Hilton Enters 100th Year with Record Growth and Industry‑Leading Initiatives

MCLEAN, VA. - Hilton (NYSE: HLT) announced that in 2018 it achieved a fourth consecutive year of record-breaking growth including deals signed, construction starts and new openings, and launched bold corporate responsibility goals while remaining a World’s Best Workplace.

“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,” said Christopher J. Nassetta, president & chief executive officer, Hilton. “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.”

The company recently unveiled The Hilton Effect, a white paper that showcases the world-changing influence Hilton has had during the past century with guests, Team Members, communities and economies.

“During our first 100 years, we have served more than three billion guests and provided $1 trillion of economic impact through a phenomenon we call The Hilton Effect,” said Kevin Jacobs, chief financial officer, Hilton. “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.”

Record Growth: Effect on Economies

• Grew 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
• Achieved almost seven percent net unit growth, 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
• Unveiled Motto by Hilton, an affordable lifestyle brand that will give guests the freedom to create their own experiences in the world’s top urban destinations including London, Boston, Dublin and Washington, D.C.
• Expanded luxury portfolio with the launch of LXR Hotels & Resorts and the marquee openings of Waldorf Astoria Las Vegas, Waldorf Astoria Atlanta Buckhead and Waldorf Astoria Bangkok
• Created more than 28,000 new hospitality jobs globally
• Extended Hilton’s signature hospitality to 166 million guests around the world
• Opened 1,000th All Suites Brands by Hilton property with the Homewood Suites by Hilton in Pleasant Hill, California; Curio Collection by Hilton surpassed 65 hotels opened; and Tru by Hilton continued its rapid growth reaching 50 open hotels and celebrated at the Tru by Hilton Salt Lake City Airport
• Opened first tri-branded Hilton property in Chicago at McCormick Place featuring Hilton Garden Inn, Hampton Inn and Home2 Suites

Travel with Purpose: Effect on Communities

• Launched 2030 Goals, which include doubling investment in social impact and cutting the company’s environmental footprint in half
• Became the first major hospitality company to set science-based carbon reduction targets approved by the Science Based Targets initiative
• Pledged to be the first in the industry to commit to sending zero soap to landfill
• Named as the Industry Leader on the Dow Jones Sustainability Index, North America
• Recognized as the Most JUST Company in the hospitality industry on America’s Top 100 Most JUST companies by Forbes
• Debuted as the only hospitality company on FORTUNE’s Change the World List
• Awarded 2018 Best Corporate Steward by US Chamber of Commerce Foundation
• Announced initial investment of $1 million to drive sustainable travel and tourism in Africa
• Volunteered more than 235,000 hours across 93 countries during Global Week of Service

Customer Innovations: Effect on Guests

• Gained more than 14 million new Hilton Honors members, bringing total membership to more than 85 million at year end
• Donated more than 234 million Points by Hilton Honors members to support 325 non-profit organizations
• Scaled the industry-first Digital Key technology to more than 4,100 properties, with 7.6 million downloads in 2018
• Opened more than 40 million doors with Digital Key since launch in 2015
• Rolled out more than 1,800 Connected Rooms, with plans to bring the technology to tens of thousands of rooms across the U.S. as well as the first non-U.S. locations
• Teamed up with SHOWTIME and Netflix to create a more personalized travel experience allowing guests to stream their favorite Netflix series or movie on Connected Room televisions

World’s Best Workplace: Effect on Team Members

• Ranked #2 World’s Best Workplace, appearing on Great Place to Work's^® annual list of 25 World's Best Workplaces for the third year in a row
• Recognized by Great Place to Work^® in 13 countries including: Australia #4, Brazil #17, China, Colombia #4, India #18, Italy #2, Mexico #4, Netherlands #11, Peru #2, Turkey #2, UAE #7, U.K. #6, and U.S.A. #33
• Recognized as #1 Workplace for Diversity by FORTUNE and a Top 10 Company for Diversity by DiversityInc, climbing 20 places from 2017
• Named #1 Best Workplace for Parents in the U.S. by Great Place to Work^®
• Awarded 10 Team Members the opportunity of a lifetime to take a paid four-week Thrive Sabbatical to give a dream or live a dream as part of a commitment to encourage Team Members to Thrive@Hilton 

To learn more about Hilton, please visit newsroom.hilton.com.

*Industry data from STR