Hilton Adds More Hotel Brands, Luxury Cruise And New Dining Options
Hilton is one of the world's biggest hospitality companies, and its evolution as a brand continues to follow the trends of the traveling public. Younger and more varied demographics are looking for differentiation in design and price point, as well as attention to what is important socially from sustainability to the needs of the neighborhood where hotels are located.
To meet that interest, Hilton continues to roll out new offerings, brands and even a new cruise on the Nile. Many of these updates and initiatives were unveiled this spring to travel advisors and industry leaders at the Arabian Travel Market in Dubai.
The hospitality brand is known for innovations in hospitality. It launched the first multi-hotel reservations platform in 1948 and the first airport-hotel concept in 1959. And this year, it continues to expand its offering.
A cabin rendering aboard the new Waldorf Astoria Nile River Experience debuting in 2026 Hilton
In a surprise move, Hilton will launch a Nile River sailing under its Waldorf Astoria brand. Starting next year, passengers can take four-to-six night journeys to visit Luxor and the Valley of the Kings, among other famous ancient Egyptian landmarks.
Named the 'Waldorf Astoria Nile River Experience,' the five-deck, 29-cabin ship will mirror the upscale experience found at its namesake brand's hotels around the world. And brand-loyal Waldorf Astoria guests can expect the same amenities you might find in a land-based hotel, including a spa, restaurants serving local fare and even Peacock Alley (the luxe lounge with signature clock unique to each destination at every Waldorf Astoria).
The sailing will be operated by a third party, 'Middle East for Nile Cruisers,' but will follow the same high standards for which the brand is known. And travelers can earn and redeem their Hilton Honors points for the trip. Building partnerships with relevant brands
'Stay Like McLaren Racing' suite at The Trafalgar St. James London, Curio Collection by Hilton Hilton
Like many travel brands, Hilton has been leaning heavily into the travel partnership space. This means that Hilton is looking to tie up with brands that its Hilton Honors members find relevant, which adds value to the program.
One of those recent partnerships is with McLaren Racing. Hilton Honors members could bid their points to attend popular racing events, and they could even stay in a McLaren-themed hotel suite at The Trafalgar in London during the British Grand Prix.
These types of tie-ups have only grown since the pandemic when hotel stays were down. 'Hotel brands looked to form new partnerships to engage with customers even when they were not staying in one of their rooms,' says Ryan Smith, news managing editor for UpgradedPoints.com.
AutoCamp Joshua Tree National Park Hilton
New to Hilton Honors is AutoCamp where guests can stay in glamping-style accommodations like Airstream vans, cabins and tents while earning and redeeming Hilton points. Locations are in or near national parks and help Hilton to tap into the growing demand for outdoor experiences, especially in summer.
'Hilton is increasingly seeking partnerships that allow them to expand their portfolio without the costs or timeline associated with building hundreds of new hotels,' adds Smith.
The main reception and amenity area for AutoCamp at Zion National Park Hilton
Cross-brand partnerships like these, says Smith, help hospitality companies and their loyalty programs to become more like 'lifestyle brands' rather than just hotels to consumers.
Other partnerships are designed to appeal to peoples' interest in health and wellness like dedicated sleep stories available to guests via meditation app Calm and in-room fitness content from Peloton.
'Alliances between lodging brands and other established consumer trademarks allow for cross-promotion and the ability to leverage each other's marketing channels and customer bases to increase visibility and expand reach to wider audiences,' says Daniel Lesser, president and CEO of LW Hospitality Advisors. 'These types of collaborations can inspire an emotional connection between their brand and consumer identities.'
Individual hotels, too, are getting creative. Tempo by Hilton Times Square has a new literary tourism package that includes complimentary best sellers chosen by independent East Village bookstore Book Club Bar and several literary-inspired cocktails at the hotel's Highball Lounge to enjoy during their stay. Adding brands to its well-known portfolio
Hampton by Hilton partnered with Paris Hilton for a limited-time Sparkling Strawberry Hampton Waffle in 2024. Hilton
Its hotel portfolio includes iconic brands from luxury names like Waldorf Astoria to mid-scale hotels like Hampton by Hilton, now the largest hotel brand in the world with more than 350,000 rooms in 43 countries. Hampton was the first hotel in its category to offer complimentary breakfast, a move other hotel chains in that price point have since followed.
