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Hilton Worldwide

hlt · NYSE Consumer Cyclical
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Ticker hlt
Exchange NYSE
Sector Consumer Cyclical
Industry Travel Lodging
Employees 10,000+
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FY2019 Annual Report · Hilton Worldwide
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1919

2019

ANNUAL REPORT

CREATING
a Great Place to 
Work for All

2019

Our Most 
Dynamic
Year Yet

 6,100+

Properties in 119 Countries
and Territories

CURATING
Money-Can’t-Buy 
Experiences

100th Million
Member
Welcomed

CREATING
a Better World  
to Travel

FUELING
Global Growth

Properties Open and In the Pipeline

  Pipeline

  Supply

8,683

420,000

Team Members*

*Corporate, owned, managed and franchised employees globally

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CEO Message

A message 
from

Chris

Christopher J. Nassetta, President & Chief Executive Officer

We Are HILTON We Are HOSPITALITY
Our Vision
Our Values

Hospitality 
We are passionate about delivering exceptional 
guest experiences.

To fill the earth with the light 
and warmth of hospitality 
– by delivering exceptional 
experiences – every hotel, 
every guest, every time.

Our Mission

To be the most hospitable 
company in the world –  
by creating heartfelt 
experiences for guests, 
meaningful opportunities  
for Team Members, high 
value for owners and positive 
impact in our communities.

Integrity 
We do the right thing, all the time.

Leadership 
We are leaders in our industry and in our communities.

Teamwork
We are team players in everything we do.

Ownership 
We are the owners of our actions and decisions.

Now 
We operate with a sense of urgency and discipline.

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Hilton 2019 Annual Report1st

Air-conditioned lobby

Televisions in
guest rooms

1st
Innovation
Innovation

Guest-centric 
A Brand for every 
innovation is in our 
Guest, anywhere in 
DNA, and constant 
the world, for every 
connection to our 
travel need through 
guests keeps us 
endless innovation
looking forward.

1st

Airport hotel

1st

Airport hotel

Connected Room1st

o m

o

r   R

u

Y o

Digital Key1st

Redefining Loyalty 

Hilton’s guest loyalty program, Hilton 
Honors, is always looking for innovative 
ways to provide value, flexibility and 
personalization for its Members with  
the brands they love. In 2019, we added 
exciting new opportunities to earn and 
redeem Points including:

Lyft
First-of-its-kind partnership 
allowing Honors Members to  
earn and redeem Points when 
they ride with Lyft.

Live Nation
Renewed partnership with  
the world’s leading live 
entertainment company to 
offer Honors Members access 
to tickets and exclusive 
music experiences through 
HiltonHonors.com/Experiences.

American Express
Reintroduced the Hilton Honors American 
Express Surpass Card and rolled out 
generous limited-time welcome offers for 
new Card Members in the height of the 
summer travel season. With one of the 
Honors American Express co-branded credit 
cards, new Card Members receive instant 
Honors status and have the ability to earn 
Bonus Honors Points on eligible Points.*
*Terms Apply

A More 
Intelligent  
Way to Learn 

Teamwork and Ownership are 
at the heart of Hilton’s values, 
so it is important for corporate 
office Team Members new 
to the hospitality industry to 
experience hotel operations in 
a way that provides a thorough 
understanding of the complex  
and physical nature of the roles 

and responsibilities of on-property 
Team Members. Hilton’s Learning 
& Development team identified 
virtual reality as an effective 
way to create an immersion 
experience for new hires. Using 
VR goggles, Team Members can 
now move through different 
hotel departments, completing 

tasks including setting a room service 
tray and cleaning a guest room. 

4,500 

Team Members have used VR 
training as part of their onboarding 
and continued learning.

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InnovationHilton 2019 Annual Report 
 
Let’s Get Together at 

Signia by Hilton is setting out to transform the meetings and 
events industry by offering travelers who value sophisticated 
design, inspiring meeting spaces, elevated food and beverage 
offerings and seamless technology integration a new place to  
come together. Developed based on feedback from meeting 
professionals, guests, owners and developers, Signia by Hilton 
delivers a premier experience from check-in to check-out.  
Take a tour of this game-changing brand here. 

Customized Comforts of Home 

Connected Room allows Hilton guests to control and personalize 
their stay from the palm of their hand, including television 
programming, lighting, temperature and more. 

iHeartRadio

NETFLIX

SHOWTIME

At year end 2019, Hilton had more than 11,400 Connected Rooms 
across 76 hotels.

