Hilton CMO talks brand swagger, AI — and the pause that refreshed
At the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity, I sat down with Hilton CMO Mark Weinstein to talk about how the brand's current strong positioning and growth was forged in that crisis, how it strikes a balance between the inspiration of its past, and the technological possibility of the future, and more.
Subscribe to Fast Company Premium to watch the video interview on:
How Hilton found its 'Just Do It'
Why Weinstein looked to founder Conrad Hilton to rediscover the company's 'swagger'
How Hilton deploys AI today—and how it's preparing for an agentic AI world
Why Weinstein believes you have to give up some control of your brand story to creators, even if it means losing some of your narrative.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
34 minutes ago
- Yahoo
FITUR 2026 expands its technological dimension with the introduction of the Knowledge Hub
The International Tourism Trade Fair, taking place from 21 to 25 January at IFEMA MADRID, reinforces its leadership with Hall 12 as the epicentre of tourism innovation. Over the course of the professional days, the Knowledge Hub will be hosting the Travel Technology area, which has grown by more than 35%; FITUR Know-How & Export; FITUR Sports; FITUR Talent; FITUR TechY, and the FITURNEXT Observatory. MADRID, July 3, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- FITUR, the International Tourism Trade Fair, which is taking place from 21 to 25 January 2026 at IFEMA MADRID, reinforces its technological dimension as a key backbone for the development of tourism with the introduction of the Knowledge Hub. Located in Hall 12, it will be occupied by forward-thinking companies from around the world that are benchmarks in the digital ecosystem, and will bring together high-impact, topical content that is defining the future of the industry. During the professional days - Wednesday 21, Thursday 22 and Friday 23 January - international experts will meet in Hall 12 at hundreds of sessions to exchange experiences and share the best practices that are defining trends in the tourism sector. In this way, FITUR reinforces its commitment to the dissemination of knowledge and technology, facilitating its access to companies, destinations and professionals. The Knowledge Hub, epicentre of Travel Technology, which has grown by more than 35%. The Knowledge Hub will be hosting the Travel Technology area, which has grown by more than 35% compared to last year, with more than 100 companies from 20 countries, underlining the key role of technology in the transformation of the tourism sector. In addition, this space will be the setting for FITUR TechY, organised in collaboration with the Spanish Hotel Technology Institute (ITH). Thus, FITUR announces that Hall 12 will be gathering together leading companies from the technology sector such as Amadeus, Travelgate, BeonX, Duetto, Ratehawk and Mirai, among others, consolidating its role as one of the major new features at the International Tourism Trade Fair. In addition, the Knowledge Hub will enhance the congress offer and centralise the most topical and interesting content of FITUR Know-How & Export, FITUR Sports, FITUR Talent and the FITURNEXT Sustainability Observatory. Hall 12, main access to FITUR from the south-east of the venue The Knowledge Hub is strategically located in the southeast of the Trade Fair Centre, where there will be a direct entrance to FITUR, creating a new circulation aisle linking Halls 4 and 12, which will facilitate and redistribute the flow of professional visitors. This privileged connection reinforces the role of the Knowledge Hub as one of the main features at the trade fair, guaranteeing an accessible and dynamic space that will enhance the visibility and impact of all the activities and exhibitors gathered there, with the focus on professional visitors. In this way, this trade fair configuration allows for the creation of a specialised, attractive and exclusive environment for professionals in the tourism sector, opening only on working days and focusing the offer for the general public over the weekend in the other eight halls. FITUR 2026, nine halls at the service of tourism development with a positive impact The 46th edition of FITUR will occupy a total of 9 Halls -3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 and 12- where the most pioneering global offer of the entire tourism value chain of public and private institutions linked to destinations, accommodation, agencies and tour operators, technology companies, means of transport and other services in the sector will be presented. Hall 3 will be occupied by the Americas; Hall 4 will be hosting Europe and FITUR Cruises; Halls 5, 7 and 9, Spain together with FITUR LGTB+ in Hall9; Hall 6, the Middle East and Africa; Hall 8, Asia-Pacific and Global Business; Hall 10, Global Business and FITUR 4all, FITUR Lingua, FITUR Screen and FITUR Woman; and the Knowledge Hub, Hall 12, FITUR TechY, FITUR Know-How & Export, FITUR Sports, FITUR Talent, the FITURNEXT Observatory and the Travel Technology companies area. FITUR 2026 is taking place from 21 to 25 January at IFEMA MADRID. Media Contact: Elena Valera, evalera@ SOURCE FITUR/IFEMA MADRID Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Bloomberg
an hour ago
- Bloomberg
More Fixed Income Value Outside of US, JPMorgan Asset Management's Sheng Says
JPMorgan Asset Management's Sylvia Sheng shares her views on fixed income opportunities. Sheng says there's "more value outside of the US, especially looking at Europe." She also says the firm favors Hong Kong and Japanese equities. Sheng speaks on Bloomberg Television. (Source: Bloomberg)
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Starmer faces Labour turmoil and global volatility as he marks year in Number 10
