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Presently, LLMs lack rich imagery and material, such as photos of the spaces and features, that consumers typically demand when making hotel bookings, Kletzel said., on the other hand, has actually quickly broadened in recent years.

Beyond the visitor experience, agentic commerce has the potential to move the way hotel business' customer service teams operate and are structured, Klein stated. Yes," Klein stated.

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This year, several collection brands that released in 2025 will continue to broaden. Additional brand-new brands and partnerships, especially in the lifestyle segment, will likely debut as well, according to hospitality professionals.

Marriott's Outdoor Collection provides special accommodations in locations 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 brand names at Hilton, informed Hotel Dive. Start is currently checking out possible new areas in San Diego, Los Angeles and Virginia Beach, Virginia, along with markets in New Mexico and Colorado in 2026, Osterhaus stated.

"Collection brand names are appealing because they offer the best of both worlds: Owners keep the special DNA of their home, while opening international circulation, earnings management, commitment and support. Kevin Osterhaus President of way of life brands at Hilton From the guest viewpoint, independent boutique hotels are desirable because they provide authentic experiences, Gabriel Perez, chief running officer of lodging at The Indigo Roadway Hospitality Group, informed Hotel Dive.

As for why the hotel companies are going after independents in the way of life section, "it's not about the visitors. It has to do with creating sub-brands within their own brands to satisfy financiers' needs and to please owner and developers' goals," Perez said. JLL's Davis echoed that belief, telling Hotel Dive that the industry is at the point of, if not past the point of, brand saturation, as "public companies [are] under a significant quantity of pressure for net system growth." This, in turn, puts much 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 said.

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

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This year, Hilton prepares to remain "very active in the way of life area through tactical collaborations, new finalizings and ongoing development of our present brand names," Osterhaus said. Another growing area is the luxury segment.

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