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Out-of-This-World 
Food & Beverage 

At DoubleTree by Hilton, the simple gesture 
of offering a warm chocolate chip cookie at 
check-in has become synonymous with the 
brand’s commitment to providing guests 
with a welcoming and comfortable stay. In 
2019, we brought this signature hospitality 
to new heights when we sent our famous 
cookies into orbit to become the first food 
ever baked in space. Astronauts aboard the 
International Space Station (ISS) used the 
first space oven, designed by Zero G Kitchen, 
to bake the cookies as part of a landmark 
microgravity experiment. The experiment 
took place over several days in December 
2019, and makes Hilton the first hospitality 
company to participate in research aboard 
the ISS. On this historic occasion, DoubleTree 
partnered with Scholastic to engage 140,000 
students around hospitality, STEM and space 
through learning modules and contests.  
Learn more about the experiment here. 

InnovationHilton 2019 Annual ReportOpportunity

$1 Billion+

Saved through

Corporate Responsibility Management System

Net Unit Growth

+6.6%

Value

A Resilient Business 
Model That Delivers 
Industry-Leading 
Premiums

$886 
Million

2019 Full Year  
Net Income

 $2.3 Billion

2019 Full-Year Adjusted EBITDA

Industry-leading

14%

Global RevPAR Premium

387,000+

Rooms in Pipeline

 
A Resilient, Fee-Based Business

Top-Line Driven

90%

Adj. EBITDA from fees(a)

Capital Efficient Growth 

~7%

Net Unit Growth(a)  
~50% pipeline under construction

Meaningful Fee Growth

+11%

Management & Franchise Fees CAGR(b)

$2,272M

$814M

2009(c)

2019(a)

(a)  Based on year ended 12/31/19. For Adjusted EBITDA, excludes corporate and other.
(b)  Excludes amortization of contract acquisition costs recorded as contra-revenue.
(c)  Does not include the effect of the revenue recognition standard adopted on January 1, 2018.

“As we reflect on our 100th year, we are proud of what we have 

accomplished and how we continue to position Hilton to drive 
long-term value for years to come.

Kevin Jacobs, Chief Financial Officer

Guided by Our Key Strategic Priorities 

 Align Culture & 
Organization

 Win on Customer 
Experience

 Expand Global Footprint

Maximize Performance 

Our performance-driven, 
purpose-led culture is 
united around a common 
vision, mission and values.

The best-performing 
portfolio of brands in 
the business builds on 
commercial capabilities 
to maximize revenue 
and innovative digital 
technology to personalize 
guest experiences.

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Hilton’s global presence 
continues to grow at a 
record pace, bringing our 
innovative brand offerings 
to new and existing 
markets.

Capitalizing on strong 
industry fundamentals, our 
resilient, fee-driven business 
model executes against a 
consistent strategy with 
clear objectives: grow 
market share and free 
cash flow to maintain a 
strong balance sheet and 
accelerate capital return.

ValueHilton 2019 Annual ReportGrowth 
Highlights

6,110

Total Properties

387,000+

Rooms in Pipeline

116,000+ 

Rooms Approved

4 Brands Achieved 
Milestone Openings

100th

300th

500th

2,500th

Our Global Footprint

Global

Europe, Middle East and Africa

6,110  Total Properties 
971,780  Total Rooms
387,000+  Rooms in Pipeline 

550  Total Properties 
122,019  Total Rooms
68,000+  Rooms in Pipeline 

The Americas

Asia Pacific

5,208  Total Properties 
755,648  Total Rooms
196,000+  Rooms in Pipeline 

352  Total Properties 
94,113  Total Rooms
122,000+  Rooms in Pipeline 

“In 2019, Hilton had its fifth 

consecutive record-breaking 
year of growth. By opening more 
than a hotel a day, we’re able to 
provide our guests exceptional 
experiences around the world.

Ian Carter, President, Global Development, 
Architecture, Design & Construction

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ValueHilton 2019 Annual Report 
Named a Great 
Place to Work  
for Women in  
6 countries 

54

Great Place to  
Work awards  
in 2019 

#1 In the U.S. – 

Fortune and  
Great Place to Work

Opportunity

Building a Great 
Place to Work  
for All

#1 For Parents 

in the U.S. – 
Fortune and  
Great Place  
to Work

#2 Workplace in 

the World – 
Fortune and 
Great Place 
to Work

Opportunity

Capturing the Spirit  
of Hilton

Hilton’s founder, Conrad Hilton, launched the world’s first 
global hospitality company to make the world a better 
place. Hilton hotels have been the setting for powerful 
cultural moments ever since. One such moment, John 
Lennon and Yoko Ono’s Bed-In for Peace, took place in 
Room 702 of the Hilton Amsterdam, beginning March  
25, 1969. 50 years later, we created a new video series 
taking viewers on a journey inspired by the spirit of Room 
702, personified by our incredible Team Members who 
bring that spirit to life today.

