News Highlights and Storylines
From new brands and new styles of accommodations to the dramatic expansion of luxury and lifestyle and continued commitment to creating the world’s best Stay, 2026 is set to be an exciting year for Hilton.
Recent Announcements
Diamond Reserve Moments Await
Hilton is committed to rewarding loyalty at every stage of the travel journey by announcing exciting updates to its award-winning Hilton Honors program. The next evolution of Hilton Honors, which debuted this January, introduced the program’s most elite tier yet, Diamond Reserve. The new Diamond Reserve tier represents an exclusive level of recognition and benefits, including Confirmable Upgrade Rewards, guaranteed 4 p.m. late checkout and dedicated customer service support.
In addition, Hilton Honors Gold becomes the most valuable mid-tier status, while maintaining popular benefits like space-available room upgrades and on-property Food & Beverage credits. Diamond status will also be more attainable, allowing members to enjoy faster access to the elite benefits they appreciate most.
- Loyalty Upgraded: Hilton Honors Introduces Faster Path to Elite Status and Reveals New Premium Tier – Diamond Reserve
- Hilton Honors Fact Sheet, including new benefits beginning in 2026
- A Beginner’s Guide to Hilton Honors
The Classic American Road Trip
2026 is the season of road trips as Americans hit the road to rediscover the country and celebrate America’s 250th birthday. Hilton is leading the way with family and pet-friendly adventures, all suite comfort, and experiences rooted in consistency and familiarity to ground a road trip of a lifetime.
- Hilton's 2026 Trends Report: The U.S. Road Trip Returns
- Mornings Are on Us: Breakfast Beyond the Buffet at Hilton
- Stack Your Morning Right: Build the Ultimate Breakfast Sandwich at Home2 Suites by Hilton
- Hampton by Hilton Crowns First-Ever Guest Waffle Boss Following Nationwide Flavor Competition
- Embassy Suites by Hilton’s Evening Reception is the Ultimate Travel Perk
Luxury & Lifestyle, The Stay Redefined
In 2025, Hilton’s luxury and lifestyle portfolios reached unprecedented heights, officially surpassing 1,000 hotels worldwide. This milestone reflects a year defined by purposeful growth, strategic partnerships, and a confident redefinition of modern luxury. Looking ahead to 2026, Hilton is shaping its next chapter around what today’s discerning travelers value most: meaningful connections, purposeful experiences, and immersive journeys that transcend place.
Hilton’s Luxury and Lifestyle portfolio has reached a major milestone: 1,000 hotels globally, with nearly 500 more in the pipeline. This growth is fueled by strategic partnerships, new brand launches, and expansion into the world’s most sought-after destinations.
Hilton’s Lifestyle brands saw impressive, rapid growth in 2025. Canopy by Hilton debuted in Nashville, South Africa and Türkiye while Graduate by Hilton opened its most recent property in Dallas. Curio and Tapestry Collections are both nearing their respective 200th hotel milestone, fueled by first in market debuts like Japan, Thailand, Austria, Hawaii, Northern Ireland and the first Tapestry Collection hotel on the continent of Africa. The category even launched a new brand with Outset Collection by Hilton, which introduces independent, story-driven hotels that are surprising and soulful—from reimagined icons to revived landmarks.
Waldorf Astoria London – Admiralty Arch: A new icon of British luxury, Waldorf Astoria London – Admiralty Arch will feature 100 guest rooms, event spaces including a 300-guest ballroom, and signature restaurants from celebrated chefs Clare Smyth MBE and Daniel Boulud—who hold seven Michelin stars between them—set to anchor the culinary program.
Photo credit: Photo by DAVID ILIFF Creative Commons License
Food & Beverage: From chef partner collaborations with internationally acclaimed talents like Dominique Crenn—who will bring her celebrated, ingredient forward philosophy to Waldorf Astoria Texas Hill Country, opening in 2027—to boundary pushing mixology such as Tempo by Hilton’s partnership with Derek Brown, Hilton’s luxury and lifestyle brands continue to set the pace in global gastronomy.
