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Currently, LLMs do not have rich imagery and content, such as photos of the rooms and facilities, that consumers generally demand when making hotel bookings, Kletzel stated., meanwhile, has quickly broadened in current years.

Beyond the guest experience, agentic commerce has the prospective to move the method hotel companies' customer support groups operate and are structured, Klein stated. "Will there be some corporations that find the opportunity to lower staff? Yes," Klein said. However brand names that believe in excellent consumer experience and service will learn that AI could assist their agents "get involved in more complicated, more business-critical conversations that assist grow business." In 2025, Hyatt minimized staff by roughly 30% across its visitor services and support groups "in response to the developing nature of guest queries and moving business requirements," per the business.

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This year, a number of collection brands that released in 2025 will continue to broaden. Extra new brands and partnerships, especially in the way of life section, will likely debut as well, according to hospitality professionals. In 2025, Marriott released two collection brands: Series by Marriott, playing in the high end space in the U.S., and Outdoor Collection, exclusively concentrated on outdoor accommodations in locations near national forests, deserts, ski areas and coastlines.

Marriott's Outdoor Collection offers unique accommodations in destinations near nationwide parks, deserts, ski areas and shorelines.

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Hilton's Start Collection, specifically, has more than 60 hotels in the works across the U.S. and Canada, Kevin Osterhaus, president of way of life brands at Hilton, told Hotel Dive. Beginning is presently checking out possible brand-new areas 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 since they offer the best of both worlds: Owners keep the special DNA of their home, while opening worldwide circulation, income management, loyalty and assistance. Guests get distinctive stays with the peace of mind of a relied on brand name." "As long as brand names are purpose-built and unique in experience and price point, they add clarity instead of confusion." Kevin Osterhaus President of way of life brands at Hilton From the visitor perspective, independent shop hotels are desirable due to the fact that they provide 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 lifestyle sector, "it's not about the guests. It's about creating sub-brands within their own brands to please investors' needs and to satisfy owner and designers' goals," Perez stated. This, in turn, puts even more pressure on hotel companies "to develop brand names, micro brands and subsets of brands in order to broaden their footprint of existing possessions," Davis said.

Hilton's collection brand names' "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 developers who "are constantly looking for ways to grow, and conversions represent a path for development," Molinary said.

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This year, Hilton plans to stay "very active in the way of life area through strategic partnerships, new finalizings and ongoing growth of our existing brands," Osterhaus stated. Another growing space is the high-end segment.

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