Marriott, Hilton, Accor and IHG are expanding through new openings, conversions, repositionings and heritage projects, giving hotel owners and developers more routes into global brand networks.
Major hotel groups are continuing to expand their global networks, with projects spanning established destinations and markets where international brands have previously had a limited presence.
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Marriott International, Hilton, Accor and IHG Hotels & Resorts are using a mix of new-build developments, conversions and repositionings to grow their portfolios. Historic properties are also providing opportunities for luxury expansion.
For hotel owners and developers, the trend creates both opportunity and competition. A wider choice of brands and operating models provides more ways to bring properties into international networks, while increasing competition for suitable assets, development sites, employees and guests.
The expansion also highlights the importance of partnerships between hotel groups and property owners. Through management and franchise agreements, operators can grow their brands, distribution and loyalty networks without relying primarily on ownership of the underlying real estate.
Conversions extend global hotel expansion
Marriott’s introduction of the Sheraton brand to Papua New Guinea provides one example of how existing properties can support international expansion.
The Sheraton Port Moresby Stanley Hotel & Suites is a conversion of the existing Stanley Hotel & Suites in Port Moresby. The property has 394 guestrooms, suites and apartments across 18 floors and is located close to the city’s business and government districts.
The project gives Marriott another foothold in Papua New Guinea while bringing one of its established international brands into a market where it has previously had a limited presence.
Conversions are also playing a significant role elsewhere in the industry. IHG reported that conversions represented 52% of its room openings in 2025, showing how existing hotels can provide a substantial source of branded supply alongside new developments.
For operators, conversions can provide a route into markets where development sites are scarce or suitable independent hotels are already operating. For owners, they can provide access to international distribution, loyalty programmes and brand recognition without developing an entirely new property.
Conversion does not necessarily mean lower investment, however.
Existing hotels may require substantial refurbishment to meet a new brand’s design, technology, safety and operating requirements. Owners therefore need to weigh the potential benefits of international distribution and loyalty-programme access against refurbishment costs, fees, operating requirements and the competitive position of the completed hotel.
The commercial question is not simply whether conversion costs less than new construction, but whether the investment required to reposition an existing property can generate sufficient additional revenue, operating performance and long-term asset value.
Luxury brands target prime locations
Conversions and repositioning projects can also help global hotel groups expand in mature markets where suitable development sites are difficult to secure.
In London, Marriott’s St. Regis brand has established a presence in Mayfair. The St. Regis London has 193 rooms, including 66 suites, bringing the luxury brand into one of the capital’s most established hotel markets.
The project shows how an existing hotel asset can be repositioned for a higher-end international brand without ground-up redevelopment.
Hilton is taking a different approach at Admiralty Arch. Waldorf Astoria London – Admiralty Arch is scheduled to open in autumn 2026 following the restoration of the Grade I-listed landmark.
The hotel is planned to have 114 rooms and suites, together with restaurants, event facilities and a spa.
For hotel groups, projects of this type can provide access to prime locations where new development opportunities are limited. For owners and investors, a recognised luxury brand can form part of a strategy to reposition an asset and target higher-value demand.
The commercial case depends on factors including acquisition or ownership costs, capital expenditure, operating terms and the performance the repositioned hotel can realistically achieve.
Accor widens its luxury hotel footprint
Global hotel expansion is also being driven by established brands entering markets where they have not previously operated.
Fairmont Bangkok Sukhumvit opened in August 2026, marking Fairmont’s debut in Thailand. The Accor property has 416 guestrooms and 58 suites, alongside meeting, dining and wellness facilities.
The opening forms part of Accor’s wider development programme.
At the start of 2026, Accor said it expected around 350 new addresses to open during the year across more than 45 brands. By the end of June, its development pipeline had grown to more than 268,000 rooms across 1,595 hotels.
The breadth of Accor’s portfolio gives owners several potential routes into an international hotel network. Its brands cover economy, midscale, premium, luxury and lifestyle segments, allowing developments to be matched with different markets and customer groups.
That breadth can be valuable, but it also makes brand selection more complex. Owners must consider market positioning, development costs, brand standards, fee structures and existing competitive supply before selecting a brand.
Heritage assets create distinctive hotels
Some hotel groups are also using historic properties to create distinctive luxury hotels in established destinations.
Orient Express Venezia opened in March 2026 at Palazzo Donà Giovannelli, a 15th-century palazzo in Venice.
The restored property contains 47 rooms, suites and residences, combining the historic building with a contemporary luxury hotel concept.
For owners, heritage assets can offer something that a conventional new-build hotel cannot easily reproduce: an established sense of place.
That can be particularly valuable in competitive luxury destinations, where differentiation is an important part of positioning a property.
The trade-off is development complexity. Heritage restrictions, restoration requirements and the challenges of adapting older buildings to modern hotel standards can increase costs and project risk.
The commercial case therefore depends not simply on the significance of the building, but on whether its location, restoration requirements and target market justify the investment.
Hotel development pipelines remain substantial
Individual openings represent only part of the industry’s development activity.
Hilton had 541,300 rooms in its development pipeline at the end of June 2026 after approving 42,900 new rooms during the second quarter. The group opened 131 hotels containing 16,300 rooms in the first quarter of the year.
IHG Hotels & Resorts also reported substantial development activity during the first half of 2026. It opened 197 hotels containing 31,500 rooms and signed 352 hotels representing 49,200 rooms. Its global pipeline stood at 2,385 hotels and 348,000 rooms at the end of June.
Accor reported more than 268,000 rooms across 1,595 hotels in its development pipeline at the same point in the year.
The figures should not be treated as a direct ranking, as hotel groups can use different definitions and reporting methodologies for their pipelines. Collectively, however, they demonstrate the scale of internationally branded hotel supply moving through development.
Marriott’s development plans provide another indication of the geographic and brand breadth of the expansion. Its listed projects for 2026 include hotels and resorts in markets such as Papua New Guinea, Malaysia, South Korea, Japan, India and Indonesia, spanning brands from Fairfield and Courtyard to JW Marriott, The Ritz-Carlton and The Luxury Collection.
The significance for owners is not simply the number of hotels in development. Much of the expansion of international groups depends on third-party capital, making owners and developers central to turning hotel pipelines into operating properties.
Management and franchise agreements allow hotel groups to expand their brands and distribution networks while property owners and investors provide much of the underlying real estate capital.
For developers, the breadth of international portfolios also creates more options for individual projects. The appropriate brand depends on the location, target customers, development budget, competitive supply and long-term positioning of the property. The choice between management and franchise models can be equally important.
What global hotel expansion means for owners
The continuing expansion of major hotel groups is widening the options available to hotel owners and developers.
New developments can introduce international brands to underserved markets. Existing independent hotels can provide conversion opportunities, while distinctive historic properties can support specialised luxury concepts.
But an international brand is not an investment strategy in itself.
Owners need to assess the capital required to meet brand standards, the terms of the management or franchise agreement, fees, distribution benefits, loyalty-programme reach and the competitive position of the completed property.
The growing role of conversions also means that future branded hotel supply will not come exclusively from new construction. Independent hotels, properties carrying other brands and heritage buildings can all potentially enter international networks when the economics support repositioning.
For hotel groups, these partnerships provide a way to expand their networks while limiting their reliance on owning hotel real estate. For owners, they create more potential partners and brands, but also a more complex investment decision.
The key question is therefore not simply whether an asset can carry an international hotel brand, but which brand, operating structure and level of investment can deliver the strongest long-term return.
As new-build development continues alongside conversions, repositionings and heritage restorations, global hotel expansion is becoming less about one development model and more about finding the right asset, brand and operating structure for each market.