So prolific is its Hampton brand that it has more hotels than any other in the Hilton portfolio. Part of what made it popular with consumers was its breakfast, which over recent years has been upgraded to include things like Chobani yogurt smoothies, egg white frittatas and more flavors for its cult-like favorite, make-it-yourself waffle machine. Last year, it even partnered with Paris Hilton to add a limited-time sparkling (with edible glitter) strawberry waffle to its lineup, which was also available for purchase to take home.
The lobby lounge of a Graduate by Hilton hotel Hilton
One of the newest brands for Hilton Honors members is Graduate by Hilton with properties in college towns across America. Its differentiating factor of academia and college sports-inspired design is bespoke to each campus. There isn't any other hospitality brand that uniformly follows a similar design model.
And some of its existing brands like Tru and Spark by Hilton are expanding outside of the U.S., especially in Asia and the Middle East. This year alone, 14 Tru by Hiltons will open in Vietnam, bringing the total number of Hilton Honors hotels in its pipeline there to 29. According to travel industry website Skift, this is part of Hilton's strategy to grow its footprint in the profitable segment of mid-market hotels.
(l to r) Mohammed Almusbahi, director, Al Musbah Group, and Amir Lababedi, managing director, Development, Middle East & North Africa, Hilton. The hospitality brand will have 100 open or in-pipeline properties in Saudi Arabia this year. Hilton
This year, Spark by Hilton will make its Middle East and Africa debut in Makkah, Saudi Arabia, where Hilton will eventually have 100 properties in the kingdom.
'Hilton's expertise in both luxury and lifestyle, paired with its track record in scaling brands, makes for an exciting opportunity.' -Sydell founder and CEO Andrew Zobler
NoMad Hotels, one of the brands from hotel developer Sydell Group, will open a new property in Singapore by early 2027, bringing the newly added Hilton brand's presence to southeast Asia. Hilton acquired a controlling interest in Sydell last year and has plans to expand the NoMad lifestyle brand to as many as 100 properties worldwide.
Canopy by Hilton has made its debut in South Africa with Canopy by Hilton Cape Town Longkloof this summer with most rooms facing Table Mountain, Lion's Head or Signal Hill. Hilton food and beverage upgrades
Known for the invention of famous menu items like the piña colada (created at the Caribe Hilton in San Juan) and the Waldorf salad (created at Waldorf Astoria New York), Hilton's culinary programming continues to evolve.
Chef Nobu Matsuhisa and Robert De Niro's Nobu brand have opened restaurants at two Hilton-family hotels this year including Grand Wailea, a Waldorf Astoria Resort in Maui and Hotel del Coronado in southern California (part of Hilton's Curio Collection and LXR Hotels & Resorts brands).
The regional menu at DoubleTree's new piebird concept restaurant Hilton
A new dining concept is coming to DoubleTree by Hilton hotels with the inauguration of 'piebird,' its new Americana-style restaurant that will begin opening at numerous DoubleTree properties. The first two that will open will be at the brand's hotels in Nanuet, New York this fall and Asheville, North Carolina by the end of next year with more to follow. On the menu are dishes like chicken pot pie, tomato jam grilled cheese, biscuits and gravy, and regional dishes that lean into local options from Tex-Mex to southern comfort food.
And when it comes to food and sustainability, the Green Breakfast program from Hilton, which is now in place in more than a dozen hotels across the United Arab Emirates, is a meaningful change that could revolutionize the problem of restaurant food waste. It was originally tested during the extensive 'iftar' evening buffets served at hotels during Ramadan.
Gentle signage reminds diners to take only what they can eat to help avoid food waste. Hilton
While maintaining creative buffet presentations, some areas replace large serving dishes with individually plated portions by using artificial intelligence to determine the best serving size. Guests can take as many as they like, but typically take only what they think they can eat, helping to avoid waste. In other areas, signage along the buffet and in the restaurant helps to provide 'behavioral nudges,' which also helps consumers feel like they are part of eco-friendly and social change.
Over the years, Hilton's breakfast research showed that bread and pastries represent one of the largest portions of food waste. Other items most commonly left over include porridge, congee, sambar, shakshuka and baked beans.
It was inspired from the brand's Green Ramadan program, where its traditional iftar buffet dinners are grandiose affairs. Scaled across 45 hotels in 14 countries in the Middle East and Asia-Pacific regions, it brought about a 20% reduction in food waste.
'Through this pilot project, we were able to learn and gather data on consumer behavior so we can build awareness and take meaningful action scalable at hotels and across the industry. We hope this initiative will inspire the sector to source locally and reduce food waste.' -Emma Banks, vice president, F&B strategy & development, EMEA, Hilton
Today, Hilton has achieved a 62% reduction in pre- and post- consumer food waste (the equivalent of more than 400,000 meals), which has kept almost 726 tons of CO2e emissions from entering the environment.
