Too Many Brands: Hotel Groups Chased Scale. Now They Need Focus

For more than a decade, hotel companies have been on a brand-launch spree. Major groups doubled their portfolios, loyalty programs swelled into hundreds of millions of members. Net unit growth became the clearest signal of momentum in earnings calls.

On the surface, the strategy made sense. Asset-light models reward scale. Conversion brands accelerate expansion. Soft brands absorb independent supply. More brands mean more segments, more choice, more growth.

But in Skift Research’s latest report, The New Economics of Hotel Brand Expansion: Why Scale A