Sir Keir Starmer is facing Labour dissent, economic uncertainty and spiralling conflict abroad as he marks a year in Number 10. The Prime Minister led his party back into power with more than 400 MPs on July 4 last year – clinching a majority just short of Sir Tony Blair's landslide in 1997. But with a daunting in-tray of problems including a stuttering economy, creaking public services and global volatility, his political honeymoon period was short-lived. His personal popularity is now the lowest of any British premier after their first 12 months in office, political scientist and polling guru Professor Sir John Curtice said. 'There were pretty clear potential weaknesses before they even started, and most of those weaknesses have basically just been exposed over the course of the last 12 months,' he told the PA news agency. Sir John said part of the problem lay in what he described as a failure of narrative in setting out the Government's vision for change to the public. 'They're portraying themselves as a repair gang rather than the builders of a new Jerusalem. Pessimism doesn't necessarily go down very well,' he told PA. 'The thing with Starmer is, he's a brilliant prosecution lawyer… But prosecution lawyers present cases that have been (put together) by someone else. The problem is that as a political leader you've got to prosecute your own case. 'Maybe he needs new personnel? Either he's got to learn to do it himself or get someone in to do it for him.' That verdict was echoed by some dissenting voices within Labour ranks, where there is lingering discontent among rebels over the Government's Welfare Bill despite Number 10 offering major concessions on the legislation. The Government saw off the threat of a major Commons defeat over the legislation on Tuesday after shelving plans to restrict eligibility for the personal independence payment (Pip), the main disability benefit in England. 'I think he really needs to think about why he wants to be a Labour Prime Minister and what is it he actually cares about,' one long-serving Labour MP said. They said Tuesday had marked 'the lowest point' in Sir Keir's premiership so far and raised questions about his authority, warning that backbenchers may now feel emboldened to demand further U-turns elsewhere. Sir John said that the Government's challenges in passing legislation were unsurprising with the broad but fragile coalition of support on which Labour built its election victory, securing 412 seats on just 35% of the vote. That means many MPs defending narrow majorities and raises the prospect of 'a large body of people who are nervous about their political futures,' he said. The Government's original welfare proposals had been part of a package that ministers expected to save up to £5 billion a year, leaving Chancellor Rachel Reeves needing to look for the money elsewhere. The fallout threatens to cause lasting damage to morale in Labour ranks, with some rebels calling for a reset in relations between the parliamentary party and the leadership before fractures widen. Images of the Chancellor crying in the Commons on Wednesday have also led to questions about her future, although a Treasury spokesman cited a 'personal matter' as the cause of her distress and Number 10 said she would remain in post. Asked whether it was time for a course correction, Downing Street has said the Prime Minister will 'plough on' with the 'very busy agenda' of Government. But the MP quoted above said: 'The idea that they can keep carrying on as they've been carrying on is suicidal. 'They have no real sense of how the party thinks and feels.' Others had a more optimistic view of the year ahead, with a Starmer loyalist who supported the Bill suggesting the upset could be salvaged with a 'measured but solid response' from the Government. 'The worst they can do is nothing,' the backbencher added. The Prime Minister used a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday to defend his record in office, telling ministers the welfare Bill was 'to help those who can work into employment and ensure dignity and security for those who can't work.' He said they could all 'rightly look back with a real sense of pride and achievement' on the last 12 months, pointing to a reduction in NHS waiting lists and a series of economic agreements struck with the US, EU and India. Abroad, the Prime Minister faces a tricky diplomatic balancing act as he seeks to strengthen ties with both Europe and Washington amid global instability from the Ukraine war and Middle East crisis. At home, Labour is staring down a threat from Nigel Farage's Reform UK party, which turned opinion poll momentum into widespread gains at the ballot box during the local elections in May. Sir John said that parties such as Reform and the Greens offer more choice to voters wanting to express their discontent with Labour while the Tories continue to flounder in the polls. 'The character of the challenge is different from what it has been historically,' he said. Tim Bale, professor of politics at Queen Mary University, said people had been expecting bold change on areas such as workers' rights and growth, and the Government's achievements so far were 'pretty small beer' by comparison. Critics say the first year has instead been marked by a series of U-turns, including a partial reversal of cuts to the winter fuel payment and the move to launch a national inquiry into grooming gangs after months of resisting opposition pressure to do so. The Government disputes that framing, pointing out for example that ministers had never explicitly ruled out a statutory probe into child sexual exploitation but waited for a review to be carried out before making a decision. Prof Bale said he believed the first year had gone 'worse than most people imagined' and warned 'it's difficult for a leader who starts badly to persuade people that he or she is what they need.' But he said the problems were not necessarily fatal, adding that setbacks early on in a premiership have an upside in allowing for more time to 'turn it round'. 'If you look back to Margaret Thatcher, she was able to do that, so it's not a foregone conclusion that all is lost, even for Keir Starmer himself,' he said. Arguing that the Government could recover in the polls if its plans for the economy and public services pay off, he added: 'I think you can see the light at the end of the tunnel, but it's a very long tunnel.' Sir Keir has pledged to lead a 'decade of national renewal' through a phased approach to Government, the first year of which he said would involve 'cleaning up the mess' his administration had inherited. In a speech last week seeking to set the tone for the future, he said: 'We've wiped the state clean, we've stabilised the economy, and now we can go on to the next phase of government, building on that foundation.' A Government spokesperson said: 'We were elected with a commitment to deliver change and security for working people – and we are getting on with the job. 'We are delivering our Plan for Change – wages are rising faster than prices, interest rates have been cut four times, immigration has come down with 30,000 people with no right to be here removed and over four million NHS appointments have been delivered. 'Progress has been made, but we know people are impatient for change – and we are too – so we will continue to govern in the national interest for British people and deliver a decade of national renewal.'
