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Presently, LLMs do not have rich imagery and content, such as photos of the rooms and amenities, that consumers typically require when making hotel reservations, Kletzel said., meanwhile, has quickly broadened in recent years.

Beyond the guest experience, agentic commerce has the possible to shift the way hotel business' customer service teams operate and are structured, Klein said. "Will there be some corporations that discover the chance to lower personnel? Yes," Klein said. But brand names that believe in fantastic customer experience and service will learn that AI might assist their agents "get associated with more complicated, more business-critical discussions that assist grow business." In 2025, Hyatt minimized staff by around 30% across its guest services and assistance groups "in reaction to the developing nature of visitor questions and moving company needs," per the business.

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This year, a number of collection brands that released in 2025 will continue to broaden. Additional new brands and collaborations, especially in the way of life sector, will likely debut as well, according to hospitality experts.

Marriott's Outdoor Collection provides special accommodations in destinations near nationwide parks, deserts, ski locations and shorelines. Courtesy of Marriott International Wyndham Hotels & Resorts revealed its Dazzler Select brand extension targeting independent hoteliers in the economy lifestyle sector. And IHG Hotels & Resorts touted its own upcoming upper-tier collection brand during third-quarter earnings.

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Hilton's Start Collection, particularly, 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 presently 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 said.

"Collection brands are appealing because they provide the finest of both worlds: Owners keep the distinct DNA of their residential or commercial property, while unlocking worldwide circulation, profits management, loyalty and assistance. Kevin Osterhaus President of way of life brands at Hilton From the guest viewpoint, independent boutique hotels are preferable since they provide genuine experiences, Gabriel Perez, chief operating officer of lodging at The Indigo Roadway Hospitality Group, told Hotel Dive.

As for why the hotel companies are going after independents in the way of life segment, "it's not about the visitors. It has to do with creating sub-brands within their own brands to please investors' needs and to satisfy owner and developers' objectives," Perez said. JLL's Davis echoed that sentiment, telling Hotel Dive that the market is at the point of, if not past the point of, brand name saturation, as "public companies [are] under an incredible quantity of pressure for net system growth." This, in turn, puts much more pressure on hotel business "to produce brands, micro brands and subsets of brand names in order to expand their footprint of existing possessions," Davis said.

Hilton's collection brands' "unique positioning and storytelling continue to drive interest throughout chain scales," Osterhaus said. According to Bobby Molinary, Marriott's chief development officer for choose brands, interest in Marriott's brand-new collection brand names comes amid a difficult high-cost-of-construction environment that has made it "progressively difficult to build new hotels." Series and Outdoor Collection, both conversion-friendly offerings, relate to an ownership community and designers who "are continuously searching for methods to grow, and conversions represent a course for growth," Molinary said.

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This year, Hilton plans to remain "really active in the lifestyle area through strategic partnerships, new finalizings and continuous development of our current brand names," Osterhaus stated. Another growing area is the high-end sector.

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That pattern is anticipated to continue in 2026 as luxury customers drive travel spending and hotel reservations amid a wealth bifurcation at play in the market. "High-net-worth tourists are anticipated to stay among the most reliable chauffeurs of worldwide travel costs next year," Giray Boran, managing director of BLG Capital, informed Hotel Dive.