Investing In Our Future 
Nick Li honors his older sister’s 
sacrifice by advocating for 
girls’ education in rural China. 
This year we exceeded our 
2014 Open Doors pledge to 
positively impact 1 million 
young people by 2019.  
Watch his video here.

Building a New Life  
Syrian refugee Ismaeil Dawod 
finds new opportunities 
in Germany through an 
apprenticeship program. 
Hilton has impacted nearly 
11,000 refugees since 2015 
through volunteering, in-kind  
donations, purchasing, 
training and employment.

Helping Our 
Family Take 
Care of Theirs

In a robust expansion of our family-friendly benefits in the U.S., 
Hilton increased parental leave by two weeks, providing birth 
mothers with an industry-leading 12 weeks of paid time off, 
and fathers and adoptive parents with four weeks of paid time 
off. Expecting and returning parents also have access to a new 
Parents Concierge benefit where expecting parents can access 
assistance while transitioning from, and back to, work. 

In 2019, Hilton launched a partnership with Milk Stork, which 
allows Team Members to easily ship or carry breast milk 
home to their babies while traveling for work. The benefits 
complement our existing benefits that make Hilton the #1 Best 
Place to Work for Parents. 

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Our values are the foundation 
of our award-winning culture. 
Our goal is simple – to be  
the best place to work for  
our Team Members so they 
can provide the best service 
to our guests.

Matt Schuyler,  
Chief Human 
Resources Officer

Hilton 2019 Annual ReportTurning Dreams Into Reality  

Through Hilton’s Thrive Sabbatical program, we support Team 
Members in pursuing their dreams and being the positive change 
they want to see in the world. Selected Team Members are given 
four weeks of paid sabbatical time and $5,000 to either live a 
dream or give a dream. For the third year of the program, Team 
Members around the globe used their sabbaticals for adventures 
ranging from biking across Australia to raise money to educate 
underprivileged kids, to becoming certified in 2,000-year-old 
traditional dance, to a Team Member learning sign language in  
order to communicate with her son. 

Live

a Dream or  

Give 

a Dream

Mira

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Creating 
Opportunities 
for Veterans 

We value the leadership, integrity and 
teamwork that veterans and their families 
bring to the hospitality industry. In 2019, 
Hilton achieved our Operation: Opportunity 
goal of hiring 30,000 veterans, military 
spouses and caregivers across hotels, 
corporate offices and work-from-home 
positions in the U.S. within five years. We 
further expanded 
our commitment by 
pledging to make 
25,000 additional 
hires by 2025, while 
enhancing training 
and development 
opportunities and 
comprehensive 
benefits tailored 
for the veteran 
community. 

OpportunityHilton 2019 Annual Report5,300+ 
properties
Participating in Soap  
Recycling Program

Procurement 
through nearly
3,500
Diverse
Suppliers

Impact

Bringing the 
Hilton Effect Into 
Communities 
Around the World

The Only 
Hospitality Company on Fortune’s 
Change the World List

Nearly
1,430,000
Volunteer Hours
since 2017

1 Million+
Young People Impacted  
Through Open Doors Pledge

1st  
major hotel  
brand to set 
science-based 
targets to reduce 
our carbon 
emissions

Creating a Better World to Travel

The Hilton Effect is the positive, world-altering impact that Hilton has on 
billions of lives and thousands of communities around the globe. As we look 
ahead to the next century of impact, Hilton launched the The Hilton Effect 
Foundation with an initial announcement of 15 Hilton Effect Grants to fund 
projects and nonprofit partners having a positive impact on the communities 
we serve. These inaugural grants will support programs that are creating 
opportunities for youth, aiding in disaster recovery and supporting our Travel 
with Purpose 2030 goals. 

Travel with Purpose

Travel with Purpose is Hilton’s corporate responsibility 
strategy to drive responsible travel and tourism 
globally. We are committed to doubling our social 
impact investment and cutting our environmental 
footprint in half by 2030. We are proud to have been 
recognized as the global industry leader on the Dow 
Jones Sustainability Indices, and named to the global 
environmental impact nonprofit CDP’s 2019 “A-List” 
for our climate change leadership.

From mitigating the harmful effects of climate change 
to driving inclusive growth, we are leveraging our global 
footprint to make our communities better for those who 
live, work and travel there.

“

Katie Fallon, EVP, Global Communications & External Affairs

Respecting Human Rights 

Hilton developed the hospitality industry’s first online training on Key Risks 
of Modern Slavery in Labor Sourcing and donated it to the International 
Tourism Partnership (ITP). The ITP made the training freely available to the 
industry and to the public this past year. In addition, we require all hotel-
based employees to complete an annual training on identifying signs of 
trafficking to combat human trafficking, including for sexual exploitation.