Branded Residences by Hilton Expansion: Hilton’s branded residential portfolio spans 12 distinctive brands: Waldorf Astoria, Conrad, LXR, NoMad, Signia, Curio Collection, Tapestry Collection, Canopy, Hilton Hotels & Resorts, DoubleTree, Homewood Suites, and Embassy Suites. Current footprint includes 39 properties operating worldwide with a pipeline of 40 additional residences in development across key markets. Record-breaking sales include a $27M penthouse at Waldorf Astoria Residences St. Petersburg and a full sell-out at Waldorf Astoria Residences Yas Island.
Power of Hilton’s Collection Brands: Hilton’s collection brands—LXR Hotels & Resorts, Curio Collection by Hilton, Tapestry Collection by Hilton and Outset Collection by Hilton—deliver distinctive, independently minded hotel experiences backed by Hilton’s proven expertise in brand conversions and its powerful commercial engine. These brands speak directly to travelers seeking bespoke design, personalized stays, and off the beaten path discoveries, while offering owners and investors the strength of Hilton’s network effect.
LXR’s Global Pursuits: LXR’s newly launched Pursuit of Adventure program is introducing curated, story-worthy experiences that deepen emotional connection and drive brand loyalty. At the same time, LXR is entering a defining era of global growth, with new openings such as The Den, Sandblu Santorini, and Cameo Beverly Hills expanding its footprint. Together with its broader development pipeline, the brand is approaching a combined portfolio of nearly 40 trading and pipeline properties.
Waldorf Astoria New York reopened in 2025 following an unprecedented restoration, marking a defining moment for the brand’s global evolution. The iconic landmark now stands as the flagship for a new era of Waldorf Astoria, where quiet grandeur, purposeful design, and world-class culinary experiences set the standard for modern luxury.
Your Next Stay, Reimagined
Hilton is opening a world of possibilities, with more places to stay and more ways to explore—from the recently announced Apartment Collection by Hilton to Hilton Honors Adventures and new openings and partnerships.
Hilton announced Apartment Collection by Hilton, a new lodging category within Hilton's growing collection brand portfolio – offering unique, spacious furnished apartments with the trusted hospitality and reliability guests expect from Hilton.
The exclusive partnership with Hilton and Small Luxury Hotels of the World continues to expand, creating new ways for Hilton Honors members to dream and redeem their Points around the world. At the end of 2025, the partnership celebrated a key milestone with over 500 participating boutique hotels - growing from the initial list of nearly 400 hotels in just over a year.
Hilton Honors Adventures launched as a new expansion of Hilton’s loyalty program, bringing immersive, experiential travel to its members. Hilton’s exclusive partnerships with ultra elegant ocean travel brand, Explora Journeys, and premier outdoor hospitality provider, AutoCamp, invite travelers to immerse themselves in bucket-list-worthy travel, elevating loyalty benefits across land and at sea.
Hilton All-Inclusive & Resorts: Hilton continues to elevate the all‑inclusive space with thoughtfully designed stays where ease, comfort, and connection come naturally, blending elevated dining, curated activities, wellness offerings, and cultural programming into one seamless, stress‑free experience for families, couples, business travelers and more.
In 2025, Hilton debuted its all‑inclusive presence in the Dominican Republic with the opening of Zemi Miches Punta Cana All-Inclusive Resort, Curio Collection by Hilton, and 2026 is shaping up to be a standout year with exciting developments including the new Westerly Tower at Hilton Aruba Caribbean Resort and the transformation of The Diplomat Beach Resort into Signia by Hilton.
Happy team. Happy guests.
At Hilton, we believe that when we take care of our team members, they take care of our guests. Our commitment to people is at the heart of everything we do. It’s why we’ve been named the No. 1 World’s Best Workplace, and it’s one of many reasons guests say Hilton is the best place to stay. In fact, in a recent Morning Consult survey, consumers told us that companies that take good care of their employees provide better products and services, with nearly 90% (88%) saying that taking care of employees is especially important for travel and hospitality brands.
Hilton’s 2026 Trends Report
In the year ahead, travelers are redefining the journey and choosing trips that begin with purpose, not just a place. According to Hilton’s 2026 Trends Report, The Whycation: Travel’s New Starting Point, the question isn’t “Where are we going?” it’s “Why are we going?”
Why We Gather: The New Era of Purpose-Driven Meetings & Events
This new, special section of Hilton's 2026 Trends Report explores how the digital era is redefining in-person connection and the attendee motivations reshaping meetings and events.
