It shouldn’t surprise anyone that 2020 was a horrible year for hotels. In fact, STR reports that U.S. hotel profitability fell 84.6% that year. 2021? Much better. Maybe not quite as good as pre-pandemic times, but by the end of the year, with many people vaccinated, boosted, and more comfortable with traveling, hotels in the U.S. recovered about 83%.
The hotel industry is, obviously, big, BIG business. How big? Honestly, it depends on who you ask and how they break it down (By number of properties? Number of rooms? Do motels count? Owned vs. leased? In North American or worldwide? etc.)
Regardless, Hilton Hotels & Resorts is nearly always in the top ten and is therefore one of the largest hotel brands in the world. Established in Cisco, Texas in 1919, they target both business and leisure travelers with locations in major city centers, near airports, convention centers, and popular vacation destinations around the world.
Obviously, all the large hotel chains, whether they’re Hilton, IHG, Accor, Wyndham, Choice, etc. are constantly growing. Whether it’s buying an established hotel (or motel) and rebranding it or building a new one from scratch, the goal of each hotel company is to build its portfolio.
To that end, Hilton saw some HUGE growth in 2021. As in, “Pandemic? WHAT pandemic?” growth. I mean, they opened 414 properties in 2021 (that’s over 1 new hotel per day!), which added more than 67,100 rooms to its system.
“After a year of recovery and growth, it has been incredible to witness the resiliency of the travel industry and our team’s ability to embrace change while serving more guests in more hotels around the world,” said Chris Nassetta, President and CEO, Hilton.
“We believe the desire to travel, experience new cultures and connect with others is core to the human experience. I can speak for all of us at Hilton when I say we’re looking forward to welcoming our guests and helping them make new memories in 2022.”
From Hilton:
Celebrating A Year of Market and Category Milestones
- Historic Las Vegas Development: Hilton notably expanded its presence in the Las Vegas market, which is now home to 13 brands, including all three of our luxury brands, 36 hotels and more than 12,000 rooms. In June 2021, Hilton and Genting Group partnered in the historic opening of Resorts World Las Vegas, the largest multi-brand resort in Hilton’s history, integrating three premium brands – the largest Conrad Hotels & Resorts property in the world, one of the first LXR Hotels & Resorts locations in the U.S. and a marquee Hilton Hotels & Resorts hotel. Additionally, Curio Collection by Hilton re-emerged in Las Vegas with the introduction of Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, Curio Collection by Hilton.
- Significant All-Inclusive Expansion: Hilton’s all-inclusive portfolio expanded in 2021 with openings in the Caribbean and Latin America, including Hilton Cancun, an All-Inclusive Resort, Hilton Vallarta Riviera All-Inclusive Resort, Mangrove Beach Corendon Curaçao All-Inclusive Resort, Curio Collection by Hilton and The Yucatan Playa del Carmen All-Inclusive Resort, Tapestry Collection by Hilton.
- Hilton’s lifestyle brands gained momentum in Europe, the Middle East & Africa (EMEA) and Brazil. Canopy by Hilton made its debuts in France, UK and Spain. Motto by Hilton announced plans to open its first hotel in Europe with Motto Rotterdam Blaak in the Netherlands in 2022. Additionally, Brazil welcomed two Hilton brands with the debuts of Canopy by Hilton Sao Paulo Jardins and Almenat Hotel, Tapestry Collection by Hilton.
- Asia Pacific Growth: Hilton Nagasaki’s flagship opening marked the company’s 500th hotel in Asia Pacific, while Hilton Lanzhou City Center’s opening marked the 400th hotel in the Greater China and Mongolia region.
- Washington, D.C. Expansion: The company introduced its 25th hotel within the portfolio in Washington, D.C. with the debut of Hilton Washington DC Capitol Hill.
Recognizing Year of “Firsts” for the Brand Portfolios with Market Expansions
- Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts expanded the brand’s West Coast presence with the opening of Waldorf Astoria Monarch Beach Resort & Club in Dana Pointe, California and signed a milestone management agreement with Orix Real Estate Corporation to expand the brand into Osaka, Japan in 2025.
- The management agreement was signed for the first Conrad Hotels & Resorts property in California with Conrad Los Angeles (opening Spring 2022) as well as the first in Tulum with Conrad Tulum Riviera Maya.
- LXR Hotels & Resorts was introduced in Africa and the Indian Ocean with Mango House Seychelles and in Asia Pacific with ROKU KYOTO, LXR Hotels & Resorts.
- Signia by Hilton debuted with the conversion and rebrand of Signia by Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek. Additionally, Signia by Hilton Atlanta broke ground at Georgia World Congress Center.
- Curio Collection by Hilton surpassed 100 properties worldwide with the opening of Sable at Navy Pier Chicago, Curio Collection by Hilton.
- DoubleTree by Hilton extended its international reach to its 50th trading market with the opening of DoubleTree by Hilton Frankfurt Niederrad, the brand’s first in Germany.
- Tapestry Collection by Hilton introduced properties in Europe and the Chinese Mainland, including Atocha Hotel Madrid, Tapestry Collection by Hilton and Hollick Hotel Wen’an, Tapestry Collection by Hilton.
- Motto by Hilton announced plans to open its first hotels in Europe and Latin America in 2022 with Motto Rotterdam Blaak in the Netherlands and Motto Tulum in Mexico.
- Hilton Garden Inn entered into Australasia, South Korea, Thailand and Indonesia’s capital city Jakarta with Hilton Garden Inn Albany, Hilton Garden Inn Seoul Gangnam, Hilton Garden Inn Phuket Bang Tao and Hilton Garden Inn Jakarta Taman Palem, respectively. Additionally, the brand launched its large-scale franchise model in China, welcoming investors and independent owners to explore franchising opportunities.
- Hampton by Hilton celebrated milestones throughout the year, surpassing 2,700 open hotels and expanding into Ireland, Uzbekistan and Qatar, as well as the Cayman Islands with Hampton by Hilton Grand Cayman. Hampton also remains the fastest-growing international hotel brand in China, marking 200 open hotels, with a total of 600 signed development deals within the country. Additionally, starting 2022 strong, the brand was recognized for the 13th year in a row as the No. 1 hotel franchise by Entrepreneur’s Franchise 500®, tying the record for most total No. 1 rankings in the Hotels & Motels category.
- Tru by Hilton opened its 200th hotel, adding nearly 100 hotels during the pandemic, and announced expansion into the Caribbean and Latin America, with developments in Brazil, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Mexico and Puerto Rico.
- Homewood Suites by Hilton unveiled a comprehensive brand refresh with a game-changing, all-new prototype – ‘Prototype 10.0’ – designed to offer added value and versatility for owners and developers, while exceeding the needs of guests who want the comforts of home.
- Home2 Suites by Hilton became one of the fastest-growing hotel brands as it reached 500 open properties in just 10 years and touts the largest pipeline in the U.S., with 437 properties in development. The brand also debuted in China, with the opening of the first of 1,000 Home2 Suites by Hilton properties in the region.
Obviously, Hilton wasn’t the only hotel to have growth in 2021. But other hotels didn’t seem to have quite as much growth as them. For example, Marriott, the largest hotel company in the world, opened about 381 hotels in 2021. So for Hilton, opening 414 properties in one year (almost 50 more than Marriott), which brings their portfolio to over than a million rooms in 6,700+ properties, in 122 countries and territories, is a big deal and, understandably, something they’re very proud of.
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