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Currently, LLMs lack rich images and content, such as photos of the spaces and amenities, that customers normally require when making hotel bookings, Kletzel stated., meanwhile, has actually rapidly broadened in recent years.

Beyond the guest experience, agentic commerce has the possible to shift the method hotel business' consumer service teams operate and are structured, Klein said. "Will there be some corporations that find the opportunity to lower personnel? Yes," Klein stated. However brands that believe in excellent consumer experience and service will learn that AI could assist their agents "get associated with more complex, more business-critical conversations that help grow business." In 2025, Hyatt lowered personnel by roughly 30% across its guest services and assistance groups "in response to the progressing nature of visitor queries and moving business requirements," per the company.

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This year, numerous collection brands that introduced in 2025 will continue to expand. Additional new brands and collaborations, especially in the lifestyle sector, will likely debut too, according to hospitality specialists. In 2025, Marriott released two collection brand names: Series by Marriott, playing in the high end space in the U.S., and Outdoor Collection, specifically focused on outside lodgings in locations near nationwide parks, deserts, ski areas and coastlines.

Marriott's Outdoor Collection provides special lodgings in locations near national parks, deserts, ski areas and shorelines.

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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, informed Hotel Dive. Start is currently exploring possible brand-new locations in San Diego, Los Angeles and Virginia Beach, Virginia, along with markets in New Mexico and Colorado in 2026, Osterhaus stated.

"Collection brand names are appealing due to the fact that they provide the finest of both worlds: Owners keep the special DNA of their residential or commercial property, while unlocking worldwide circulation, revenue management, loyalty and assistance. Kevin Osterhaus President of way of life brands at Hilton From the guest perspective, independent store hotels are preferable because they offer authentic experiences, Gabriel Perez, chief running officer of accommodations at The Indigo Road Hospitality Group, informed Hotel Dive.

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

Hilton's collection brands' "distinct positioning and storytelling continue to drive interest across chain scales," Osterhaus said. According to Bobby Molinary, Marriott's chief development officer for select brands, interest in Marriott's new collection brands comes amid a difficult high-cost-of-construction environment that has actually made it "progressively difficult to develop brand-new hotels." Series and Outdoor Collection, both conversion-friendly offerings, refer to an ownership community and designers who "are constantly looking for ways to grow, and conversions represent a course for development," Molinary said.

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According to Osterhaus, "As long as brands are purpose-built and distinct in experience and price point, they add clearness rather than confusion." This year, Hilton plans to remain "very active in the lifestyle space through tactical collaborations, new signings and continuous growth of our existing brands," Osterhaus said. Molinary anticipates Marriott competitors to begin offering some type of branding service in the outdoor space, particularly, as "it's a really popular and growing area" with "a lot of interest." Another growing area is the luxury section.

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That pattern is expected to continue in 2026 as high-end consumers drive travel costs and hotel bookings amidst a wealth bifurcation at play in the industry. "High-net-worth tourists are expected to remain among the most trusted drivers of worldwide travel costs next year," Giray Boran, handling director of BLG Capital, informed Hotel Dive.