New Brand Finance data shows world's top 50 hotel brands grow 21% to $69.8 billion
LONDON, 23 July 2026 - Hilton Hotels & Resorts (brand value up 28% to USD19.2 billion) retains its position as the world's most valuable hotel brand for 11 consecutive years, according to the Hotels 50 2026 report from Brand Finance, the world's leading brand valuation consultancy.
The brand's growth was supported by strong revenue expectations, underpinned by continued global expansion and the increasing contribution of its premium full-service portfolio. Its flagship brand, Hilton Garden Inn also generates significantly higher revenue per property than many of its peers, reflecting its premium positioning and strong international presence.
Hilton's continued leadership comes as the global hotel sector builds on its post pandemic recovery. Collectively, the world's top 50 hotel brands increased their combined brand value by 21% to USD69.8 billion in 2026, up from USD57.8 billion in 2025, reflecting resilient travel demand, disciplined expansion strategies and sustained pricing power across the industry.
Hyatt (brand value down 6% to USD7.5 billion) retains second place despite being the only brand among the top five to record a decline in brand value. With international markets accounting for an increasing share of its future pipeline, Hyatt remains well positioned to capture long term growth opportunities despite short term pressure on brand value.
Marriott (brand value up 23% to USD4.6 billion) ranks third following another year of robust global expansion and portfolio diversification. Strategic initiatives, including the acquisition of citizenM and the launch of Series by Marriott, further strengthened its brand portfolio and global reach. Meanwhile, Marriott Bonvoy’s membership grew to 271 million members, reinforcing customer loyalty and supporting sustained revenue growth across its extensive international network.
Henry Farr, Global Sector Head of Hotels, Brand Finance commented:
"The global hotel sector continues to demonstrate remarkable resilience, with leading brands benefiting from sustained travel demand, disciplined expansion strategies and strong pricing power. Brands that are combining asset light growth, premium guest experiences and investment in digital capabilities are strengthening both their financial performance and brand value. At the same time, our research shows that brand strength is increasingly shaped by customer trust, loyalty and consistent delivery of exceptional guest experiences, highlighting the importance of balancing rapid expansion with long term brand investment."
Meanwhile, Delta Hotels & Resorts (brand value up 79% to USD476 million) is the fastest growing hotel brand in this year's ranking. The brand's exceptional performance has been driven by accelerated international expansion, and its growing role within Marriott International's premium full-service portfolio.
Vinpearl (brand value up 86% to USD381 million) emerges as the strongest hotel brand this year, with a Brand Strength Index (BSI) score of 95.4/100 and retaining its AAA+ brand strength rating. The brand's strong performance was supported by its Wonder Summer 2025 campaign, which offered promotional packages across destinations including Phu Quoc, Ha Long, Nam Hoi An, and Nha Trang.
Taj (brand value up 32% to USD878 million) retains its position as the second strongest hotel brand, achieving a BSI score of 93.5/100 and an AAA+ brand strength rating. Brand Finance's data highlights Taj's exceptional performance across key brand strength metrics, particularly familiarity, consideration and preference in its home market. Tajis also featured as brand to watch in the Hotels 50 2026 ranking, reflecting the brand's ambitious expansion strategy and continued investment in strengthening its position within the global luxury hospitality market.
Scandic Hotels remains as the world's third strongest hotel brand, achieving a BSI score of 91.3/100 and an AAA+ brand strength rating. The brand continues to strengthen its position through a customer centric strategy focused on digital innovation, seamless guest experiences and long-term loyalty.
Alongside the Hotels 50 ranking, Brand Finance also evaluates adjacent segments within the broader travel and tourism ecosystem, highlighting the continued strength of leisure and tourism brands that are shaping global consumer experiences across accommodation, travel platforms, entertainment and attractions.
In the leisure & tourism sector, Booking.com (brand value up 16% to USD12.1 billion) retains its position as the most valuable leisure and tourism brand, benefiting from strong travel demand and continued expansion of its connected travel ecosystem. Despite a decline in brand value, Tokyo Disney Resort (brand value down 11% to USD2.8 billion) is the strongest leisure and tourism brand globally, achieving BSI score of 94.3/100 and an AAA+ brand strength rating. The brand continues to benefit from exceptional consumer perceptions around experience quality, service excellence and immersive entertainment.
Meanwhile, among the top 10 luxury hotel brands, Hilton Hotels & Resorts remains the world's most valuable luxury hotel brand, supported by its strong premium positioning and global reputation for high-quality hospitality. Growth has been underpinned by continued investment in its luxury portfolio, including Waldorf Astoria, Conrad Hotels & Resorts, LXR Hotels & Resorts, and NoMad Hotels, alongside expansion into high demand luxury destinations.
Taj Hotels 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.
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.
