) Experience justifies expense. Corporations are increasingly willing to pay more when destinations offer meaningful networking, cultural depth and bleisure potential.

Generally speaking, the data confirms what many planners are already seeing in RFP responses: Price sensitivity hasn’t disappeared, but presence still matters. And when it comes to business travel these days, companies are putting their budgets where their relationships are.