Some of the dishes crafted using zero-food-waste recipes at Hilton properties in the UK. Plans are in place to scale this across other hotels in the future. Hilton
It has also developed a new zero-waste food menu starting at four hotels in the United Kingdom. This involved repurposing leftover food from buffets like pastries, fruit and coffee beans to make tasty puddings or pickling fruit and vegetables. Many of the restaurants' sauces and stocks were made using vegetable stalks, trimmings, peelings and bruised fruits that are not attractive enough to display.
The newly designed cocktail lounge attire for staff at Waldorf Astoria New York Hilton
Even hotel staff are seeing exciting changes. The newly reopened Waldorf Astoria New York worked with British designer Nicholas Oakwell to rethink what an iconic hotel uniform should look like. His designs mix contemporary boldness with retro style, which are sure to make these some of the most head-turning hotel uniforms in town.
After all, this is the hotel where room service was first invented in the 1930s. And that's a fitting update for such a key market like New York where Hilton can show off its latest moves to a global audience. MORE FROM FORBES Forbes 20+ Top Miles, Points And Travel Deals For The New Year By Ramsey Qubein Forbes 5 Ways Andaz Celebrates Youthful Luxury Through Individuality And Local Culture By Ramsey Qubein Forbes Meliá Grows Luxury Portfolio With Historic Hotels And Rafa Nadal Lifestyle Brand By Ramsey Qubein
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Forbes
41 minutes ago
- Forbes
How This Hospitality Visionary Is Rewriting The Rules Of Luxury Travel
After redefining wellness travel at Six Senses, Neil Jacobs is on a new mission to build the next chapter of hospitality with Wild Origins—grounded in purpose, people and place. courtesy of Neil Jacobs/Wild Origins The travel industry is defined by reinvention, so it's no surprise that the trailblazing hospitality executive Neil Jacobs has already moved onto his next act. For more than a decade, Jacobs helped redefine what luxury travel could (and should) look like as CEO of Six Senses: sustainable, soulful and grounded in place. Now, Jacobs is launching Wild Origins, a purpose-driven advisory collective and creative studio that builds on the philosophies he championed at Six Senses and pushes them even further. Jacobs says the new venture is rooted in the same values that have guided his career—doing work that feels meaningful. 'There are people out there who really care about this stuff who are not tree huggers and who still want to do business—but they want to do business in a better way,' he told me in an interview. 'Whatever I do, the wellness and the hospitality and the sustainability piece will show up in one form or another. I can't go into anything that doesn't reflect my own personal position.' It's a timely move. As travelers seek out more than just high-thread-count sheets and infinity pools, Jacobs believes the future lies in transformational experiences with depth and value. 'Trends come and go,' he says. 'It's important to focus on the fundamentals—the way you move, the way you sleep, how you connect. It's about being conscious and mindful.' That instinct is something industry insiders have long pointed to as one of Jacobs' superpowers. Craig Cogut is the CEO of Pegasus Capital Advisors, which owned Six Senses before it was sold to IHG. Cogut told me in an interview that the partnership between Pegasus and Jacobs was 'love at first sight, which deepened.' 'Neil's ability to see 10, 20 years ahead is special,' says Cogut. 'And in this age of technology, people still really matter in this business, and recruiting the right people with taste, style and sensibility can't be programmed. You have to have that. And Neil has it, and he has an ability to attract people who reinforce that.' When Jacobs joined Six Senses in 2012, the brand was best known for barefoot luxury in remote corners of Southeast Asia. Under his leadership, Six Senses became a global player—expanding from eight to 26 properties, with more than 30 currently in development. He broadened the brand's reach across Europe, the Middle East and the Americas. He also introduced urban locations and created private residences. What remained constant? Jacobs' belief that luxury doesn't have to be wasteful, wellness isn't limited to the spa, experiences should have a strong sense of place and design should always reflect its environment. For instance, when Jacobs decided that Six Senses should expand into Portugal's Douro Valley, the company took over an Asian-style hotel. Under Jacobs' direction, the out-of-place Buddhas were gone; in their place were tiles sourced from local markets. 'You can't have a hotel in Portugal that feels like it could be in Bali,' he says. 