Despite prestige and loyal clientele, top-tier hotel groups struggle to match the branding power of luxury fashion and tech giants.

Every year, when the likes of Interbrand and Forbes publish their rankings of the world’s most valuable brands, the same names dominate the top tiers: Apple, Nike, Louis Vuitton, Hermès, Porsche. Noticeably absent from these coveted lists? The luxury hospitality sector. Neither Four Seasons, Ritz-Carlton, nor Mandarin Oriental make the cut.

Part of the reason lies in the methodology. Interbrand’s list, for example, focuses solely on publicly traded companies, automatically excluding privately held icons like Four Seasons. “The biggest technical reason large hotel groups don’t appear is they don’t disclose profit and loss by brand,” said Greg Silverman, global director of brand economics at Interbrand. “If they did, some would likely qualify—they’re building remarkable brand ecosystems.”

Even Forbes, which includes private companies, rarely features luxury hotel brands. But experts say the issue goes deeper than eligibility criteria.

Strong Brands, Subtle Presence

While luxury hotels may boast high guest satisfaction and loyal followings, their visibility and market reach pale in comparison to their fashion and tech counterparts. Hotel groups like Four Seasons (133 properties), Ritz-Carlton (119), and Waldorf Astoria (34) operate far fewer locations than, say, Hermès, which has 294 boutiques worldwide. The result? A lower profile on the global stage.

“There’s a badge value in wearing luxury,” said Mandarin Oriental CEO Laurent Kleitman. “Clothes and accessories signal status—they’re visible. Hotels, by nature, are experiential and housed in physical spaces.”

Piers Schmidt, founder of Luxury Branding, echoed this sentiment. “You rarely see someone flaunting a Four Seasons tote the way they do a Louis Vuitton handbag,” he said.

Budget Constraints and Talent Gaps

Another hurdle is financial firepower. Major consumer brands often pour billions into advertising. In contrast, luxury hotel companies operate with far leaner marketing budgets. “The biggest brands spend billions—we spend a fraction,” said Alex Schellenberger, global SVP of brand at Mandarin Oriental.

But spending isn’t everything. Some top-performing brands like Hermès and Starbucks manage brand excellence on $200–$400 million annually. The missing ingredient for many hotel brands is strategic clarity.

“Great brands have a profound and often simple clarity,” said Colin Nagy, a columnist and marketing strategy executive. “High-end hospitality brands often try to be too many things to too many people. They outsource brand vision to consultants because they lack a clear identity themselves.”

Lessons from Luxury Retail

To bridge that gap, some hotel groups are studying the playbooks of luxury fashion houses. When LVMH acquired Belmond, it introduced retail-style practices such as “clienteling”—building long-term relationships with top-tier customers, sometimes with personalized gifts and follow-ups.

“LVMH was shocked that clienteling didn’t exist in hospitality,” said Belmond CEO Dan Ruff. “They pushed us to act more like boutique operators at scale.”

That emphasis on engagement between stays is still rare in the industry. “Until hospitality learns to romance the guest between visits—not just during—its brands will stay under-leveraged,” said Schmidt.

Meanwhile, bold brand statements like Louis Vuitton wrapping construction sites in giant replicas of its iconic trunks are common in fashion. “That kind of visual branding creates enormous earned media value,” said Schellenberger. “But most hotel CFOs wouldn’t sign off on it.”

Ownership and Operational Limits

Another challenge is structural. Fashion brands often control every aspect of production and distribution. In contrast, many luxury hotel brands operate on asset-light models, managing properties they don’t own and negotiating with property owners on design and service standards.

“In hospitality, we can suggest and influence, but we don’t always own the vision,” said Sharan Pasricha, founder of Ennismore.

The most beloved properties among ultra-luxury travelers, according to Dorsia Travel CEO Thomas Cahalan, are often those where the hotel brand owns and directly manages the property. He cites Airelles and The Peninsula as standout examples.

Scaling Without Losing Soul

Maintaining a brand’s soul while scaling is one of the toughest tasks in luxury hospitality. “Too many luxury hotel brands are generic service providers dressed up as maisons,” said Schmidt. “They toss around terms like ‘sense of place’ or ‘crafted experiences,’ but few offer a unique, defensible point of view.”

Robin Hutson, founder of The Pig Hotels, explained the complexity of scaling service. “You can’t just decide to serve the best steak. That takes months of sourcing, training, and adjustment,” he said.

Still, some brands are rising to the challenge. Four Seasons is often praised for maintaining its standards globally. Southeast Asian brands like Soneva, Aman, Rosewood, and Anantara are gaining traction through word-of-mouth and authentic identity.

The Emotional Advantage

Despite branding hurdles, luxury hotels have something even more valuable than visibility: emotional trust. “Guests aren’t just spending money—they’re spending time,” said Hermann Elger, CEO of Forbes Travel Guide. “That’s a deeper level of commitment and brand connection.”

Experts say that building a globally recognized luxury brand starts with knowing your audience inside and out. “Understanding your core customer is your superpower,” said Nagy. “Get that right, down to the molecular level of their experience, and the rest follows.”

Luxury hotel brands may not dominate brand value rankings yet, but with greater vision, strategic focus, and boldness in engagement, their moment may be just over the horizon.