Hilton Pushes Deeper Into Luxury Market in Loyalty Play

Hilton expects to open three luxury and lifestyle properties a week this year, on average. This puts it on track to have a substantially larger share of luxury and lifestyle rooms than its peers, partly to make its loyalty program more attractive to travelers.

Hilton is betting on luxury hotels as it chases affluent travelers worldwide who want more aspirational redemption options in its loyalty program.

The hotel giant reached a milestone Monday with its 1,000th luxury and lifestyle hotel opening globally. It said it expects to add more than 150 luxury and lifestyle properties this year, equivalent to roughly three new hotels per week.

"Our more than 218 million Hilton Honors members dream of those experiences and are motivated, in part, to consolidate their spend and get access to luxury properties," said Chris Silcock, president of global brands and commercial services, in a Skift interview at the NYU International Hospitality Investment Forum in New York City. Silcock will also speak on stage Wednesday June 4 in New York City at Skift's Data and AI Summit.

As of March 2024, Hilton only had 3% of its rooms in the luxury category. It held roughly three t