Can Fast Casual Investments Be Lucrative in 2026?

Currently, LLMs lack abundant imagery and content, such as photos of the spaces and amenities, that consumers usually require when making hotel reservations, Kletzel stated., on the other hand, has actually rapidly expanded in current years.

Beyond the visitor experience, agentic commerce has the possible to shift the way hotel companies' customer service teams run and are structured, Klein stated. Yes," Klein said.

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This year, numerous collection brand names that introduced in 2025 will continue to expand. Additional new brand names and partnerships, particularly in the lifestyle section, will likely debut as well, according to hospitality experts.

Marriott's Outdoor Collection uses distinct lodgings in locations near national parks, deserts, ski areas and coastlines. Thanks To Marriott International Wyndham Hotels & Resorts revealed its Dazzler Select brand extension targeting independent hoteliers in the economy lifestyle sector. And IHG Hotels & Resorts promoted its own forthcoming upper-tier collection brand during third-quarter earnings.

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Hilton's Beginning Collection, specifically, has more than 60 hotels in the works across the U.S. and Canada, Kevin Osterhaus, president of lifestyle brand names at Hilton, informed Hotel Dive. Beginning is currently checking out possible new locations in San Diego, Los Angeles and Virginia Beach, Virginia, as well as markets in New Mexico and Colorado in 2026, Osterhaus said.

"Collection brands are appealing because they use the best of both worlds: Owners keep the distinct DNA of their home, while opening worldwide distribution, earnings management, loyalty and assistance. Kevin Osterhaus President of lifestyle brands at Hilton From the visitor point of view, independent boutique hotels are preferable due to the fact that they offer genuine experiences, Gabriel Perez, chief running officer of lodging at The Indigo Road Hospitality Group, told Hotel Dive.

As for why the hotel companies are going after independents in the lifestyle section, "it's not about the guests. It's about developing sub-brands within their own brand names to please financiers' requirements and to please owner and developers' objectives," Perez said. JLL's Davis echoed that belief, telling Hotel Dive that the market 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 growth." This, in turn, puts a lot more pressure on hotel companies "to develop brand names, micro brands and subsets of brands in order to broaden their footprint of existing properties," Davis stated.

Hilton's collection brands' "distinct 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 ways to grow, and conversions represent a course for development," Molinary stated.

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

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That trend is expected to continue in 2026 as luxury consumers drive travel costs and hotel bookings amid a wealth bifurcation at play in the market. "High-net-worth travelers are expected to remain one of the most reputable drivers of global travel costs next year," Giray Boran, managing director of BLG Capital, informed Hotel Dive.