'It needs to reflect where it is.' Before Six Senses, Jacobs spent 14 years at Four Seasons, overseeing operations in Asia and helping the brand broaden its wellness focus. Later, as president of Starwood Capital Group, he helped another hospitality innovator—Barry Sternlicht—launch 1 Hotels and Baccarat Hotels. That arc gave Jacobs a unique vantage point: He's equally fluent in both operations and innovation. Wild Origins: A New Platform For Change Wild Origins is already taking shape with a series of high-profile collaborations. Jacobs is working as an advisor with Cain, a London- and New York-based private equity group, on luxury hospitality and well-being opportunities. He's also teaming up with the Bali-based hospitality company, Potato Head, to advise on the brand's strategic growth and expansion. In Saudi Arabia, Jacobs is helping shape the country's tourism pipeline through two high-impact roles. He serves on the board of directors for the upcoming Riyadh School of Tourism and Hospitality in Qiddiya, which aims to train the next generation of travel leaders. 'It's going to have 15,000 to 20,000 students—not all physical, a lot of it online,' he says. 'We've already hired the dean, a tremendous educator from Lausanne, and we're bringing in faculty now. It's super exciting to be part of it.' Jacobs is also on the advisory board of TOURISE, a new global platform steering the future of tourism in Saudi Arabia. 'If you go to Saudi today, the mood is completely different to what it was five years ago,' he says. 'Young Saudis are excited about their future. They want to work, they want to contribute. It's a beautiful country, and I do believe that what they're building will succeed and it will become a global destination. It's just going to take a while.' Jacobs' impact on the travel industry at large hasn't gone unnoticed. Chris Norton, CEO of Equinox Hotels and a former colleague of Jacobs at Four Seasons, praised his approach to leadership. 'Neil Jacobs has always shown that being principled and kind isn't a weakness, but a foundation for lasting success. In a world that often claims 'good guys can't win,' Neil proves that integrity, generosity and resilience are the real drivers of achievement—both in life and in business,' Norton told me in an interview. 'As he embarks on his new company, he stands as a reminder that the long game belongs to those who lead with character and vision.' Stacy Fischer-Rosenthal, president of Fischer Travel, echoes the sentiment. 'Neil has always been a trusted partner who deeply values relationships. Neil is a visionary and a trusted partner in the industry, who consistently grew and elevated the Six Senses brand with his integrity and exceptional leadership,' she told me in an interview. 'I am absolutely thrilled to see Neil embark on his next chapter, as this new venture will undoubtedly allow another brand to flourish under his guidance.' Doing the Work That Matters While peers celebrate his vision and leadership, Jacobs isn't focused on accolades or legacy. He's more interested in doing the work that matters. 'For me, it's about people and the development of people and culture,' he says. That includes sustainability initiatives that are doing something good for the community. "A, it's the right thing to do. But B, it's also the right commercial thing to do. It's where the two intersect, and it's a win-win.' His people-first approach fuels everything from team building to creative breakthroughs. That's especially true when it comes to innovation. 'People think you wake up in the middle of the night with a great idea—but that only happens occasionally,' he says. 'Innovation is a science as much as it's an art. There's a structured way to create an innovative environment. It doesn't just happen—you need people who are focused on it.' Jacobs also believes the best hospitality concepts are grounded in strong storytelling and clear intent—something he sees in brands like his new client, Potato Head. 'It doesn't have to be expensive,' he says. 'It just needs that kind of thinking around it and a structured approach.' That clarity of thinking extends beyond business. Jacobs works with a coach—formerly a professional athlete—who has shaped his thinking on leadership and life. 'We think our feelings are fixed, but really they're just driven by what we're thinking about at any one moment,' he says. 'So if you're mindful of your thinking, everything else ought to fall into place.' This is a mindset that informs how Jacobs leads, how he innovates and how he navigates the highs and lows. 'Life is like an elevator. ,' he says. 'Everyone wants to be in the penthouse, but every now and again you end up in the basement. And that's okay—wherever you are at any one moment is probably the place that you're intended to be. Relax. Enjoy the floor. You'll go back up when you least expect it, and you'll go down. You're going to be fine.' MORE FROM FORBES: Forbes How A Small Hotel In Jamaica Is Making A Big Difference By Laura Begley Bloom Forbes How Two Accidental Hoteliers Created One Of The World's Coolest Hotel Brands By Laura Begley Bloom Forbes Want To Leave The U.S.? This New Company Will Help You Move Abroad By Laura Begley Bloom
CBS News
2 hours ago
- CBS News
Carnegie Mellon University is perfect venue for energy and AI summit, leaders say
