Analyzing Fast Casual Sector Growth Data for 2026

Presently, LLMs lack abundant imagery and content, such as images of the spaces and features, that customers normally demand when making hotel bookings, Kletzel said., on the other hand, has quickly expanded in recent years.

Beyond the guest experience, agentic commerce has the possible to shift the way hotel business' client service teams run and are structured, Klein stated. "Will there be some corporations that discover the chance to lower staff? Yes," Klein stated. However brands that believe in excellent customer experience and service will find out that AI might help their agents "get included in more intricate, more business-critical conversations that help grow the service." In 2025, Hyatt reduced personnel by approximately 30% across its visitor services and assistance teams "in response to the developing nature of visitor queries and shifting business requirements," per the business.

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This year, several collection brand names that introduced in 2025 will continue to broaden. Additional new brand names and partnerships, especially in the way of life sector, will likely debut as well, according to hospitality professionals.

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

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Hilton's Beginning Collection, particularly, has more than 60 hotels in the works throughout the U.S. and Canada, Kevin Osterhaus, president of way of life brand names at Hilton, told Hotel Dive. Start is currently checking out possible new places in San Diego, Los Angeles and Virginia Beach, Virginia, as well as markets in New Mexico and Colorado in 2026, Osterhaus stated.

"Collection brands are appealing due to the fact that they offer the best of both worlds: Owners keep the special DNA of their property, while opening worldwide distribution, income management, commitment and support. Guests get one-of-a-kind stays with the peace of mind of a relied on brand." "As long as brand names are purpose-built and unique in experience and rate point, they include clarity instead of confusion." Kevin Osterhaus President of lifestyle brand names at Hilton From the visitor point of view, independent boutique hotels are desirable since they provide authentic experiences, Gabriel Perez, primary operating officer of lodging at The Indigo Road Hospitality Group, informed Hotel Dive.

As for why the hotel companies are going after independents in the way of life segment, "it's not about the guests. It's about creating sub-brands within their own brand names to satisfy investors' needs and to satisfy owner and developers' goals," Perez stated. This, in turn, puts even more pressure on hotel business "to create brand names, micro brand names and subsets of brand names in order to broaden their footprint of existing possessions," Davis stated.

Hilton's collection brands' "unique positioning and storytelling continue to drive interest throughout chain scales," Osterhaus said. Series and Outdoor Collection, both conversion-friendly offerings, pertain to an ownership community and designers who "are constantly looking for ways to grow, and conversions represent a path for development," 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 rather than confusion." This year, Hilton plans to remain "very active in the lifestyle space through tactical partnerships, new finalizings and ongoing growth of our present brand names," Osterhaus stated. Molinary expects Marriott rivals to start providing some type of branding option in the outdoor space, particularly, as "it's an actually popular and growing space" with "a lot of interest." Another growing area is the luxury sector.

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That trend is anticipated to continue in 2026 as luxury customers drive travel spending and hotel reservations in the middle of a wealth bifurcation at play in the industry. "High-net-worth travelers are expected to stay among the most reliable drivers of international travel spending next year," Giray Boran, handling director of BLG Capital, told Hotel Dive.