HILTON TO OPEN MAJOR LUXURY HOTELS THIS YEAR, ATTRACTING NEW CUSTOMERS WITH PARTNERSHIPS AND GROWING LIFESTYLE BRANDS
Hilton is opening doors—to new hotels, new experiences and new customers.
That was the message conveyed at a Hilton media event in New York City on Jan. 21, where executives shared news from the 24-brand hotel company.
With major luxury properties debuting this year, an expanding Lifestyle hotel portfolio, and strategic partnerships that enhance Hilton’s appeal to younger travelers, Hilton aims to “bring warm, enlightened hospitality to every stay and every guest,” said Oral Muir, vice president of partnerships, experiences, and distribution.
Significant Luxury Openings in 2025
Hilton’s five luxury brands—Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts, Conrad Hotels & Resorts, LXR Hotels & Resorts, NoMad Hotels and Signia by Hilton—had a record-breaking year of growth in 2024. And—thanks to Hilton’s partnership with Small Luxury Hotels of the World (SLH) last year—hundreds of the boutique luxury brand’s properties can be booked on all Hilton direct booking channels, and Hilton Honors’ 200 million-plus members can earn and redeem points for SLH stays.
“Our commitment to luxury has been quite profound," said Dino Michael, senior vice president and global head of Hilton Luxury Brands. "Our partnership with SLH has given us an additional 400-plus destinations for our guests to visit, places that we’ve been told over and over again, ‘We want to go there.’”
The expansion continues in 2025, with Hilton opening at least one luxury hotel a month. This spring will see the long-awaited reopening of the Waldorf Astoria New York, which is “not only our flagship for the Waldorf Astoria brand, it’s a flagship for our entire company,” said Michael.
Spanning a city block at 301 Park Avenue between 49th and 50th streets, the legendary art deco hotel, formerly 1,400 rooms, will reopen with 375 rooms, suites, and residences. “All the areas you know and love are there, and they’re restored beyond their former glory,” said Michael.
One such iconic Waldorf Astoria spot is the Peacock Alley Bar, which will feature a cocktail program curated by acclaimed mixologist Jeff Bell, managing partner of renowned speakeasy Please Don’t Tell. Bell is also developing the cocktail list at the hotel’s signature restaurant, Lex Yard.
Hilton’s key luxury openings in 2025 also include:
- The Waldorf Astoria Costa Rica Punta Cacique is opening this spring and is situated on the dramatic cliffside peninsula of Cacique on Guanacaste’s secluded Playa Penca
- The Waldorf Astoria Osaka, the first Waldorf in Japan, opens this spring and spans 12 stories of a 39-story high-rise in the new Grand Green Osaka urban mixed-use development
- The Waldorf Astoria Shanghai Qiantan is slated to open in September in Shanghai’s New Bund area.
- TheWaldorf Astoria Rabat Salé is located in the tallest building in Morocco and the third tallest building in Africa.
- The Conrad Athens is scheduled to open this year alongside Waldorf Astoria Residences and Conrad Residences in The Ilisian, a landmark building in the heart of the city that once housed the Hilton Athens.
- The Conrad Hamburg is scheduled to open in August in a historic building in the heart of the city, marking the debut of the Conrad brand in Germany.
- LXR Hotels & Resorts – Casablanca, marking the Morocco debut of Hilton’s award-winning collection of independent luxury hotels.
- The recently opened Signia by Hilton Amman in Jordan's capital is the brand’s first property outside the U.S.
To support the top-producing luxury travel advisors booking Hilton’s growing high-end portfolio, the company introduced Hilton for Luxury last year. The invitation-only program is a one-stop shop for luxury travel advisors, with a concierge desk, a dedicated private website, exclusive offers, value-added benefits and direct contact with on-property team members.
