One out of every five rooms being built in the global hospitality sector is from the Hilton portfolio, as stated by Chris Silcock, president of global brands and commercial services at Hilton. He highlighted the chain’s expectation to achieve similar success in the Indian market in the near future.
Silcock expressed that the chain holds an ‘exceptionally’ bullish outlook on the sector, which is reinforced by its results.
Silcock noted, “Last year marked a record-breaking period for us in signings, with more rooms added to our global portfolio in Q4 than in any single year throughout our century-long history. We inaugurated over 130 hotels in the fourth quarter of 2023, resulting in a pipeline exceeding 3,000 hotels and half a million rooms. Consequently, we hold a highly optimistic outlook on a global scale.” Hilton’s objective is to have 75 trading and in-pipeline hotels in India by 2027. Presently, it operates 26 hotels in India, with an additional 20 in the pipeline.
“And when you consider India, this sentiment is even more pronounced. While we anticipate fluctuations on a global scale due to macroeconomic uncertainties typical in mature markets, in India, the momentum appears remarkably robust. Despite prevailing global economic conditions, we anticipate continued acceleration in growth. We perceive vast opportunities in the hospitality sector overall, particularly for Hilton,” he emphasized.
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“Over the next few years, we plan to triple our current supply. The current number and the opportunity are entirely different from one another. For the long run, it matters more that the trajectory is heading in the right way,” he stated.
Hilton boasts 7,626 properties worldwide, encompassing 1,197,329 rooms across 126 countries and territories. Silcock disclosed that in Q1 of 2024, the chain greenlit nearly 30,000 new rooms for its pipeline.
“We currently have five brands operational in India. Our future plans involve introducing more of our brands to the Indian market. Specifically, we are exploring the introduction of our focused service and economy brands, such as Spark, in the near future,” he elaborated.
Hilton inked a deal for a Curio Collection hotel in India last year, marking another brand set to enter the market by next year.
Earlier this year, the American hotel chain unveiled a global partnership with Bollywood superstar Deepika Padukone.
“Our collaboration with Deepika is likely unparalleled, with perhaps only Paris Hilton’s partnership bearing some similarities. It’s a global alliance that has yielded significant benefits not only in India but also in other markets worldwide,” explained Silcock. “We seek partners who embody our values, individuals respected for their excellence, and Deepika epitomizes these qualities,” he further elaborated.
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Hilton might explore potential partnerships within the cricket sphere in India. Globally, the chain has already established partnerships with McLaren and the Chelsea football club.
We provide lodging to the McLaren crew on their global travels. “They converse with their followers about how our lodgings help them perform better in their day job, which is Formula One racing,” added Silcock. Chelsea Football Club in the United Kingdom is a partner of ours. No doubt about it, cricket is here to stay. What shape does it take? You can absolutely anticipate seeing that in our future in some way, shape, or form, he continued. I couldn’t say at this point.
