Brand Finance’s latest luxury hotels ranking shows no change among the top 10 brands, reinforcing the sector’s resilience amid evolving market conditions
LONDON, 23 July 2026 - Hilton Hotels & Resorts remains the world's most valuable luxury hotel brand, while Taj Hotels retains its position as the world's strongest luxury hotel brand, according to the Hotels 50 2026 report from Brand Finance, the world's leading brand valuation consultancy.
Hilton Hotels & Resorts(brand value up 28% to USD19.2 billion) growth has been supported by its strong premium positioning, global reputation for high-quality hospitality, and continued investment in its luxury portfolio, including Waldorf Astoria, Conrad Hotels & Resorts, LXR Hotels & Resorts, and NoMad Hotels. Expansion into high-demand luxury destinations has further strengthened Hilton’s global presence and reinforced its appeal among affluent travellers.
Hyatt (brand value down 6% to USD7.5 billion) retains its position as the world’s second most valuable luxury hotel brand. The brand continues to strengthen its luxury positioning through the expansion of its premium portfolio, including Park Hyatt, Alila, Miraval, and Andaz, which cater to growing demand for personalised and experience-led stays. Hyatt’s record development pipeline of 148,000 rooms and continued growth of its World of Hyatt loyalty programme to approximately 63 million members further support its long-term growth prospects, as the brand expands its presence across key luxury travel markets.
Marriott (brand value up 23% to USD4.6 billion) ranks as the world’s third most valuable luxury hotel brand, supported by continued portfolio expansion and strong global brand equity. The group’s luxury offering, spanning brands such as Ritz-Carlton, St. Regis, JW Marriott, and EDITION, continues to benefit from rising demand for premium experiences and personalised hospitality. Strategic growth initiatives, including the expansion of its luxury portfolio and the launch of new concepts such as Series by Marriott, have strengthened Marriott’s ability to cater to evolving luxury traveller preferences. Its Marriott Bonvoy ecosystem, with 271 million members globally, further reinforces customer loyalty and supports sustained brand growth across international markets.
Henry Farr, Global Sector Head of Hotels, Brand Finance commented:
"Luxury hotel brands continue to outperform by delivering more than premium accommodation. They are creating distinctive experiences that foster lasting emotional connections with guests. The brands leading this year's ranking have successfully balanced heritage with innovation, while investing in personalised service, digital capabilities and operational excellence. As competition for high value travellers intensifies, long term brand investment and consistently exceptional guest experiences will remain the defining factors behind sustained brand strength and value."
Meanwhile, with a Brand Strength Index (BSI) score of 93.5/100 and an AAA+ brand strength rating, Taj Hotels (brand value up 32% to USD878 million) retains its position as the world's strongest luxury hotel brand. As luxury travellers increasingly seek authentic and experience-led stays, Taj continues to differentiate itself through its distinctive blend of Indian heritage, personalised hospitality, and timeless luxury. Its strong brand equity reflects its ability to deliver meaningful guest experiences while preserving its unique cultural identity on the global hospitality stage.
Hilton Hotels & Resorts ranks as the world's second strongest luxury hotel brand, achieving a BSI score of 87.1/100 and an AAA brand strength rating, underpinned by its premium positioning, extensive global luxury portfolio, and reputation for delivering high-quality hospitality across international markets. Marriott ranks third strongest, with a BSI score of 83.4/100 and an AAA- brand strength rating, reflecting the strength of its diverse luxury brand portfolio, global reach, and continued investment in premium guest experiences.
As part of the Hotels 50 2026 report, Brand Finance has separately ranked the world's 10 leading luxury hotel brands by brand value and brand strength, recognising the brands setting the benchmark in the global luxury hospitality sector.
Brand Finance is the world’s leading brand valuation consultancy. Bridging the gap between marketing and finance, Brand Finance evaluates the strength of brands and quantifies their financial value to help organisations make strategic decisions.