Focus on Lifestyle Brands
Hilton is poised to double the size of its six-brand Lifestyle portfolio, adding 350 properties by 2028. These brands—including Canopy, Graduate, Curio Collection, Tapestry Collection, Tempo and Motto—are designed to offer distinct and local travel experiences, and “have a point of view,” said Kevin Osterhaus, Hilton’s newly appointed president of global lifestyle brands.
Osterhaus previously was president of Graduate Hotels, which was purchased by Hilton last year. The 35 Graduate by Hilton properties are university-themed, and celebrate their locations' history, charm and pop culture.
Two of the latest to debut are the Graduate by Hilton Princeton, located just steps from Princeton University in New Jersey, and the Graduate by Hilton Auburn, near Alabama’s Auburn University. Upcoming locations include the soon-to-open Graduate by Hilton Dallas, across the street from Southern Methodist University, and the Graduate by Hilton Austin, slated to open in 2027 near the University of Texas campus.
Osterhaus will oversee the segment’s expansion from Hilton’s new Lifestyle hub in New York. “We’re very excited this year to build the team, to get the hub opened here [in Manhattan], and to start to really focus on growth,” said Osterhaus.
Additional news from Hilton’s Lifestyle brands includes:
- Canopy by Hilton—elevated boutique hotels in desirable locations—opened its first resort property last year, Canopy by Hilton Seychelles. Additional resorts are planned in Okinawa, Japan, and Bozeman, Montana. New city locations include the soon-to-open Canopy by Hilton Nashville Downtown The Gulch; and the recently opened Canopy by Hilton Cape Town Longkloof in South Africa.
- The Motto brand of stylish micro-hotels expanding to South America with Motto by Hilton Cusco in Peru. Motto properties combine efficient guestrooms with locations in the center of the action, including upcoming openings in downtown Nashville, midtown Atlanta and Hong Kong.
- Tempo by Hilton, designed for active, wellness-focused travelers, will expand to approximately 30 hotels by 2026. With recent openings in Times Square, Nashville and Raleigh, North Carolina, Tempo’s upcoming debuts include Tempo by Hilton San Diego Del Mar.
- Nearly 100 hotels are under development for the Curio Collection of one-of-a-kind, upper-upscale hotels in the world’s most sought-after destinations. Opening soon is the Zemi Miches All-Inclusive Resort in the Dominican Republic, the KROMO Bangkok, marking the first Curio in Thailand, and the Kailani Grand Cayman.
- The Tapestry Collection of upscale, original hotels experiencing significant international growth, including its first hotel in Northern Ireland—The Marcus Portrush, a historic building conversion slated to open this summer. Notable recent Tapestry openings include the Delfins Beach Resort Bonaire, while upcoming debuts include the ski-in, ski-out Hotel Ascent Park City in Utah.
Partnerships Expanding Customer Base
As Hilton expands its portfolio—by record-breaking numbers in 2024, when the company added 973 hotels—it’s also forging partnerships that expand its customer base.
One prime example is AutoCamp, a glamping company that “allows customers to blend outdoor living with a boutique hotel experience,” said Muir. At AutoCamps, in classic outdoor adventure destinations such as Zion, Utah; Yosemite and Joshua Tree, California; and Cape Cod, Massachusetts, accommodations include custom-designed Airstream trailers, spacious cabins and luxury tents. Another defining feature of AutoCamp is its Clubhouse, located in the heart of each property, with a market and food-and-beverage options.
AutoCamp stays are bookable on Hilton’s direct channels, and Hilton Honors members can earn and redeem points at the properties. Honors members’ perks at AutoCamp include a s’mores kit, a bundle of firewood, eco-friendly waters and space-available upgrades for Diamond members.
Jenn Chick, senior vice president and global head of loyalty and customer growth, considers AutoCamp a great way to introduce Hilton and its loyalty program to a younger generation. “We’ve been able to attract a new kind of customer,” says Chick. “AutoCamp is a perfect fit.”
2025-02-07T12:17:59Z
