Hilton Worldwide Becomes Fastest Growing Major Hotel Company

Hilton Worldwide
Published: January 24th, 2012

January 24, 2012 // Franchising.com // MCLEAN, Va. - Hilton Worldwide has become the fastest growing major hotel company, expanding its portfolio by 29 percent since June 2007 and surpassing its competitors in total rate of room growth.[i]  During this time, Hilton Worldwide has also added more than 950 hotels to its total global footprint and created a pipeline of over 860 hotels, among several other successes.

In 2011, Hilton Worldwide opened a total of 170 hotels and gained supply share in each of its global regions. In the United States, Hilton Worldwide has over 10 percent of the room supply market share, the largest in the country, as well as over 18 percent of the active industry room pipeline in the planning to construction phases.[ii]

"In recent years Hilton Worldwide has thrived by successfully navigating a number of challenging macroeconomic factors and pursuing an aggressive global growth strategy," said Christopher J. Nassetta, President and Chief Executive Officer, Hilton Worldwide.  "Our momentum will continue with one of the largest pipelines in our history and in the industry."

Development Success

Last year marked several development-related milestones for Hilton Worldwide, including:

• Opening 170 hotels, with more than 29,400 rooms, and signing management or franchise agreements on more than 320 hotels, with over 62,000 rooms.
• Surpassing 633,000 hotel and timeshare rooms globally, while maintaining its position as the largest hospitality company in the U.S. by number of rooms.[ii]
• Achieving the largest global room pipeline in company history, with a current total of nearly 150,000 rooms:
  • The company's rooms under construction in emerging markets have grown from 6 percent in June 2007 to 66 percent.[iv]
  • Expansion plans in Latin America are the strongest in the company's history, with the portfolio expected to reach 50 hotels by the end of 2013.
  • In Europe the company has the largest active pipeline of any hotel company in the region,[v] with over 20,000 rooms in 117 properties.

Additional Companywide Achievements

In 2011, Hilton Worldwide also:

• Announced 2010 results from LightStay, the company's proprietary sustainability measurement system, which reported that Hilton Worldwide has saved more than $74 million in utility costs as a result of reducing energy use by 6.6 percent, carbon output by 7.8 percent, waste output by 19 percent and water use by 3.8 percent.
• Became one of the first multi-national organizations to certify its entire system globally with the International Organization for Standardizations' ISO 9001 certification for Quality Management Systems and ISO 14001 certification for Environmental Management Systems.
• Launched the company's global corporate responsibility platform - Travel with Purpose.  As part of these efforts, Hilton Worldwide:
  • Announced partnerships with The Global Soap Project, Good360 and Sundance Institute.
  • Led corporate fundraising initiatives to support humanitarian efforts in Japan, East Africa, Turkey and Thailand through GlobalGiving.org and educational field trips in collaboration with DonorsChoose.org.
  • Signed the Tourism Code of Conduct while joining ECPAT-USA and implementing team member training programs to fight against child trafficking in the travel industry.

Brand Achievements

Hilton Worldwide's market-leading brands and loyalty program also individually achieved many significant accomplishments in 2011, including:

• Hilton HHonors reached a milestone of 30 million total members - with over 3.5 million members joining in 2011 alone. HHonors also became the official hotel sponsor of the Chinese Olympic Committee through 2019, which is the first time a multinational hotel company has supported the organization. This partnership expanded Hilton Worldwide's Olympic involvement, which also includes sponsorship of the U.S. Olympic Committee.
• Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts announced the opening of London Syon Park, A Waldorf Astoria Hotel, and several properties that will open in 2012 including Waldorf Astoria Chicago; Waldorf Astoria Berlin; The Panamera, A Waldorf Astoria Hotel, in Panama City, Panama; and Waldorf Astoria Ras Al Khaimah, in the United Arab Emirates.
• Conrad Hotels & Resorts celebrated its 25^th anniversary; unveiled a global advertising campaign focused on the brand's tagline, "The Luxury of Being Yourself;" opened the Conrad Koh Samui in Thailand; and announced several new hotels will open in 2012, including the Conrad New York, which will debut in the first quarter.
• Hilton Hotels & Resorts announced the global launch of "Hilton Huanying," a tailored experience for Chinese travelers to welcome them to Hilton Worldwide properties, and expanded the program to over 60 properties in 16 countries. In the first five months of the program, the total number of rooms booked at participating hotels by guests based in China rose nearly 30 percent year-over-year.
• DoubleTree by Hilton launched its new global identity, opened its 250^th hotel and is celebrating the 25^th anniversary of its signature chocolate chip cookie at check-in.
• Embassy Suites Hotels, Hilton Garden Inn and Homewood Suites by Hilton were all recognized by J.D. Power and Associates. Embassy Suites and Homewood received the highest honors within their categories in the 2011 North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index Study, while Hilton Garden Inn was awarded top honors in the 2011 European Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index Study.
• Hilton Garden Inn launched the brand's most significant refresh program to date, "Project Grow," a lobby refresh initiative, as well as the "Hilton Garden Inn Promise Guarantee."
• Hampton Hotels was selected as the 2012 number-one franchise in Entrepreneur's Annual Franchise 500 for the second consecutive year and opened its first hotel in Asia.
• Home2 Suites by Hilton opened the doors to its first property in February and now has seven open across the United States, with another 56 in the pipeline.
• Hilton Grand Vacations attained the most successful year in the brand's history with their highest sales volume ever.

[i] STR Global - Census; Hilton Worldwide statements based on Q4 2011 company financial reports and figures include timeshare properties

[ii] STR Global - Census and Comprehensive Pipeline

[iii] STR Global - Census

[iv] Emerging markets are defined as nations who are not members of the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development. Its 34 member countries are listed here: http://www.oecd.org/pages/0,3417,en_36734052_36761800_1_1_1_1_1,00.html )

[v] STR Global - Comprehensive Pipeline

About Hilton Worldwide

Hilton Worldwide is the leading global hospitality company, spanning the lodging sector from luxurious full-service hotels and resorts to extended-stay suites and mid-priced hotels. For 93 years, Hilton Worldwide has offered business and leisure travelers the finest in accommodations, service, amenities and value. The company is dedicated to continuing its tradition of providing exceptional guest experiences across its global brands. Its brands are comprised of more than 3,800 hotels and timeshare properties, with 630,000 rooms in 88 countries and include Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts, Conrad Hotels & Resorts, Hilton Hotels & Resorts, DoubleTree by Hilton, Embassy Suites Hotels, Hilton Garden Inn, Hampton Hotels, Homewood Suites by Hilton, Home2 Suites by Hilton and Hilton Grand Vacations. The company also manages the world-class guest reward program Hilton HHonors®. Visit www.hiltonworldwide.com for more information and connect with Hilton Worldwide at www.facebook.com/hiltonworldwide, www.twitter.com/hiltonworldwide, www.youtube.com/hiltonworldwide, www.flickr.com/hiltonworldwide and www.linkedin.com/company/hilton-worldwide.

Contact:

Aaron Radelet
aaron.radelet@hilton.com
(703) 883-5804

Katherine Mikesell
katherine.mikesell@hilton.com
(703) 883-5806