Key Global Milestones in Hospitality Expansion

Currently, LLMs do not have rich imagery and material, such as pictures of the spaces and amenities, that consumers typically require when making hotel reservations, Kletzel stated., meanwhile, has quickly broadened in recent years.

Beyond the guest experience, agentic commerce has the potential to shift the way hotel companies' consumer service teams run and are structured, Klein stated. Yes," Klein said.

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This year, several collection brand names that launched in 2025 will continue to expand. Additional brand-new brand names and collaborations, particularly in the way of life sector, will likely debut also, according to hospitality experts. In 2025, Marriott introduced two collection brand names: Series by Marriott, playing in the high end area in the U.S., and Outdoor Collection, solely concentrated on outdoor lodgings in locations near national forests, deserts, ski areas and coastlines.

Marriott's Outdoor Collection provides unique lodgings in destinations near national parks, deserts, ski areas and shorelines.

How to Scale Your Hospitality Brand Rapidly

Hilton's Start Collection, specifically, has more than 60 hotels in the works across the U.S. and Canada, Kevin Osterhaus, president of way of life brand names at Hilton, told Hotel Dive. Beginning is presently exploring possible new places in San Diego, Los Angeles and Virginia Beach, Virginia, as well as markets in New Mexico and Colorado in 2026, Osterhaus stated.

"Collection brands are appealing because they offer the very best of both worlds: Owners keep the unique DNA of their residential or commercial property, while unlocking global distribution, profits management, loyalty and support. Visitors get one-of-a-kind stays with the peace of mind of a trusted brand." "As long as brands are purpose-built and unique in experience and rate point, they include clarity rather than confusion." Kevin Osterhaus President of way of life brand names at Hilton From the visitor point of view, independent shop hotels are desirable because they use genuine experiences, Gabriel Perez, chief running officer of accommodations at The Indigo Road Hospitality Group, told Hotel Dive.

As for why the hotel companies are chasing independents in the lifestyle section, "it's not about the visitors. It's about creating sub-brands within their own brands to satisfy investors' requirements and to please owner and developers' goals," Perez said. This, in turn, puts even more pressure on hotel companies "to create brand names, micro brands and subsets of brands in order to expand their footprint of existing possessions," Davis said.

Hilton's collection brand names' "unique positioning and storytelling continue to drive interest throughout chain scales," Osterhaus stated. According to Bobby Molinary, Marriott's primary development officer for choose brands, interest in Marriott's brand-new collection brands comes in the middle of a challenging high-cost-of-construction environment that has actually made it "significantly tough to develop brand-new hotels." Series and Outdoor Collection, both conversion-friendly offerings, pertain to an ownership community and developers who "are continuously looking for methods to grow, and conversions represent a course for growth," Molinary said.

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This year, Hilton plans to stay "extremely active in the way of life space through tactical collaborations, new signings and continuous development of our current brand names," Osterhaus stated. Another growing area is the luxury sector.

Analyzing Fast Casual Market Growth Data for 2026

That pattern is expected to continue in 2026 as luxury consumers drive travel spending and hotel bookings in the middle of a wealth bifurcation at play in the industry. "High-net-worth tourists are anticipated to remain among the most reliable drivers of worldwide travel spending next year," Giray Boran, handling director of BLG Capital, told Hotel Dive.