Hilton Launches Next Stage of Expansion in the German Market

MUNICH, Germany, MCLEAN, Va. - Hilton (NYSE: HLT), today announced the next steps in its strategic expansion across the German market. Having doubled its portfolio since 2016 to reach 31 hotels currently open, and with hotels in major German cities, Hilton now plans to expand its portfolio rapidly into secondary markets, including at airports, sporting arenas and exhibition spaces.

Hilton announced its market focus at the 2019 REAL EXPO international trade fair for real estate and investment being held in Munich (7-9 October 2019). Fielding a strong presence and exhibiting at the Hilton stand, members of the Hilton team were on site to introduce delegates to its 2020 expansion launch.

"In recent years, we have seen Hilton's growth in Germany progress at an incredibly fast pace. Our portfolio spans five brands and we have a presence in every major German city.   In addition to opening our luxury and full-service brands, we have identified that the market and investment environment is strong and supportive enough for Hilton to achieve further expansion through a focused approach to move into secondary markets.” said Ulrich Widmer, Managing Director Development Central Europe, Hilton.

Ideal for its focused-service brands, Hampton by Hilton and Hilton Garden Inn, Hilton anticipates that across Germany there are more than 100 potential markets which investors could enter in partnership with Hilton.  Since 2010 more than one Hampton by Hilton hotel has opened each year in Germany and momentum continues. In 2018, Hilton opened six Hampton by Hilton hotels with properties in Munich and Konstanz set to open before the close of 2019.

Widmer added, "The aim is to grow all our brands and be everywhere our guests want us to be, but in response to the demand we have seen from both investors and guests for our mid-market hotels, the 2020 focus is to promote Hampton by Hilton and Hilton Garden Inn, and look to introduce to investors our latest product, Motto by Hilton. These properties are ideal for complementing airports, exhibition and events areas, sporting stadiums and other such enterprises. We’ve had great success in Europe partnering with developers to expand their offering through opening a Hilton hotel alongside infrastructure investments.”

While Hilton’s German market entry took place primarily in major German cities such as Berlin, which hosts the luxury Waldorf Astoria, Frankfurt, Munich and Hamburg, Hilton has already launched its Hampton by Hilton and Hilton Garden Inn brands in Dortmund, Freiburg, Nuremberg, Stuttgart and Mannheim as well at Frankfurt airport.

The German portfolio includes 12 Hampton by Hilton and five Hilton Garden Inn hotels. There are six Hampton by Hilton hotels slated for opening in 2020 and by the close of 2023, the portfolio will increase to 42 properties amounting to more than 10,000 rooms. Worldwide, Hilton operates properties across 17 brands offering nearly 6,000 properties and a global loyalty programme, Hilton Honors, which has more than 94 million members.