ARA Hospitality Brand Consultancies · Q3 2026 · Full Shelf Diagnostic
Ask AI who does hospitality brand strategy. It names generalists.
Why these three lead the shelf
1. Landorchosen 37× / 9.6% / 4/4 models
Named by every model on every one of the fifteen questions. It is not a hospitality specialist at all: it is the firm the models reach for whenever the question contains the word brand.
2. Interbrandchosen 26× / 6.8% / 3/4 models
The same generalist advantage, helped by publishing a ranking every year that the whole industry cites. Its own research is training data about itself.
3. Pentagramchosen 19× / 4.9% / 4/4 models
Wins on named partners rather than on the firm. The individual designers are documented, and a model can attribute work to a person.
About the AI Shelf
The AI Shelf is the short list of names an AI assistant gives when someone asks what to buy. ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Perplexity answer the questions a real buyer asks, and every brand they name lands on the shelf. Your customer sees it before they see yours, and nobody can pay for position on it.
Each time a model chooses a brand over every other brand it could have named, that counts once. 385 choices were made here. Slice size is share of all of them.
9.6%largest holding — Landor
5.2%held by all 11 audited specialists
8 of 11specialists named even once
The takeaway
The generalist wins the specialist's category. Landor alone holds nearly twice the shelf of the eleven hospitality specialists combined: being known for branding beats being known for hospitality.
In the current ARA IndexNot currently in the ARA Index — shaded by rank, darkest = chosen least often
All 173 firms — the annotated ranking
#
Name
Chosen
Share
Models
Best
Δ
1
Landor
37
9.6%
4/4
#1
—
2
Interbrand
26
6.8%
3/4
#1
—
3
Pentagram
19
4.9%
4/4
#1
—
4
Lippincott
15
3.9%
3/4
#1
—
5
Siegel+Gale
15
3.9%
3/4
#1
—
6
FutureBrand
14
3.6%
3/4
#2
—
7
Wolff Olins
10
2.6%
4/4
#2
—
8
Gensler
6
1.6%
4/4
#1
—
9
Prophet
6
1.6%
2/4
#2
—
10
Brandteliers
5
1.3%
1/4
#1
—
11
Horwath HTL
5
1.3%
3/4
#4
—
12
HVS
5
1.3%
3/4
#1
—
13
Rockwell Group
5
1.3%
4/4
#3
—
14
AvroKO
4
1.0%
3/4
#1
—
15
FINE
4
1.0%
1/4
#1
—
16
HBA (Hirsch Be…
4
1.0%
4/4
#2
—
17
Lexicon Brandi…
4
1.0%
4/4
#1
—
18
Mucca
4
1.0%
2/4
#3
—
19
QUO Global
4
1.0%
3/4
#3
—
20
WATG Advisory
4
1.0%
2/4
#1
—
21
Yabu Pushelberg
4
1.0%
4/4
#4
—
22
Boston Consult…
3
0.8%
2/4
#3
—
23
CBRE Hotels
3
0.8%
3/4
#2
—
24
Craft & Root
3
0.8%
1/4
#4
—
25
DesignAgency
3
0.8%
1/4
#2
—
26
GOCO Hospitali…
3
0.8%
3/4
#1
—
27
JLL Hotels & H…
3
0.8%
3/4
#3
—
28
McKinsey & Com…
3
0.8%
3/4
#5
—
29
Once Upon a Time
3
0.8%
1/4
#2
—
30
Spa Strategy
3
0.8%
3/4
#2
—
31
Streetsense
3
0.8%
2/4
#3
—
32
A Hundred Monk…
2
0.5%
2/4
#3
—
33
Catchword
2
0.5%
2/4
#2
—
34
Conran Design…
2
0.5%
2/4
#5
—
35
Deloitte
2
0.5%
2/4
#1
—
36
Longitude
2
0.5%
1/4
#4
—
37
McKinsey
2
0.5%
2/4
#2
—
38
Meyer Davis
2
0.5%
2/4
#5
—
39
MMGY Global
2
0.5%
1/4
#1
—
40
Raison d'Etre
2
0.5%
2/4
#2
—
41
Sideways NYC
2
0.5%
1/4
#4
—
42
Smallwood
2
0.5%
1/4
#3
—
43
Think Hospital…
2
0.5%
1/4
#2
—
44
Wunderman Thom…
2
0.5%
1/4
#1
—
45
2x4 (Two by Fo…
1
0.3%
1/4
#5
—
46
Accenture Song
1
0.3%
1/4
#5
—
47
Acrylicize
1
0.3%
1/4
#1
—
48
Aesop Agency
1
0.3%
1/4
#7
—
49
Amra & Elma
1
0.3%
1/4
#7
—
50
Bain
1
0.3%
1/4
#5
—
51
Bain & Company
1
0.3%
1/4
#7
—
52
Base Design
1
0.3%
1/4
#7
—
53
BCG / BCG Plat…
1
0.3%
1/4
#5
—
54
BDRC Group
1
0.3%
1/4
#4
—
55
Beauty Edit
1
0.3%
1/4
#7
—
56
Blackletter
1
0.3%
1/4
#6
—
57
Blu Spas Inc.
