Hilton Worldwide Holdings will unveil 11 hotels across its luxury brands this year, more than at any time in the company’s 100-year history, said President and CEO Chris Nassetta.
The business’s luxury brands Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts, LXR Hotels & Resorts and Conrad Hotels & Resorts will each open new resorts.
“This record-breaking year marks the beginning of momentum for Hilton’s luxury category and stems from more than a decade of strategic investments and planning. Following this year’s openings, Hilton’s luxury pipeline includes more than 30 properties, approximately 25 of which are expected to open through 2025,” Hilton said in a statement.
“We are confident that our amazing portfolio of properties will reinvent luxury travel for Hilton — and for the entire industry.”
Nassetta said Hilton’s current and projected luxury openings in 2019, which will join the 65 existing luxury properties, are:
Waldorf Astoria
- Waldorf Astoria Dubai International Financial Centre;
- Waldorf Astoria Los Cabos Pedregal, Mexico;
- Waldorf Astoria Maldives Ithaafushi;
LXR
- The Biltmore, Mayfair in London, UK;
- Zemi Beach House Resort & Spa in Anguilla; West Indies
Conrad
- Conrad Hangzhou, China;
- Conrad Hangzhou Tonglu, China
- Conrad New York Midtown
- Conrad Shenyang, China
- Conrad Tianjin, China
- Conrad Washington, DC
“After more than a decade of honing Hilton’s distinct luxury offerings and investing in key markets around the globe, we are embarking upon a very exciting phase for the category,” said Martin Rinck, EVP/global head, Luxury & Lifestyle Group, Hilton.
“Over the next five years, starting with this year’s openings, we will start to see the positive impact of our efforts, and we are confident that our amazing portfolio of properties will reinvent luxury travel for Hilton — and for the entire industry.”
Luxury became a top priority for American multinational hospitality company when Nassetta took over as President/CEO in 2007 and re-focused the company’s business strategy around organic growth. Hilton leadership mapped out a luxury growth strategy that centred on two priorities: refining the two core luxury brands at the time, Waldorf Astoria and Conrad, to resonate with specific customer needs; and bringing the brands to diversified markets.
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Last year, the company said it had identified a gap among independent luxury hotels and launched LXR, its third luxury brand, to provide customers with “a portfolio of distinctive, iconic hotels and resorts full of character and individuality that are backed by a world-class commercial engine.”
“Hilton was among the first to predict that luxury travel was poised to take off across generations and markets in the years to come and we wanted to be at the forefront of its reinvention,” said Ian Carter, President of Global Development, Architecture, Design and Construction at Hilton.
“Development in the luxury space requires time and resources to do it properly. Our thoughtful and targeted approach has enabled us to grow Hilton’s luxury presence globally — in many cases from the ground up — from new properties to spectacular conversions.”
Over the past decade, the group expanded its global presence from 15 to 29 countries and territories. Hilton state they are continuing to grow the portfolio with more than 30 signings that are “diverse in regions and market-types”.
Waldorf Astoria is growing to include more resort destinations, such as Los Cabos, Mexico, and the Maldives, and is building a presence in more key urban markets like London (expected to open in 2021), San Francisco (expected to open in 2022) and Miami (expected to open in 2024).
The Conrad brand, which has been concentrated in the Asia–Pacific region, is gaining traction in other parts of the world, including the US where it recently signed deals in Nashville (expected to open in 2021) and Orlando (expected to open in 2022) and opened a flagship property in Washington, DC. LXR is gaining speed in a variety of markets with the additions of Anguilla’s world-class Zemi Beach resort and London’s sophisticated Biltmore Mayfair, the company said in the statement.
“Hilton and its ownership partners continue to elevate and expand the company’s luxury offerings. The Waldorf Astoria hotels in New York and Las Vegas, as well as the Conrad in Miami, are among Hilton luxury properties undergoing substantial renovations to upgrade design and enhance the on-property experience. In addition, Hilton has increasingly invested in its luxury residential portfolio, which now includes more than 2,800 units across 22 properties,” the statement said.
