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Currently, LLMs do not have rich images and material, such as photos of the rooms and facilities, that customers generally demand when making hotel reservations, Kletzel said., meanwhile, has actually rapidly expanded in current years.

Beyond the visitor experience, agentic commerce has the possible to shift the way hotel business' client service groups run and are structured, Klein said. "Will there be some corporations that discover the chance to lower personnel? Yes," Klein stated. Brand names that believe in great customer experience and service will learn that AI could assist their representatives "get involved in more intricate, more business-critical conversations that assist grow the service." In 2025, Hyatt minimized staff by roughly 30% across its guest services and assistance groups "in response to the developing nature of guest inquiries and moving business requirements," per the company.

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This year, numerous collection brands that introduced in 2025 will continue to expand. Additional new brand names and collaborations, especially in the lifestyle section, will likely debut as well, according to hospitality professionals.

Marriott's Outdoor Collection offers distinct accommodations in locations near national parks, deserts, ski areas and coastlines.

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

"Collection brands are appealing due to the fact that they provide the very best of both worlds: Owners keep the distinct DNA of their home, while opening international distribution, earnings management, loyalty and support. Visitors get distinctive stays with the reassurance of a trusted brand." "As long as brand names are purpose-built and unique in experience and rate point, they add clarity instead of confusion." Kevin Osterhaus President of lifestyle brand names at Hilton From the guest perspective, independent boutique hotels are preferable since they provide genuine experiences, Gabriel Perez, primary operating officer of lodging at The Indigo Road Hospitality Group, told Hotel Dive.

As for why the hotel business are going after independents in the lifestyle sector, "it's not about the visitors. It's about developing sub-brands within their own brand names to satisfy financiers' requirements and to please owner and designers' goals," Perez said. This, in turn, puts even more pressure on hotel companies "to create brand names, micro brand names and subsets of brand names in order to expand their footprint of existing assets," Davis stated.

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

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This year, Hilton prepares to remain "very active in the lifestyle area through strategic partnerships, brand-new signings and continuous growth of our current brand names," Osterhaus said. Another growing space is the luxury sector.

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That trend is anticipated to continue in 2026 as high-end consumers drive travel spending and hotel bookings amid a wealth bifurcation at play in the market. "High-net-worth tourists are anticipated to stay among the most reliable drivers of worldwide travel spending next year," Giray Boran, managing director of BLG Capital, informed Hotel Dive.