Analyzing Restaurant Market Share Data for 2026

Currently, LLMs do not have abundant imagery and content, such as images of the spaces and features, that consumers normally require when making hotel bookings, Kletzel said. When this is improved, including by brand names exposing their content to LLMs, that will be "a big leap forward to getting consumers comfy." Hotel guest commitment and brand trust, on the other hand, has rapidly expanded over the last few years.

Beyond the visitor experience, agentic commerce has the prospective to shift the method hotel companies' customer support teams operate and are structured, Klein stated. "Will there be some corporations that discover the opportunity to lower personnel? Yes," Klein said. Brands that believe in terrific consumer experience and service will find out that AI might assist their agents "get included in more complex, more business-critical discussions that help grow the company." In 2025, Hyatt lowered staff by approximately 30% across its visitor services and assistance teams "in reaction to the developing nature of guest queries and moving business requirements," per the company.

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This year, several collection brands that introduced in 2025 will continue to expand. Additional new brands and collaborations, particularly in the way of life segment, will likely debut also, according to hospitality specialists. In 2025, Marriott introduced 2 collection brand names: Series by Marriott, playing in the upscale space in the U.S., and Outdoor Collection, specifically focused on outdoor accommodations in destinations near national forests, deserts, ski areas and coastlines.

Marriott's Outdoor Collection offers special lodgings in destinations near national parks, deserts, ski areas and coastlines. Thanks To 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 touted its own upcoming upper-tier collection brand during third-quarter profits.

Strategic Tips for Restaurant Brand Expansion

Hilton's Start Collection, specifically, has more than 60 hotels in the works throughout the U.S. and Canada, Kevin Osterhaus, president of lifestyle brands at Hilton, told Hotel Dive. Outset is presently checking out possible brand-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 because they offer the finest of both worlds: Owners keep the distinct DNA of their residential or commercial property, while opening global circulation, earnings management, loyalty and assistance. Kevin Osterhaus President of way of life brand names at Hilton From the guest viewpoint, independent boutique hotels are preferable since they offer genuine experiences, Gabriel Perez, chief running officer of accommodations at The Indigo Road Hospitality Group, informed Hotel Dive.

As for why the hotel business are going after independents in the way of life segment, "it's not about the guests. It's about creating sub-brands within their own brands to please investors' requirements and to please owner and developers' goals," Perez stated. This, in turn, puts even more pressure on hotel business "to develop brands, micro brand names and subsets of brand names in order to expand their footprint of existing properties," Davis stated.

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 development officer for choose brands, interest in Marriott's brand-new collection brands comes in the middle of a challenging high-cost-of-construction environment that has actually made it "significantly difficult to construct brand-new hotels." Series and Outdoor Collection, both conversion-friendly offerings, relate to an ownership community and developers who "are continuously trying to find ways to grow, and conversions represent a path for growth," Molinary stated.

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This year, Hilton plans to stay "really active in the lifestyle space through tactical partnerships, new signings and continuous development of our current brands," Osterhaus stated. Another growing area is the luxury section.

Major Global Shifts in Hospitality Expansion

That trend is expected 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 industry. "High-net-worth travelers are anticipated to remain among the most trustworthy chauffeurs of global travel spending next year," Giray Boran, handling director of BLG Capital, informed Hotel Dive.