How to Scale a Restaurant Group Rapidly

Currently, LLMs lack rich imagery and material, such as pictures of the rooms and facilities, that consumers typically demand when making hotel reservations, Kletzel said., on the other hand, has rapidly expanded in recent years.

Beyond the visitor experience, agentic commerce has the prospective to shift the method hotel companies' client service groups operate and are structured, Klein said. Yes," Klein said.

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This year, several collection brand names that introduced in 2025 will continue to expand. Extra brand-new brand names and partnerships, especially in the lifestyle sector, will likely debut as well, according to hospitality professionals.

Marriott's Outdoor Collection offers unique lodgings in locations near nationwide parks, deserts, ski locations and coastlines.

Emerging Hospitality Market Trends Driving 2026 Success

Hilton's Beginning Collection, particularly, 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. Start is currently 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 said.

"Collection brand names are appealing because they offer the finest of both worlds: Owners keep the special DNA of their home, while opening international circulation, profits management, commitment and support. Kevin Osterhaus President of way of life brands at Hilton From the visitor point of view, independent store hotels are preferable since they offer genuine experiences, Gabriel Perez, primary operating officer of accommodations at The Indigo Road Hospitality Group, informed Hotel Dive.

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

Hilton's collection brands' "unique positioning and storytelling continue to drive interest across chain scales," Osterhaus said. 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 growth," Molinary said.

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According to Osterhaus, "As long as brands are purpose-built and unique in experience and price point, they add clearness instead of confusion." This year, Hilton prepares to remain "really active in the lifestyle area through strategic partnerships, new signings and ongoing development of our existing brand names," Osterhaus said. Molinary anticipates Marriott rivals to begin offering some type of branding service in the outdoor area, particularly, as "it's an actually popular and growing space" with "a lot of interest." Another growing space is the luxury segment.

Key Regional Milestones in Brand Expansion

That trend is anticipated to continue in 2026 as high-end customers drive travel spending and hotel bookings in the middle of a wealth bifurcation at play in the market. "High-net-worth travelers are expected to stay one of the most reliable drivers of international travel spending next year," Giray Boran, managing director of BLG Capital, told Hotel Dive.