Q4
Room for Improvement ?
HILTON ADDED A RECORD NUMBER OF ROOMS IN 2024 . CAN IT KEEP UP THE PACE ?
By DAVID EISEN
H
ilton added nearly 100,000 rooms in 2024 accounting for net unit growth of 7.3 %. It was a record for the 105-year-old company . Can it match or exceed it in 2025 ?
Hilton held its first earnings call subsequent to the election of President Trump and a new administration in Washington , D . C ., and Chris Nassetta , president and CEO of Hilton , said that the change in leadership should result in a pickup in economic growth , after consumers , he said , “ hugged their capital ” prior to the election , the outcome of which he described as dispositive . “ There is a broad belief across a range of industries that people think that the opportunity for economic growth in the short to intermediate term will be better ,” he said , citing such things as a lighter regulatory environment and a tax policy more conducive to growth .
Net income for the fourth quarter was $ 505 million , while RevPAR increased 3.5 % and 2.7 %, for the fourth quarter and full year , respectively , compared to the same periods in 2023 . Hilton added 22,600 rooms in the quarter for a record full-year total of 98,400 room openings across 973 hotels . Its development pipeline was 498,600 rooms as of December 31 , 2024 , representing YOY growth of 8 %.
Nassetta highlighted some of Hilton ’ s international feats in the quarter , including opening its first Tapestry Collection hotels in Paraguay , Bonaire and Australia , adding to the conversion-friendly brand ’ s now 150 hotels in 20 countries . Hilton also debuted its Curio Collection brand in Romania and opened its first Hampton by Hilton hotel in Africa ; its first Tru by Hilton in Colombia ; its first Spark by Hilton in Austria . In November , Hilton signed a strategic licensing agreement with Olive by Embassy to open 150 Spark by Hilton hotels across India .
58 hotelsmag . com Mar / Apr 2025