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Which cities are the most popular with business travelers? Internal data shows the most popular cities in the U.S.
From the towering skyscrapers of New York City to the vibrant energy of Miami, which U.S. cities are dominating the business travel landscape in 2025? We turned to the data to find out. Scattered from coast to coast, the most visited cities in the U.S. share a few key characteristics. A well-developed travel infrastructure, convenient meeting facilities, and a thriving tech or start-up culture are points in common for today’s business hotspots.
These markers are backed up with the recently released 2025 Deloitte Corporate Travel Study. In this survey, travel managers identified their company’s key drivers when booking business travel this year. Top reasons to travel included:
But how are cities catering to these needs, and do these drivers really translate to real-life business travel booking numbers?
To learn more, we analyzed individual city features, evolving trends, and new urban developments, fully exploring the state of business travel in 2025 and what the top destinations have to offer. Read on to find out the results.
Here’s a quick overview of the top 20 most visited cities for business travel within the United States.
What makes these cities so appealing? A blend of efficient infrastructure, convenient meeting spaces, and bleisure opportunities is driving business travel demand. Here’s a closer look at the top business cities in the U.S..
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A world-class city with a global footprint, it’s no surprise that New York saw the largest number of business travel bookings in the past year. This is supported by the National Travel and Tourism Office’s U.S. States & Cities Visited Monitor. Its most recent market share analysis found that 21.28% of overseas business travelers visited New York City in the past year, the highest of any city on the list.
Always a hub for international tastemakers, in 2025 New York is hosting the Business Travel Show America, bringing together industry leaders shaping the future of corporate travel.
Evergreen appeal
The home of Wall Street and the UN, New York City draws renowned international experts across the finance, tech, and political sectors. The city is great for business for many reasons, including its excellent transportation infrastructure, access to global markets, and large consumer base in the city. Transportation links include a 24-hour subway, international airports, and commuter rail system. At the same time, the city fosters collaboration with plentiful co-working spaces and after-hours cultural opportunities from Broadway shows to art openings at institutions like MoMA and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
You’ll also find a wealth of event spaces to choose from, including the Jacob K. Javits Center which hosts 120 events each year. It spans six city blocks, holding a massive exhibit space, 102 flexible meeting rooms, and 10 halls within its 3,300,000 square foot complex.
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The second most visited city in the U.S. for business travelers was Las Vegas. The city has a diverse tourism and business market, with excellent convention center facilities. This makes it ideal for conferences, trade shows, and events of all sizes. Though the city’s leisure tourism has been down in 2025, business travel demand remains steady. According to president of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) Steve Hill, "the convention group-trade show industry has held its own this year – it has been a foundation for the city to build from."
Alongside steady trade numbers, the $600 million expansion of the Las Vegas Convention Center is due to be completed by the end of 2025, bringing in new opportunities.
Evergreen appeal
Las Vegas offers over 150,000 hotel rooms to suit group travel, not to mention famed shows including Cirque du Soleil and residencies from international artists in its glittering casinos. Recent developments like The Sphere with its 580,000 square feet of LED lights blend cutting-edge science and technology – making Las Vegas a natural host for events like the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), an annual highlight of the tech industry.
And when it comes to meeting facilities, Las Vegas is second to none with over 14 million square feet of flexible spaces on offer.
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A global hub for the entertainment industry, Los Angeles rounds off the top three as the third most visited city for business travel. The International Trade Administration’s Business Market Profile shows that 14.53% of overseas business travelers visited LA in the past year.
As the city prepares itself for hosting high-profile events, including several 2026 FIFA World Cup matches and the 2028 Summer Olympics, ongoing infrastructure improvements are poised to attract a wide range of business travelers. This includes a new plan to expand the Los Angeles Convention Center, with construction beginning in September 2025.
Evergreen appeal
LA is home to major industries such as entertainment, technology, and international trade and has a large pool of business professionals. Also the home to Hollywood, it hosts glittering red-carpet awards ceremonies like the Oscars and Emmys. Bleisure visitors will likely spend some time exploring the sights from Beverly Hills to Venice Beach, alongside theme parks and film sets.
But increasingly, LA is also known for its enterpreneurial spirit. In fact, the city’s within the top 10 start-up ecosystems worldwide, while also hosting over 500 technology companies in areas like Silicon Beach, the twin to northern California’s Silicon Valley.
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The fourth best city for business in the U.S. is Orlando, Florida. In 2025, it’s hosting large-scale events like the Gartner IT Symposium and IBM Tech Xchange. Home to corporate headquarters like AAA, Orlando also features regional operators like Deloitte, Lockheed Martin, and Siemens. This has made it the #1 destination in the country for job growth, while drawing millions of business visitors.
Evergreen appeal
Orlando offers more than sunny weather and Disney theme parks. Its central location and robust infrastructure create a smooth, efficient business travel experience. Orlando International Airport serves over 57 million passengers each year, expanded in 2022 with the new South Terminal Complex. Orlando’s also well-connected to nearby regions with the Brightline high-speed train service, which keeps business passengers connected with free Wifi and in-station event spaces.
Business travelers often stay near the Orange County Convention Center, though you’ll also find 5.8 million square feet of additional meeting space throughout the city.
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The Windy City has long been an attractive destination for business travel due to its central position in between coasts. And in 2025, it hosted a diverse calendar of MICE events, including the International Manufacturing Technology Show and FABTECH manufacturing conference.
Evergreen appeal
The McCormick Place Convention Center is the largest of its kind in the Western Hemisphere, with six ballrooms and 2.6 million feet of exhibition space to explore. But visitors might also find themselves attending work meetings at historic venues like Navy Pier and the Chicago Theater.
