Astoria Hotels & Resorts and Conrad
Hotels & Resorts, each offer their own
brand-wide, guest-centric initiatives
that deliver one-of-a-kind, memorable
experiences for guests, and that bring
each brand to life.
The focus of the presentation will be to:
Vanderslice joined Hilton Worldwide
in September 2009 and leads the
Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts,
Conrad Hotels & Resorts, and Canopy
by Hilton brands in their development
strategies, operations and product
innovation, training and culture, as well
as global marketing initiatives.
He will be keynote speaker at the
ILHA’s Pinnacle Summit in Washington
D.C., where he will give an overview
of the luxury hospitality space and
talk about how Hilton are listening to
today’s experience-based travelers and
addressing their needs.
Can you give us some detail on what
you will be talking about at the ILHA
summit?
•
Provide a brief overview of the
luxury hospitality landscape
•
Describe and illuminate the brandwide, experience-based initiatives
provided by Waldorf Astoria and
Conrad and discuss how they are
brand differentiators
•
Showcase how we continue to
evolve and innovate these programs
to deliver the best possible
experiences for our guests that
build emotional connections, foster
loyalty and positively impact ROI
•
Discuss why it’s vital for luxury
hotel brands to create experiencebased programs that resonate with
various demographic sectors – from
Millennials to baby boomers
Hilton is known for its continual
innovation. What have been some
recent innovations that bring Waldorf
Astoria and Conrad closer to creating
emotional connections with their guests
and improving their overall experience?
At Waldorf Astoria, one of our key
brand-wide initiatives is Unforgettable
Experiences, a program that curates
the most engaging activities in each of
our destinations, offered exclusively for
our guests. Unforgettable Experiences
are currently available at 26 iconic
destinations worldwide.
For instance, Casa Marina, a Waldorf
Astoria Resort in Key West, Florida,
offers a chartered Hinckley luxury
yacht to a private island for a special
dinner and sunset experience. They also
have an after-hours guided tour of the
Hemingway Home and Museum, led
by the museum’s curator. Additionally,
guests can opt to charter a sea plane
from the Casa Marina pier for a halfday adventure to the Dry Tortugas –
Fort Jefferson, which features a private
tour, world-class snorkeling and a picnic.
Waldorf Astoria Dubai Palm Jumeirah
in Dubai, UAE offers an experience
where guests can take a hot air balloon
ride in the desert overlooking the
Emirates from afar. These experiences
can only be done through these
particular Waldorf properties.
At select properties, we offer Waldorf
Astoria Driving Experiences through a
new partnership with Italian super sports
I will be discussing Hilton’s commitment
to addressing and fulfilling the needs
of today’s luxury traveler. To do so, we
believe it’s important to listen and be
aware of what they are asking for and
enhancing our guest experiences to
meet those needs. In fact, our listening
and monitoring of what luxury travelers
want in today’s competitive market has
revealed an important trend in luxury
hospitality – guests have shifted their
focus from products to experiences. To
stay ahead of this trend and deliver the
type of experiences that luxury guests
expect, our luxury brands, Waldorf
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