Hôtel Martinez, the Cannes palace hotel owned by Hyatt, has climbed to second place in Kolsquare’s ranking of the most influential Travel & Tourism brands on Instagram in France, just behind Disneyland Paris. Published in July 2026, the barometer analyses the performance of 1,220 Instagram accounts over the January–June 2026 period, compared with the same period in 2025. For the hotel industry, this ranking confirms that a smaller-scale property can outperform major destinations by focusing on engagement rather than sheer volume of posts.
A barometer reshaping hotel influence on Instagram
Kolsquare’s study is based on Earned Media Value (EMV), an indicator calculated using the Ayzenberg methodology, which assigns a monetary value to the likes, comments and shares generated by a brand. In total, 640,867 pieces of content were identified on Instagram between January and June 2026, shared by more than 203,415 creator profiles.
Topping the overall ranking, Disneyland Paris retains first place with €14,266,555 in EMV, driven by 8,802 pieces of content published by 1,615 creators, without losing a single position year-on-year. It is against this backdrop that Hôtel Martinez stands out as the only strictly hotel brand on the overall podium — a rare achievement for a single property competing against multi-site operators.
Hôtel Martinez: the sector’s best engagement rate
With €8,255,220 in EMV, Hôtel Martinez climbs one place in the overall ranking and holds on to its unchanged first position in the Hotels & Accommodation category. What sets the Cannes palace hotel apart is its engagement rate: 26.2%, the best performance on the overall podium, achieved with just 380 creators across 1,355 pieces of content.
This ratio reflects a tightly focused influencer strategy rather than a volume-driven approach. Where Disneyland Paris mobilises more than 1,600 creators, Hôtel Martinez demonstrates that a smaller but better-targeted community can generate media value comparable to that of the world’s biggest tourist destinations. 🔗 Also on LTH: the luxury hotels dominating Instagram worldwide
Carlton Cannes and Barrière Le Majestic: the Croisette’s breakthrough
The French hotel podium is completed by two further Cannes establishments. Carlton Cannes climbs five places to second position in its category, with €3,725,390 in EMV generated by 1,219 pieces of content. The hotel, owned by Katara Hospitality and operated under IHG’s Regent brand since its reopening, confirms the momentum built following its multimillion-euro renovation.
Hôtel Barrière Le Majestic posted the strongest progress of the leading trio, jumping sixteen places to €2,865,521 in EMV and a 5.8% engagement rate. Just behind, Four Seasons Hotel George V Paris holds on to fourth position with €2,859,216 in EMV, followed by Brach Paris, The Ritz Paris and Relais & Châteaux. JW Marriott Cannes, meanwhile, climbed thirty-two places, bringing to four the number of Cannes properties in the category’s national top 10.
Compagnie des Alpes, Hyatt and Accor: the battle of the groups
Consolidated by group, Kolsquare’s ranking places The Walt Disney Company in the lead with €16,254,047 in combined EMV across four Instagram accounts, driven largely by Disneyland Paris. Compagnie des Alpes takes second place, up one rank, with €14,238,909 in EMV generated by sixteen parks and destinations, ahead of SNCF Group.
For the hotel sector, Hyatt Hotels Corporation stands out in fourth position, with €8,628,957 in combined EMV across six accounts and an average engagement rate of 7.2%, buoyed by Hôtel Martinez’s performance. Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts climbs twelve places to eighth position, with €4,611,442 in EMV across ten consolidated accounts. Accor slips two places to ninth, but posts the best average engagement rate in the top 10 groups at 17.2%, despite a footprint of 37 Instagram accounts.
Momentum reaching beyond France
The European ranking confirms Hôtel Martinez’s trajectory. The Cannes palace hotel climbs ten places to sixth position in the European Travel & Tourism top 100, with €12,333,774 in EMV and an 18.2% engagement rate, ranking ahead of several international airlines. Carlton Cannes (29th, +21 places) and Hôtel Barrière Le Majestic (38th, +158 places) also confirm their rise at continental level, as does Four Seasons Hotel George V Paris, 47th with a twenty-place gain.
What this ranking reveals about hotel influence strategies
The French landscape tells a two-part story: major destinations capture visibility through sheer volume of content, while more targeted properties compete on the strength of higher engagement. For hotel executives and marketing leaders, this raises a strategic question: rather than multiplying partnerships with creators, a tightly curated selection of relevant profiles can generate equivalent — or even greater — media value at a lower activation cost. 🔗 Also on LTH: why hotel marketing must go beyond aesthetics
This reading invites palace hotels and independent properties alike to rethink their influencer strategies based not on the size of their community, but on the quality of engagement generated — an increasingly strategic issue in a sector where cross-platform comparability is coming under growing scrutiny from marketing leaders and investors.
At a glance by The Hospitality Tribune
Hotel Martinez ranks as France’s most engaging hospitality brand on Instagram in H1 2026
Kolsquare’s Earned Media Value (EMV) barometer covers January-June 2026 across 1,220 Travel & Tourism Instagram accounts in France
Hotel Martinez (Hyatt) climbs to 2nd place overall with €8.26M EMV and a 26.2% engagement rate, the highest of the podium
Carlton Cannes (+5 places, €3.73M EMV) and Hôtel Barrière Le Majestic (+16 places, €2.87M EMV) complete a strong Cannes showing
Hyatt Hotels Corporation ranks 4th among consolidated groups with €8.63M EMV across six accounts
On the European ranking, Hotel Martinez jumps 10 places to 6th overall, with €12.33M EMV and 18.2% engagement
Disneyland Paris (The Walt Disney Company) remains France’s overall leader with €14.27M EMV
