Radisson Hotel Group’s first-half expansion highlights a wider shift in global hospitality: growth is no longer simply about adding rooms. The contest now centres on securing owner loyalty, converting existing properties, broadening brand portfolios and establishing an early lead in fast-growing markets.
Radisson Hotel Group continued to accelerate its development strategy during the first half of 2026, reporting 160 hotel signings and openings representing more than 22,000 rooms.
The result points to sustained demand from owners for internationally recognised hotel brands, particularly in markets where domestic travel is expanding, tourism infrastructure is improving and independent properties are seeking access to global distribution and loyalty platforms.
Radisson’s activity covered Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific, spanning luxury hotels, lifestyle properties, resorts, serviced residences, conversions and mixed-use developments. Among the group’s most visible projects were the signing of Radisson Collection Hotel, Frankfurt, new Radisson RED properties and the continued expansion of Radisson Individuals, its conversion-friendly collection platform.
In India alone, Radisson signed and opened 22 hotels during the six-month period. It now operates 142 hotels with more than 15,500 rooms across 86 Indian cities and has a development pipeline approaching 100 properties. Its India Vision 2030 strategy targets a portfolio of 500 hotels by the end of the decade.
The numbers position Radisson as one of the more active international groups in its core regions. But direct comparisons require caution. Radisson combines signings and openings in its headline figure, while publicly listed competitors generally report openings, signed pipeline additions and net room growth separately.
Even so, the strategic direction is clear: Radisson is participating in the same global race as Marriott International, Hilton, Hyatt, IHG Hotels & Resorts and Accor, but it is competing with a more concentrated geographic and brand strategy.
Scale remains Marriott’s defining advantage
Marriott continues to operate on a different numerical scale from most competitors.
The company recorded its strongest-ever first quarter for development signings in early 2026. By the end of March, Marriott’s pipeline had grown to almost 618,000 rooms across 4,107 properties, an increase of more than 5% from a year earlier. Its operating system exceeded 9,900 properties and approximately 1.8 million rooms.
Conversions represented more than 35% of Marriott’s first-quarter signings and over 40% of openings, demonstrating how rapidly the battle for existing hotels is intensifying. Converting a functioning property is usually faster and less capital-intensive than constructing a hotel from the ground up, particularly where financing and building costs remain challenging.
Marriott has reinforced that strategy through collection brands and acquisitions. Series by Marriott gives regional hotel groups and independent owners a route into the Marriott Bonvoy system, while the addition of citizenM strengthens its position in technology-led, design-conscious lifestyle hospitality.
The company’s 2025 development performance provides further context. Marriott signed nearly 1,200 organic deals representing about 163,000 rooms during the year and ended December with approximately 610,000 rooms in its pipeline.
For Radisson, the distinction is significant. It cannot match Marriott’s overall distribution or the scale of Marriott Bonvoy, but it can compete through regional expertise, flexible deal structures and a portfolio that is less complex for some owners to navigate.
Radisson’s strength in Europe, India and selected African and Asian markets gives it relevance beyond what its global room count alone might suggest.
Hilton combines pipeline strength with lifestyle ambitions
Hilton is following a similarly asset-light path, supported by one of the largest development pipelines in the industry.
During the first quarter of 2026, Hilton approved 26,200 rooms for development, taking its pipeline to 527,000 rooms across 3,768 hotels in 129 countries and territories. Almost half of the pipeline rooms were under construction, while more than half were outside the United States. Hilton also added 16,300 rooms to its system during the quarter, producing 10,900 net room additions and year-on-year net unit growth of 6.3%.
Hilton’s growth is increasingly diversified. Its luxury and lifestyle portfolio has reached 1,000 operating hotels, with close to 500 additional properties in the pipeline. More than 60 lifestyle hotels were expected to open during 2026, supported by brands including Canopy, Curio Collection, Tapestry Collection and NoMad.
Extended stay is another important battleground. Hilton is expanding Home2 Suites into Western Europe, including a signed 215-unit property in Madrid. That move reflects growing investor interest in products that can serve business travellers, relocating employees and longer-stay leisure guests while operating with more efficient service models.
Radisson’s serviced residences in Riyadh and its expansion of Radisson Individuals Premier represent responses to the same demand for greater product variety. However, Hilton has a broader global extended-stay platform and deeper penetration of North America.
Radisson’s comparative opportunity lies in markets where serviced apartments, branded residences and mixed-use projects are growing but the dominant US extended-stay brands are not yet firmly established.
Hyatt is growing around premium, lifestyle and resorts
Hyatt’s strategy differs from the scale-led models of Marriott, Hilton and IHG. It is building a more concentrated portfolio around higher-end customers, resorts, lifestyle properties and all-inclusive hospitality.
Hyatt entered 2026 with a record pipeline of approximately 148,000 rooms, equivalent to about 40% of its existing room base. The company recorded 7.3% net room growth in 2025, or 6.7% excluding acquisitions, and expects net room growth of between 6% and 7% in 2026.
Its acquisition of Standard International and the formation of a dedicated lifestyle group have added brands including The Standard and Bunkhouse Hotels to a platform already containing Andaz, Thompson Hotels and JdV by Hyatt.
The approach is particularly relevant to Radisson RED and Radisson Collection. Both groups are seeking to capture travellers who want more individualised design and local character without abandoning the security and distribution of an international brand.