Headquartered in London, Brand Finance operates in over 25 countries. Every year, Brand Finance conducts more than 6,000 brand valuations, supported by original market research, and publishes over 100 reports which rank brands across all sectors and countries.
Brand Finance also operates the Global Brand Equity Monitor, conducting original market research annually on 6,000 brands, surveying more than 175,000 respondents across 41 countries and 31 industry sectors. By combining perceptual data from the Global Brand Equity Monitor with data from its valuation database — the largest brand value database in the world — Brand Finance equips ambitious brand leaders with the data, analytics, and the strategic guidance they need to enhance brand and business value.
In addition to calculating brand value, Brand Finance also determines the relative strength of brands through a balanced scorecard of metrics, compliant with ISO 20671.
Brand Finance is a regulated accountancy firm and a committed leader in the standardisation of the brand valuation industry. Brand Finance was the first to be certified by independent auditors as compliant with both ISO 10668 and ISO 20671 and has received the official endorsement of the Marketing Accountability Standards Board (MASB) in the United States.
Brand is defined as a marketing-related intangible asset including, but not limited to, names, terms, signs, symbols, logos, and designs, intended to identify goods, services, or entities, creating distinctive images and associations in the minds of stakeholders, thereby generating economic benefits.
Brand strength is the efficacy of a brand’s performance on intangible measures relative to its competitors. Brand Finance evaluates brand strength in a process compliant with ISO 20671, looking at Marketing Investment, Stakeholder Equity, and the impact of those on Business Performance. The data used is derived from Brand Finance’s proprietary market research programme and from publicly available sources.
Each brand is assigned a Brand Strength Index (BSI) score out of 100, which feeds into the brand value calculation. Based on the score, each brand is assigned a corresponding Brand Rating up to AAA+ in a format similar to a credit rating.
Brand Finance calculates the values of brands in its rankings using the Royalty Relief approach – a brand valuation method compliant with the industry standards set in ISO 10668. It involves estimating the likely future revenues that are attributable to a brand by calculating a royalty rate that would be charged for its use, to arrive at a ‘brand value’ understood as a net economic benefit that a brand owner would achieve by licensing the brand in the open market.
The steps in this process are as follows:
1 Calculate brand strength using a balanced scorecard of metrics assessing Marketing Investment, Stakeholder Equity, and Business Performance. Brand strength is expressed as a Brand Strength Index (BSI) score on a scale of 0 to 100.
2 Determine royalty range for each industry, reflecting the importance of brand to purchasing decisions. In luxury, the maximum percentage is high, while in extractive industry, where goods are often commoditised, it is lower. This is done by reviewing comparable licensing agreements sourced from Brand Finance’s extensive database.
3 Calculate royalty rate. The BSI score is applied to the royalty range to arrive at a royalty rate. For example, if the royalty range in a sector is 0-5% and a brand has a BSI score of 80 out of 100, then an appropriate royalty rate for the use of this brand in the given sector will be 4%.
4 Determine brand-specific revenues by estimating a proportion of parent company revenues attributable to a brand.
5 Determine forecast revenues using a function of historic revenues, equity analyst forecasts, and economic growth rates.
6 Apply the royalty rate to the forecast revenues to derive brand revenues.
7 Discount post-tax brand revenues to a net present value which equals the brand value.
Brand Finance has produced this study with an independent and unbiased analysis. The values derived and opinions presented in this study are based on publicly available information and certain assumptions that Brand Finance used where such data was deficient or unclear. Brand Finance accepts no responsibility and will not be liable in the event that the publicly available information relied upon is subsequently found to be inaccurate. The opinions and financial analysis expressed in the study are not to be construed as providing investment or business advice. Brand Finance does not intend the study to be relied upon for any reason and excludes all liability to any body, government, or organisation.
The data presented in this study form part of Brand Finance's proprietary database, are provided for the benefit of the media, and are not to be used in part or in full for any commercial or technical purpose without written permission from Brand Finance.
