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Currently, LLMs lack rich images and content, such as images of the rooms and facilities, that customers normally demand when making hotel bookings, Kletzel said., on the other hand, has rapidly expanded in recent years.

Beyond the visitor experience, agentic commerce has the potential to move the way hotel companies' client service groups run and are structured, Klein stated. "Will there be some corporations that find the opportunity to lower personnel? Yes," Klein said. Brand names that believe in terrific client experience and service will find out that AI might assist their representatives "get involved in more complex, more business-critical conversations that help grow the company." In 2025, Hyatt decreased personnel by around 30% across its guest services and support teams "in action to the evolving nature of guest inquiries and moving organization requirements," per the business.

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This year, a number of collection brand names that introduced in 2025 will continue to expand. Additional brand-new brand names and partnerships, particularly in the way of life section, will likely debut as well, according to hospitality experts.

Marriott's Outdoor Collection uses distinct accommodations in locations near national parks, deserts, ski areas and shorelines.

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Hilton's Beginning Collection, specifically, has more than 60 hotels in the works throughout the U.S. and Canada, Kevin Osterhaus, president of way of life brands at Hilton, told Hotel Dive. Start is currently exploring possible new places in San Diego, Los Angeles and Virginia Beach, Virginia, in addition to markets in New Mexico and Colorado in 2026, Osterhaus said.

"Collection brands are appealing due to the fact that they use the finest of both worlds: Owners keep the distinct DNA of their residential or commercial property, while unlocking worldwide circulation, profits management, commitment and support. Kevin Osterhaus President of way of life brand names at Hilton From the visitor point of view, independent boutique hotels are desirable since they offer authentic experiences, Gabriel Perez, chief operating officer of accommodations at The Indigo Roadway Hospitality Group, told Hotel Dive.

As for why the hotel companies are chasing after independents in the way of life section, "it's not about the visitors. It's about developing sub-brands within their own brands to please financiers' requirements and to please owner and designers' goals," Perez stated. This, in turn, puts even more pressure on hotel business "to create 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. According to Bobby Molinary, Marriott's primary development officer for select brand names, interest in Marriott's new collection brands comes in the middle of a tough high-cost-of-construction environment that has made it "significantly challenging to build new hotels." Series and Outdoor Collection, both conversion-friendly offerings, relate to an ownership community and designers who "are constantly looking for methods to grow, and conversions represent a path for development," Molinary stated.

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According to Osterhaus, "As long as brand names are purpose-built and unique in experience and price point, they include clearness rather than confusion." This year, Hilton prepares to stay "really active in the lifestyle area through tactical partnerships, brand-new finalizings and continuous growth of our current brands," Osterhaus said. Molinary anticipates Marriott competitors to start providing some type of branding service in the outside area, specifically, as "it's an actually popular and growing space" with "a great deal of interest." Another growing area is the high-end section.

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That pattern is expected to continue in 2026 as luxury consumers drive travel costs and hotel bookings amid a wealth bifurcation at play in the industry. "High-net-worth travelers are anticipated to remain among the most dependable drivers of worldwide travel spending next year," Giray Boran, managing director of BLG Capital, informed Hotel Dive.