Hilton enters 100th year with ‘record growth’
Hilton announced that in 2018 it achieved a fourth consecutive year of “record-breaking growth” including deals signed, construction starts and new openings.
During 2018 Hilton said it grew its development pipeline to 364,000 rooms across 15 brands, supported by almost 110,000 new rooms approved in 60 countries and territories, with construction starts on 83,000 rooms totaling 184,000 rooms under construction.
It also achieved almost 7% net unit growth as it opened more than a hotel per day – adding more than 450 properties – to surpass 5,600 properties globally with nearly 913,000 rooms in 113 countries and territories. The hospitality giant created more than 28,000 new hospitality jobs globally.
Additionally Hilton launched its Motto by Hilton brand, an affordable lifestyle brand with hotels in London, Boston, Dublin and Washington, D.C. It also opened its first tri-branded Hilton property in Chicago at McCormick Place featuring Hilton Garden Inn, Hampton Inn and Home2 Suites brands.
Christopher J. Nassetta, president and CEO, said: “Hilton was founded on the noble premise that travel can make the world a better place, and 100 years into our journey, this premise still guides us today. We have big plans to continue to grow, innovate and positively impact the world around us, and we expect that 2019 will be our best and most dynamic year yet.”
Kevin Jacobs, chief financial officer, Hilton, added: “During our first 100 years, we have served more than three billion guests and provided $1tn of economic impact through a phenomenon we call The Hilton Effect.
“2018 is a great example of how we used our scale and our commitment to hospitality to positively impact communities and economies across the globe. In addition to opening more than a hotel a day and achieving almost seven percent net unit growth, our team members volunteered more than 235,000 hours across 93 countries during our Global Week of Service.”