1
0.3%
1/4
#1
—
58
Brand Finance
1
0.3%
1/4
#2
—
59
Brand Lounge
1
0.3%
1/4
#3
—
60
Brand Union (n…
1
0.3%
1/4
#6
—
61
Brand-Atlas Ad…
1
0.3%
1/4
#5
—
62
Brand Bureau
1
0.3%
1/4
#6
—
63
BrandedResi
1
0.3%
1/4
#6
—
64
BrandOpus
1
0.3%
1/4
#5
—
65
BrandPie
1
0.3%
1/4
#7
—
66
Brandsccape
1
0.3%
1/4
#7
—
67
Brash Brands
1
0.3%
1/4
#5
—
68
BVA BDRC
1
0.3%
1/4
#4
—
69
C Space
1
0.3%
1/4
#7
—
70
C9 Hotelworks
1
0.3%
1/4
#3
—
71
Carbone Smolan…
1
0.3%
1/4
#4
—
72
Catchword Bran…
1
0.3%
1/4
#7
—
73
CBRE
1
0.3%
1/4
#5
—
74
Centdegrés
1
0.3%
1/4
#7
—
75
Collins
1
0.3%
1/4
#5
—
76
Creative Supply
1
0.3%
1/4
#6
—
77
David Collins…
1
0.3%
1/4
#7
—
78
Deloitte Digit…
1
0.3%
1/4
#7
—
79
Deloitte's Tra…
1
0.3%
1/4
#5
—
80
DeSantis Brein…
1
0.3%
1/4
#3
—
81
DesignStudio
1
0.3%
1/4
#6
—
82
Eight Partners…
1
0.3%
1/4
#1
—
83
ESPA Internati…
1
0.3%
1/4
#4
—
84
Example
1
0.3%
1/4
#2
—
85
FerebeeLane
1
0.3%
1/4
#4
—
86
Float Studio /…
1
0.3%
1/4
#4
—
87
Foodie Agency
1
0.3%
1/4
#1
—
88
G&CO
1
0.3%
1/4
#7
—
89
GCo
1
0.3%
1/4
#5
—
90
The Gettys Group
1
0.3%
1/4
#5
—
91
GFC Brand & Ma…
1
0.3%
1/4
#2
—
92
Global Branded…
1
0.3%
1/4
#1
—
93
GRAF
1
0.3%
1/4
#2
—
94
GWI Consulting
1
0.3%
1/4
#6
—
95
Hirsch Bedner…
1
0.3%
1/4
#5
—
96
HOK
1
0.3%
1/4
#6
—
97
Hotel & Leisur…
1
0.3%
1/4
#6
—
98
HVS Global Hos…
1
0.3%
1/4
#1
—
99
HZ
1
0.3%
1/4
#2
—
100
Icon Partners
1
0.3%
1/4
#3
—
101
Igor
1
0.3%
1/4
#2
—
102
Igor Internati…
1
0.3%
1/4
#5
—
103
Infinite Scale
1
0.3%
1/4
#6
—
104
Integra/IRR Ho…
1
0.3%
1/4
#4
—
105
JLL (Jones Lan…
1
0.3%
1/4
#6
—
106
Jones Knowles…
1
0.3%
1/4
#5
—
107
Kearney
1
0.3%
1/4
#6
—
108
King & Partners
1
0.3%
1/4
#3
—
109
Knight Frank
1
0.3%
1/4
#1
—
110
LABBRAND
1
0.3%
1/4
#2
—
111
Lantern
1
0.3%
1/4
#1
—
112
Luxury Branding
1
0.3%
1/4
#2
—
113
Luxury Brandin…
1
0.3%
1/4
#6
—
114
Luxury Partners
1
0.3%
1/4
#7
—
115
M Moser Associ…
1
0.3%
1/4
#4
—
116
MBLM
1
0.3%
1/4
#5
—
117
McKinsey Desig…
1
0.3%
1/4
#4
—
118
MMCG
1
0.3%
1/4
#5
—
119
NameStormers
1
0.3%
1/4
#4
—
120
Nelson Associa…
1
0.3%
1/4
#2
—
121
P&C Global
1
0.3%
1/4
#6
—