Positioned in a scenic location with 26 miles of winding lakefront views, Chicago offers business travelers access to world-class museums like the Art Institute of Chicago and Field Museum, as well as sporting events at Wrigley Field. Its Magnificent Mile is a hub for those working in hospitality and retail, with boutique hotels and stores stretched across 50 landmark buildings.
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Southern hospitality meets big-city convenience in well-connected Atlanta. The city’s served not only by its international airport, but also by its 94,000 hotel rooms (13,000 of which are within walking distance of its main convention center) and ultra-efficient MARTA transportation system. In 2025 alone, it’s been rated as the Best City for Young Professionals and Best City to Start a Career, drawing a new wave of business visitors interested in harnessing this growth.
Evergreen appeal
While its vibrant downtown area is home to top-notch events spaces like the Georgia World Congress Center, many visitors also flock to the Midtown area for its secondary business district with over 15.5 million feet of available office space. Within the suburban Perimeter Center, you’ll find Fortune 500 companies like First Data Corporation and UPS.
Atlanta’s also dotted with co-working spaces, from flexible WeWork locations throughout the city to tech-focused Atlanta Tech Village in Buckhead. If you extend your stay, you’ll have time to explore its renowned attractions like the Georgia Aquarium.
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Miami stands out in 2025 as the U.S.’s trade gateway to Latin America, making it a bustling hub for business travel. Nearly half (43% of all flights) between the United States and South America travel through Miami, and it’s also home to regional offices for over 1,200 multinational corporations.
Evergreen appeal
Sunny beaches, a thriving cultural scene, and public art makes Miami an enduring popular destination for leisure travel – but it draws high volumes of business travelers every year. For large-scale events, the Miami Beach Convention Center (MBCC) features over 500,000 square feet of exposition space along with 64 meeting rooms. It sits at the heart of its own convention district, adjacent to Miami’s iconic beaches including South Beach with its signature Art Deco designs.
Miami also has a thriving start-up ecosystem, exemplified with groups like Mana Tech that connect founders with investors and service providers across borders, catering to over 200 companies in 25 countries. Additional examples include start-up supporting organizations like Lab Miami and funding initiatives from the Miami Downtown Development Authority.
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The United States capital needs little introduction. Statistics from Destination D.C. found that over 27 million people visited the capital throughout 2024, a new record for the city. And of these, a third visited for business purposes, highlighting D.C.’s appeal as a top destination for meetings and events.
Evergreen appeal
Home to the U.S. federal government, 175 embassies, and global organizations like the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, Washington D.C. is a hub for economic growth. For this reason, it’s also attracted businesses like Boeing and Google, along with thought leaders and experts in industries ranging from biotech and pharmaceuticals to technology and higher education. It’s also a leader for urban sustainability, being the first LEED Platinum City in the world with a range of convenient public transportation options.
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As Texas’ largest city, Houston offers a dynamic destination for corporate retreats, regional meetings, and large-scale conventions. It’s a thriving center for businesses, growing at the fastest rates of the country’s 10 largest metros with 1.14 million added to its population between 2015 and 2024.
Home to NASA, Houston also draws global travelers working in the aerospace industries. In 2025, Houston hosted major conferences like the 56th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, a trend set to continue with over 500 space, aviation, and aerospace-related firms in the city.
Evergreen appeal
Houston is one of the country’s most diverse cities, with over 145 languages spoken and an exciting arts and dining scene. For larger events, the George R. Brown Convention Center sits at the heart of Houston’s downtown district, surrounded by over 9,000 hotel rooms. The city’s accessible to over 180 global destinations with two major airports as well as the cruise ship ports at Galveston.
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Like Las Vegas, San Francisco’s reputation as a conference hub has helped keep its travel sector afloat in 2025. According to SF Travel CEO Anna Marie Presutti, "Meetings and events have fueled San Francisco’s tourism industry this year, and that momentum is carrying into 2025." Indeed, the city’s Moscone Center hosted 34 events in 2025, producing 657,000 hotel room nights at an increase of 64% from 2024.
Evergreen appeal
The San Francisco Peninsula extends beyond the city’s downtown and finance districts to encompass the wider region. This includes the finance and tech companies of Silicon Valley, where global names like Apple, Meta, Chevron, and Visa are headquartered.
Its beautiful natural setting makes San Francisco a top destination for bleisure trips, with business travelers choosing to extend their stays to go hiking, wine tasting, or take a boat tour of the Bay. Our earlier ranking of U.S. bleisure cities found that the city offered 11.1 museums and cultural attractions, and 15.7 natural attractions per 100,000 people.
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It’s clear from our deep dive that the most traveled-to cities in the U.S. put development and technology at the forefront of economic priorities. Whether it’s expanding conference centers, adding international flight routes, or offering more co-working spaces for start-ups, the best cities are employing new strategies for growth.
While New York is still #1, the MICE-friendly landscapes of Orlando and Miami are swiftly catching up. And California is the top regional destination for business visitors, so with the opportunities that upcoming high-profile events like the Olympics and World Cup offer, we could also see Los Angeles and San Francisco surge forward in 2026.
Whether you’re planning business travel to visit clients, attend a trade show, or expand into a new market, it’s important to take factors like transportation and average hotel costs into account. Added to this is the fact that city rankings are constantly changing due to new trends and developments. This is why it’s important to stay organized throughout the planning process. With Booking.com for Business, you can easily plan and secure accommodations, flights, and rental cars that fit your needs.
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