Top Lucrative Investment Prospects for 2026

Currently, LLMs lack rich images and content, such as photos of the rooms and features, that customers generally demand when making hotel bookings, Kletzel said., meanwhile, has rapidly broadened in recent years.

Beyond the guest experience, agentic commerce has the prospective to move the way hotel companies' client service teams operate and are structured, Klein said. Yes," Klein stated.

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This year, a number of collection brands that launched in 2025 will continue to expand. Extra brand-new brand names and partnerships, particularly in the lifestyle sector, will likely debut as well, according to hospitality experts.

Marriott's Outdoor Collection offers unique accommodations in locations near national forests, deserts, ski locations and coastlines. Courtesy of Marriott International Wyndham Hotels & Resorts revealed its Dazzler Select brand name extension targeting independent hoteliers in the economy lifestyle segment. And IHG Hotels & Resorts promoted its own upcoming upper-tier collection brand name throughout third-quarter revenues.

Major Global Milestones in Brand Expansion

Hilton's Outset Collection, particularly, has more than 60 hotels in the works across the U.S. and Canada, Kevin Osterhaus, president of lifestyle brands at Hilton, informed Hotel Dive. Outset is presently checking out possible brand-new locations in San Diego, Los Angeles and Virginia Beach, Virginia, along with markets in New Mexico and Colorado in 2026, Osterhaus said.

"Collection brand names are appealing since they use the finest of both worlds: Owners keep the unique DNA of their property, while opening international distribution, income management, commitment and support. Kevin Osterhaus President of lifestyle brand names at Hilton From the guest viewpoint, independent store hotels are desirable since they offer authentic experiences, Gabriel Perez, chief operating officer of accommodations at The Indigo Road Hospitality Group, informed 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 investors' requirements and to please owner and developers' goals," Perez said. This, in turn, puts even more pressure on hotel companies "to produce brand names, micro brand names and subsets of brand names in order to expand their footprint of existing properties," Davis stated.

Hilton's collection brands' "distinct positioning and storytelling continue to drive interest throughout chain scales," Osterhaus stated. Series and Outdoor Collection, both conversion-friendly offerings, pertain to an ownership neighborhood and designers who "are constantly looking for ways to grow, and conversions represent a path for growth," Molinary stated.

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According to Osterhaus, "As long as brands are purpose-built and unique in experience and price point, they include clarity instead of confusion." This year, Hilton prepares to stay "very active in the lifestyle space through strategic collaborations, new finalizings and ongoing growth of our existing brand names," Osterhaus said. Molinary anticipates Marriott competitors to start supplying some kind of branding option in the outside space, specifically, as "it's a really popular and growing space" with "a lot of interest." Another growing area is the luxury segment.

Can Hospitality Franchises Be Lucrative in 2026?

That pattern is expected to continue in 2026 as high-end customers drive travel spending and hotel reservations amid a wealth bifurcation at play in the market. "High-net-worth tourists are expected to stay one of the most reputable motorists of worldwide travel costs next year," Giray Boran, handling director of BLG Capital, informed Hotel Dive.