Contemporary tourists are no longer satisfied with the basic services provided by the hotels. For tourists, style of the hotel and the overall atmosphere of space that design and architecture directly influences on, are becoming more and more important. The hotel design and architecture must attract the attention of tourists, awake their interest and encourage them to come and stay. This is why more and more attention is given to planning of architecture and design in line with the current trends on the tourist market and the specific needs of targeted market segments. In today's contemporary hotel industry, the trends of open space, the use of various colors and shapes, modular accommodation, sustainable architecture and design that respects the principles of sustainable development are widely expected and accepted, such as the importance of tourist’s overall experience. Some of the examples of hotels that are in line with market trends in design and architecture are Lone and Amarin hotels in Rovinj, Hotel Olympia Sky in Vodice, Marina Bay Sands Hotel in Singapore, Hotel Marqués de Riscal in Spain, etc. In order to determine the significance and impact of architecture and design on hotel’s positioning on the tourism market and on the tourist’s selection of the hotel, a survey was conducted on a sample of students of university VERN. The results of the research have shown that population of contemporary tourists are increasingly insisting on the recognizable style and authenticity and creativity of architecture and design, which is why they are attracted to hotels where contemporary architectural concepts have been used. There is also a strong and positive attitude towards the significance of architecture and design for positioning the hotel on the contemporary tourism market.