The Outlook of 2026 Brand Growth Strategies

Currently, LLMs lack rich images and material, such as photos of the spaces and amenities, that consumers usually demand when making hotel bookings, Kletzel stated. When this is boosted, consisting of by brands exposing their material to LLMs, that will be "a huge leap forward to getting customers comfortable." Hotel guest loyalty and brand trust, on the other hand, has rapidly expanded recently.

Beyond the visitor experience, agentic commerce has the prospective to move the method hotel business' customer service teams run and are structured, Klein stated. Yes," Klein stated.

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This year, a number of collection brands that launched in 2025 will continue to broaden. Additional brand-new brands and collaborations, particularly in the way of life section, will likely debut as well, according to hospitality professionals. In 2025, Marriott introduced two collection brand names: Series by Marriott, playing in the upscale area in the U.S., and Outdoor Collection, solely concentrated on outdoor accommodations in locations near nationwide parks, deserts, ski locations and coastlines.

Marriott's Outdoor Collection uses special lodgings in locations near nationwide parks, deserts, ski areas and shorelines. Courtesy of Marriott International Wyndham Hotels & Resorts revealed its Dazzler Select brand name extension targeting independent hoteliers in the economy way of life sector. And IHG Hotels & Resorts promoted its own forthcoming upper-tier collection brand name during third-quarter earnings.

Emerging Hospitality Industry Trends Fueling Future Success

Hilton's Start Collection, particularly, has more than 60 hotels in the works across the U.S. and Canada, Kevin Osterhaus, president of lifestyle brands at Hilton, informed Hotel Dive. Start is presently exploring possible new areas 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 since they use the very best of both worlds: Owners keep the distinct DNA of their home, while unlocking international distribution, income management, commitment and support. Guests get distinctive stays with the reassurance of a relied on brand." "As long as brand names are purpose-built and unique in experience and rate point, they include clearness rather than confusion." Kevin Osterhaus President of way of life brands at Hilton From the visitor perspective, independent store hotels are desirable since they offer genuine experiences, Gabriel Perez, chief operating officer of accommodations at The Indigo Roadway Hospitality Group, told Hotel Dive.

As for why the hotel business are chasing after independents in the lifestyle section, "it's not about the visitors. It's about creating sub-brands within their own brands to please investors' needs and to please owner and developers' objectives," Perez said. This, in turn, puts even more pressure on hotel business "to create brands, micro brands and subsets of brands in order to broaden their footprint of existing properties," Davis said.

Hilton's collection brand names' "distinct positioning and storytelling continue to drive interest throughout chain scales," Osterhaus said. According to Bobby Molinary, Marriott's primary advancement officer for choose brand names, interest in Marriott's brand-new collection brand names comes amidst a tough high-cost-of-construction environment that has made it "progressively hard to construct brand-new hotels." Series and Outdoor Collection, both conversion-friendly offerings, relate to an ownership neighborhood and developers who "are constantly looking for ways to grow, and conversions represent a course for development," Molinary stated.

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This year, Hilton plans to remain "really active in the lifestyle area through strategic partnerships, brand-new finalizings and ongoing development of our current brand names," Osterhaus said. Another growing area is the luxury section.

Can Fast Casual Investments Be Profitable in 2026?

That trend is expected to continue in 2026 as luxury customers drive travel costs and hotel reservations amidst a wealth bifurcation at play in the market. "High-net-worth tourists are expected to remain one of the most reliable chauffeurs of global travel spending next year," Giray Boran, managing director of BLG Capital, told Hotel Dive.