Hyatt, however, is placing a greater proportion of its growth at the upper end of the market. Radisson maintains a wider ladder from Country Inn & Suites and Park Inn through Radisson Blu, RED and Collection.
That wider spread gives Radisson more options in emerging markets, but it also requires the group to maintain clear distinctions between brands as its system expands.
IHG is using conversions and new brands to accelerate
IHG Hotels & Resorts offers one of the closest strategic comparisons with Radisson because both groups are active across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, India and Greater China and both are investing heavily in conversion-oriented brands.
IHG opened 82 hotels and signed 163 properties in the first quarter of 2026, passing the milestone of 7,000 operating hotels.
At the end of 2025, its system contained approximately 1.03 million rooms across 6,963 hotels, supported by a pipeline of 340,000 rooms in 2,292 properties. During the year, IHG signed 694 hotels representing 102,100 rooms and opened a record 443 hotels.
Growth is being supported by both established and newly acquired brands. Garner is designed to convert existing hotels rapidly into IHG’s essentials portfolio. Voco and Vignette Collection offer conversion options at premium and luxury levels, while the acquisition of Ruby has strengthened IHG’s European lifestyle position. Its new Noted Collection is intended to provide another route for distinctive independent hotels.
In Europe, IHG opened a record 102 hotels and signed 117 during 2025. Its regional portfolio now exceeds 1,230 open and pipeline properties in more than 40 countries.
The group has also expanded rapidly in individual European markets. Recent agreements include four hotels in Italy and three Holiday Inn Express properties totalling 653 rooms in Madrid, Málaga and Barcelona.
Radisson Individuals performs a role comparable to Vignette Collection, voco and parts of IHG’s conversion portfolio. The advantage for both companies is that owners can retain more of a hotel’s identity while gaining access to a larger commercial system.
The risk is growing congestion. Almost every major hotel company now has one or more collection or soft brands, forcing groups to prove that their distribution, loyalty contribution and revenue management support justify the associated fees.
Accor remains a formidable European and lifestyle competitor
Accor remains particularly important to any comparison with Radisson because of its strength across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia.
At the end of March 2026, Accor operated 5,815 hotels with almost 880,000 rooms and had a pipeline of 260,000 rooms across 1,545 hotels. Its net unit growth reached 3.8% over the preceding 12 months, while the pipeline increased by 10.3%.
Accor opened 303 hotels representing more than 51,000 rooms during 2025. Its competitive reach extends from ibis and Novotel to Pullman, Mövenpick, Fairmont, Raffles, Sofitel and a large collection of lifestyle businesses.
That breadth creates considerable overlap with Radisson. Novotel, Pullman and Mövenpick compete in areas served by Radisson and Radisson Blu; brands such as MGallery challenge Radisson Collection and Radisson Individuals; and Accor’s resort strength overlaps with Radisson’s expanding leisure portfolio.
Radisson’s resort estate has exceeded 160 properties globally, while its Radisson Collection pipeline includes culturally prominent projects in Lake Como, Paris, Casablanca and Riyadh.
Accor nevertheless possesses a broader economy and luxury footprint. Radisson’s strategy appears more selective: defending its European upper-upscale base while using collection, lifestyle and resort brands to enter destinations in which a conventional Radisson Blu may not be the most suitable product.
Steigenberger pursues selective, brand-led expansion
Steigenberger Hotels, part of H World International, presents a different type of competitor. It does not compete with the largest groups on global property numbers, but it has strong brand recognition in German-speaking Europe and parts of the Middle East and North Africa.
H World International is expanding through franchise and management agreements, with selective leases in strategic locations. Its announced development schedule includes new properties across its Steigenberger, IntercityHotel, Zleep Hotels and other brands from 2026 onward.
The reopening of the Steigenberger Icon Europäischer Hof Baden-Baden in 2025 reflected an emphasis on heritage, repositioning and investment in landmark assets rather than sheer numerical growth.
This is relevant to Radisson Collection, whose development model also includes the restoration and conversion of historically significant buildings. Banke Opera Paris occupies a former bank headquarters, while the planned Lincoln Casablanca project is intended to restore a prominent early-20th-century building.
Steigenberger can offer owners a brand with strong regional heritage and luxury associations. Radisson counters with greater international distribution and a wider choice of operating concepts.
Best Western retains an owner-led alternative
BWH Hotels, the parent organisation of Best Western, WorldHotels and SureStay, remains differentiated by its owner-focused membership structure.
Its portfolio ranges from value and traditional Best Western products to boutique and luxury properties under WorldHotels. The group promotes comparatively low membership costs and reports that 98% of its member owners renew their affiliation.
BWH Hotels’ last prominently published half-year global development update stated that it added more than 100 properties during the first half of 2024. It had not published a directly comparable worldwide first-half 2026 total at the time of writing.
Best Western’s appeal remains strongest among independent owners seeking commercial support without the more prescriptive standards sometimes associated with conventional franchises.
Radisson Individuals is designed to address a similar owner need, although within a more conventional international chain structure. Its growth to more than 100 operating and pipeline hotels since launching in 2020 shows how strongly the major groups are targeting a segment once dominated by voluntary associations and independent consortia.
China and India are becoming decisive development arenas
The geographic centre of hotel development is continuing to move beyond the mature markets of Western Europe and North America.
