How to Grow a Hospitality Group Efficiently

Currently, LLMs lack rich images and content, such as images of the rooms and amenities, that consumers usually require when making hotel bookings, Kletzel stated. When this is enhanced, including by brands exposing their material to LLMs, that will be "a huge leap forward to getting customers comfy." Hotel guest commitment and brand trust, meanwhile, has quickly expanded in the last few years.

Beyond the visitor experience, agentic commerce has the potential to move the way hotel business' client service groups run and are structured, Klein stated. "Will there be some corporations that find the opportunity to lower staff? Yes," Klein stated. But brands that believe in great client experience and service will learn that AI could assist their agents "get included in more complex, more business-critical conversations that assist grow business." In 2025, Hyatt reduced staff by approximately 30% across its guest services and assistance teams "in action to the developing nature of visitor queries and moving company requirements," per the business.

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This year, several collection brands that launched in 2025 will continue to expand. Additional new brand names and partnerships, especially in the lifestyle sector, will likely debut also, according to hospitality experts. In 2025, Marriott released two collection brands: Series by Marriott, playing in the high end space in the U.S., and Outdoor Collection, specifically concentrated on outdoor accommodations in locations near national parks, deserts, ski locations and coastlines.

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

Evaluating Leading Franchise Models for 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. Outset is currently checking out possible new areas in San Diego, Los Angeles and Virginia Beach, Virginia, along with markets in New Mexico and Colorado in 2026, Osterhaus said.

"Collection brands are appealing since they provide the finest of both worlds: Owners keep the distinct DNA of their residential or commercial property, while unlocking worldwide distribution, earnings management, commitment and assistance. Kevin Osterhaus President of way of life brands at Hilton From the visitor point of view, independent boutique hotels are desirable since they offer authentic experiences, Gabriel Perez, primary operating officer of lodging at The Indigo Road Hospitality Group, informed Hotel Dive.

However, when it comes to why the hotel companies are chasing independents in the way of life segment, "it's not about the guests. It has to do with developing sub-brands within their own brand names to please investors' needs and to please owner and developers' objectives," Perez stated. JLL's Davis echoed that sentiment, informing Hotel Dive that the industry is at the point of, if not past the point of, brand name saturation, as "public business [are] under a significant amount of pressure for net unit development." This, in turn, puts a lot more pressure on hotel business "to produce brands, micro brands and subsets of brands in order to expand their footprint of existing properties," Davis stated.

Hilton's collection brands' "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 community and developers who "are constantly looking for methods to grow, and conversions represent a path for development," Molinary said.

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

The Future of Global Corporate Expansion Milestones

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