122
Parts & Labor…
1
0.3%
1/4
#5
—
123
Parts and Labo…
1
0.3%
1/4
#3
—
124
Pearlfisher
1
0.3%
1/4
#7
—
125
Peregryn Agency
1
0.3%
1/4
#5
—
126
Pierre-Yves Ro…
1
0.3%
1/4
#7
—
127
PKF Hospitality
1
0.3%
1/4
#3
—
128
PKF Hospitalit…
1
0.3%
1/4
#4
—
129
Positioner
1
0.3%
1/4
#3
—
130
Postcard Commu…
1
0.3%
1/4
#3
—
131
Proof Branding
1
0.3%
1/4
#7
—
132
PwC
1
0.3%
1/4
#4
—
133
PwC's Hospital…
1
0.3%
1/4
#4
—
134
PwC's Strategy&
1
0.3%
1/4
#5
—
135
R/GA
1
0.3%
1/4
#7
—
136
Raison d'Être
1
0.3%
1/4
#1
—
137
Raison Pure
1
0.3%
1/4
#6
—
138
River + Wolf
1
0.3%
1/4
#4
—
139
ROAM Interior…
1
0.3%
1/4
#4
—
140
ROHE Creative
1
0.3%
1/4
#3
—
141
Rose Ink Works…
1
0.3%
1/4
#2
—
142
Saffron
1
0.3%
1/4
#7
—
143
Saffron Brand…
1
0.3%
1/4
#6
—
144
Savills
1
0.3%
1/4
#2
—
145
Savills Brande…
1
0.3%
1/4
#4
—
146
SeaHorse Consu…
1
0.3%
1/4
#7
—
147
Selbert Perkin…
1
0.3%
1/4
#5
—
148
Sparcstudio
1
0.3%
1/4
#1
—
149
Spherical
1
0.3%
1/4
#4
—
150
Spinach
1
0.3%
1/4
#2
—
151
Stoneshot
1
0.3%
1/4
#5
—
152
STR (CoStar)
1
0.3%
1/4
#4
—
153
STR Global
1
0.3%
1/4
#7
—
154
Studio Olt / &…
1
0.3%
1/4
#5
—
155
Studiogusto /…
1
0.3%
1/4
#5
—
156
Stylesight / W…
1
0.3%
1/4
#3
—
157
The Brand Comp…
1
0.3%
1/4
#3
—
158
The Brand Cons…
1
0.3%
1/4
#3
—
159
The Lumara Col…
1
0.3%
1/4
#5
—
160
The Luxury Bra…
1
0.3%
1/4
#5
—
161
The Wellness C…
1
0.3%
1/4
#5
—
162
Tungsten Brand…
1
0.3%
1/4
#6
—
163
VLF Spa Consul…
1
0.3%
1/4
#4
—
164
We Are Fine
1
0.3%
1/4
#5
—
165
Wellness House…
1
0.3%
1/4
#6
—
166
WI Hospitality…
1
0.3%
1/4
#4
—
167
Wilson Associa…
1
0.3%
1/4
#4
—
168
Wimberly Inter…
1
0.3%
1/4
#7
—
169
Wolf Ollins
1
0.3%
1/4
#7
—
170
WongDoody
1
0.3%
1/4
#2
—
171
WPP's Superuni…
1
0.3%
1/4
#6
—
172
WSP
1
0.3%
1/4
#2
—
173
WTS Internatio…
1
0.3%
1/4
#2
—
ARA · ALGORITHM READINESS ANALYSIS · ARACO.AI — 4 models × 15 buying questions, top answers per cell. MEASURING AI TRUST IN BRANDS. Naming variants merged before counting: FutureBrand (+1) · QUO Global (+1) · Landor (+ Landor & Fitch — same firm, renamed). Query counts for merged brands are upper bounds.