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ImpactHilton 2019 Annual ReportReducing Food Waste 

Global food insecurity remains endemic, yet approximately one-third 
of food is wasted and ends up in landfills worldwide. As part of Hilton’s 
Travel with Purpose 2030 Goal to cut our food waste in half, we 
expanded our food donation initiative to all 300 of our managed 
hotels in the U.S. and Canada – one of the largest hotel food donation 
programs to date. Each property will set a food waste diversion and 
donation goal for 2020, and partner with local organizations to feed 
the hungry in their communities. Hilton expects to donate nearly 
100 tons of food over the next year – enough to feed more than 
160,000 people – while also diverting millions of pounds of food 
waste from landfills.

Addressing Single-Use Plastics 

Hilton is taking steps to reduce single-use plastics. In 2019 we enacted 
a global ban on plastic straws, cocktail picks and stir sticks, and we 
continued our transition from single-use bath toiletries to full-size 
dispensers. We remain focused on taking necessary steps to replace 
single-use plastic items with environmentally preferable alternatives, 
with a focus on reusable items wherever possible.

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Travel with Purpose 
2030 Goals Update

PROGRESS TOWARD OUR 2030 GOALS

Doubling Our Social 
Impact Investment
Since 2017, we have:

Cutting Our  
Environmental Footprint
Since 2008, we have reduced:

Donated 

$3.2M

in Support of 
Disaster Relief

Trained 

121,000

Team Members 
in Anti-human 
Trafficking

Volunteered

1,429,295

Hours in Our 
Communities

Carbon 
Emissions 

-36%

Energy 

-26%

Water

-22%

Waste

-44%

ImpactHilton 2019 Annual ReportPortfolio

Our

Portfolio

With the best-performing portfolio in the business, 
Hilton’s award-winning brands serve guests with 
any lodging need anywhere in the world.

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Hilton 2019 Annual ReportLeaders

OUR

Leaders

CHRISTOPHER J. NASSETTA 
President & Chief  
Executive Officer

KRISTIN CAMPBELL 
General Counsel

IAN R. CARTER 
President, Global  
Development, Architecture,  
Design & Construction

KATIE B. FALLON 
Global Head of  
Corporate Affairs

DANNY HUGHES 
President, Americas

KEVIN JACOBS 
Chief Financial Officer

MATTHEW W. SCHUYLER 
MATTHEW W. SCHUYLER 
Chief Human  
Chief Human  
Resources Officer
Resources Officer

CHRIS SILCOCK 
Chief Commercial Officer

SIMON VINCENT 
President, Europe,  
Middle East & Africa

ALAN WATTS 
President, Asia Pacific

JONATHAN A. WITTER 
Chief Customer Officer

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Hilton 2019 Annual ReportInformation

Stockholder

Information

Stock Market Information
Ticker Symbol: HLT
Market Listed and Traded: NYSE

Investor Relations
7930 Jones Branch Drive
McLean, Virginia 22102

Corporate Office
Hilton
7930 Jones Branch Drive
McLean, Virginia 22102

+1 703 883 1000
www.hilton.com/corporate

+1 703 883 5476
ir.hilton.com
ir@hilton.com

Independent Registered  
Public Accounting Firm
Ernst & Young LLP
1775 Tysons Boulevard
Tysons, Virginia 22102

+1 703 747 1000
ey.com

Board of Directors

Transfer Agent
EQ Shareowner Services
P.O. Box 64874
St. Paul, Minnesota 55164-0874

+1 800 468 9716
www.shareowneronline.com

Annual Meeting  
of Stockholders
June 5, 2020 
http://www.
virtualshareholdermeeting.com/
HLT2020 

CHRISTOPHER J. NASSETTA 
President, Chief Executive Officer & 

MELANIE L. HEALEY 
Former Group President,  

JOHN G. SCHREIBER 
President of Centaur Capital Partners; 

Director, Hilton

The Procter & Gamble Company

Retired Partner &  

JONATHAN D. GRAY 
Chairman of the Board of Directors, 

RAYMOND E. MABUS, JR. 
United States Secretary of the Navy 

Hilton; President & Chief Operating 

2009-2017; Former Governor of 

Officer, Blackstone

Mississippi; Former U.S. Ambassador 

Co-Founder, Blackstone  

Real Estate Advisors

ELIZABETH A. SMITH 
Former Chief Executive Officer, 

CHARLENE T. BEGLEY 
Former Senior Vice President & Chief 

Information Officer, General Electric; 

JUDITH A. MCHALE 
President & Chief Executive Officer, 

DOUGLAS M. STEENLAND 
Chairman of the Board of Directors, 

President & Chief Executive Officer 

Cane Investments; Former President 

American International Group

to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Bloomin’ Brands

of Home and Business Solutions, 

& Chief Executive Officer, Discovery 

General Electric

Communications

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Hilton 2019 Annual Reportir.hilton.com