President Trump, several cabinet members, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, and the world's top leaders in energy and artificial intelligence will attend the Pennsylvania Energy and Innovation Summit on Tuesday at Carnegie Mellon University, the perfect venue for these topics. "CMU has always been the place for machine learning and AI, and really this is a recognition of all the value CMU has brought to AI," said Zico Kolter, director of CMU's Machine Learning Department. Kolter, who oversees AI efforts at Carnegie Mellon, said this summit also highlights the influence western Pennsylvania has in this space. "We are going to see a lot of growth in these new sectors of the economy. We're going to see a lot of growth when it comes to energy, when it comes to things like data centers to power those new AI models that are being developed these days. Western Pennsylvania is a hub for this kind of work," Kolter said. Pennsylvania U.S. Senator Dave McCormick organized the summit and is set to unveil $70 billion for artificial intelligence and energy development across the state. It'll include building data centers, which require lots of energy to power AI. Don Smith, the president of RIDC, whose mission is to drive economic development, says the investment will bring jobs, boost the economy, and much more. "Those buildings and jobs will create taxes. So, it'll help the fiscal health of our municipalities. And really, we're talking about getting in the early stages of the biggest wave of new industrial development in a very long time. And so I think this bodes well for our ability to compete successfully in the AI economy," Smith said. Smith says western Pennsylvania is perfectly poised to lead the future of AI. "It's the combination of energy. The whole AI revolution is driven by computational power capacity, and then the talent. And we have those three things in abundance here," Smith said. Kolter said that as more companies develop in the region, it's going to encourage more investment. "It's going to just make it easier and easier for future innovators or future entrepreneurs to stay in the area to build up companies and AI and other tech areas in the region because the talent, the rest of the ecosystem needed to support the companies, is already going to be here," Kolter said. "Investments like this one, and one being discussed at the summit, and events like the summit, hopefully, can drive that further and can drive innovations in the space," he added.
CBS News
4 hours ago
- CBS News
Trump and McCormick to announce $70 billion in AI and energy investments for Pennsylvania
The Pittsburgh region's assets will be on display for President Trump and the leaders of the country's largest energy and technology companies on Tuesday. Pennsylvania U.S. Senator Dave McCormick, organizer of the inaugural Pennsylvania Energy and Innovation Summit, is set to announce $70 billion in new investments in the state. One project is set to target Aliquippa, which was once the steelmaking center of the Ohio Valley until it fell on hard times with the closing of the mill. But Aliquippa is looking at a rebirth, with the possible transformation of that site to power the artificial intelligence economy. "That thing's been sitting empty for close to 50 years of my life," Aliquippa Mayor Dwan Walker said. Walker remembers his steelworker father walking out of the mill for the last time and sitting on the porch crying the day it closed. Today, the mayor hopes that a technological revolution can bring his city back. "Being that we were the center of steel, now we can be the center of AI," Walker said. "I don't think, I know it can happen. I know in this day and age, 2025, Aliquippa can be a new tech hub." Artificial intelligence requires massive amounts of energy and computing capacity, and a local partnership headed by real estate developer Chuck Betters hopes to transform the 89-acre site of the old mill into a massive, multi-billion dollar data processing center, creating thousands of construction jobs, hundreds of permanent ones and generating tens of millions of dollars in tax revenue. "Large job creation, large tax base, and the comeback of Beaver County from the steel mill days," Betters said. At Tuesday's summit, the Pittsburgh region will be on display for the heads of the country's largest tech companies, showcasing both the technological innovations being developed here as well as the massive energy resources available to power them. Data centers will help spawn companies like Pittsburgh's Gecko Robotics, which recently became a unicorn — a company worth more than $1 billion. Founder Jake Loosararian will demonstrate at the summit his AI-powered climbing robots and ask those tech leaders to invest here and help Pittsburgh take the next step. "We have the biggest leaders in the world in AI and energy coming to this city," Loosararian said. "We need to see investment from those companies into this region -- continue to do so. You'll start to see an ecosystem of companies like Gecko that begin to emerge." With energy in natural gas and nuclear, empty industrial sites ready for data center development, and a culture of innovation, leaders say the Pittsburgh region is uniquely positioned to be a world leader in AI. Walker believes that it can bring back Aliquippa's Franklin Avenue. "More businesses downtown, more strip malls, more access to revenue, that dollar flip two or three times in this community instead of leaving it," Walker said. If and when the site of the mill is developed, it will begin to merge the region's technological know-how with its vast energy resources, creating a new AI economy that leaders say will benefit everyone.
