The Outlook of 2026 Brand Expansion Strategies

Presently, LLMs do not have rich imagery and content, such as photos of the rooms and facilities, that customers normally require when making hotel bookings, Kletzel said., meanwhile, has rapidly broadened in current years.

Beyond the guest experience, agentic commerce has the possible to move the way hotel companies' consumer service teams operate and are structured, Klein stated. Yes," Klein stated.

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This year, a number of collection brand names that released in 2025 will continue to broaden. Additional brand-new brands and partnerships, particularly in the lifestyle sector, will likely debut as well, according to hospitality specialists. In 2025, Marriott launched 2 collection brands: Series by Marriott, playing in the high end space in the U.S., and Outdoor Collection, exclusively focused on outdoor lodgings in locations near national forests, deserts, ski areas and shorelines.

Marriott's Outdoor Collection uses distinct lodgings in destinations near national parks, deserts, ski areas and coastlines.

Targeting High-ROI Business Ventures in 2026

Hilton's Start Collection, specifically, has more than 60 hotels in the works throughout the U.S. and Canada, Kevin Osterhaus, president of way of life brand names at Hilton, informed Hotel Dive. Beginning is currently checking out possible new places 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 since they provide the finest of both worlds: Owners keep the distinct DNA of their property, while unlocking worldwide distribution, income management, commitment and assistance. Kevin Osterhaus President of lifestyle brands at Hilton From the guest point of view, independent boutique hotels are preferable because they provide 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 going after independents in the lifestyle section, "it's not about the guests. It's about creating sub-brands within their own brands to satisfy investors' requirements and to please owner and developers' goals," Perez stated. 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 said.

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

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

The Outlook of Global Brand Expansion Strategies

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