Evaluating Leading Investment Schemes for 2026

Currently, LLMs lack abundant images and material, such as photos of the spaces and facilities, that customers generally demand when making hotel bookings, Kletzel said., meanwhile, has quickly expanded in recent years.

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

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This year, numerous collection brands that launched in 2025 will continue to broaden. Extra brand-new brand names and collaborations, particularly in the lifestyle segment, will likely debut too, according to hospitality professionals. In 2025, Marriott launched two collection brands: Series by Marriott, playing in the high end space in the U.S., and Outdoor Collection, specifically concentrated on outdoor lodgings in locations near national forests, deserts, ski locations and coastlines.

Marriott's Outdoor Collection provides special accommodations in locations near nationwide parks, deserts, ski locations and coastlines. Courtesy of Marriott International Wyndham Hotels & Resorts unveiled its Dazzler Select brand extension targeting independent hoteliers in the economy way of life sector. And IHG Hotels & Resorts promoted its own upcoming upper-tier collection brand during third-quarter profits.

Major Regional Milestones in Brand Expansion

Hilton's Outset Collection, particularly, has more than 60 hotels in the works throughout the U.S. and Canada, Kevin Osterhaus, president of lifestyle brands at Hilton, told Hotel Dive. Outset is currently checking out possible new locations in San Diego, Los Angeles and Virginia Beach, Virginia, along with markets in New Mexico and Colorado in 2026, Osterhaus stated.

"Collection brands are appealing due to the fact that they offer the finest of both worlds: Owners keep the distinct DNA of their property, while opening worldwide distribution, earnings management, commitment and support. Kevin Osterhaus President of lifestyle brands at Hilton From the guest perspective, independent store hotels are preferable because they offer genuine experiences, Gabriel Perez, chief running officer of lodging at The Indigo Road Hospitality Group, informed Hotel Dive.

As for why the hotel companies are going after independents in the lifestyle section, "it's not about the visitors. It's about creating sub-brands within their own brand names to please financiers' needs and to please owner and designers' goals," Perez said. This, in turn, puts even more pressure on hotel companies "to produce brand names, micro brand names and subsets of brand names in order to broaden their footprint of existing properties," Davis stated.

Hilton's collection brand names' "distinct positioning and storytelling continue to drive interest throughout chain scales," Osterhaus stated. Series and Outdoor Collection, both conversion-friendly offerings, pertain to an ownership neighborhood and designers who "are constantly looking for ways to grow, and conversions represent a path for development," Molinary said.

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According to Osterhaus, "As long as brand names are purpose-built and unique in experience and rate point, they include clarity rather than confusion." This year, Hilton plans to stay "extremely active in the lifestyle space through tactical partnerships, brand-new finalizings and continuous development of our present brands," Osterhaus stated. Molinary anticipates Marriott rivals to begin supplying some type of branding service in the outdoor space, particularly, as "it's a really popular and growing space" with "a lot of interest." Another growing space is the luxury segment.

Top Lucrative Franchise Prospects for 2026

That trend is expected to continue in 2026 as high-end customers drive travel spending and hotel bookings amid a wealth bifurcation at play in the industry. "High-net-worth travelers are anticipated to remain among the most reliable motorists of international travel costs next year," Giray Boran, managing director of BLG Capital, informed Hotel Dive.