Hilton Outlines Big Growth For Luxury Brands

Hilton Worldwide has 38 Waldorf Astoria and Conrad hotels under construction to add to the 63 currently open, and executives believe its new LXR soft brand collection of independent luxury properties has the potential to reach 100 properties, according to executives speaking during the International Luxury Travel Market (ILTM) conference being held this week in Cannes.

The executives also revealed new features to existing properties; Conrad’s resort in the Maldives has added a three-bedroom villa selling for $50,000 per night that features an underwater bedroom. Guests are typically combining one or two nights in the residence as a novelty combining it with other accommodations at the resort.

At the same time Waldorf Astoria announced a partnership with Aston Martin that will provide driving experiences in a range of the British carmakers newest vehicles. One option would be for a client to start his or her trip at the Waldorf Astoria Trianon Palace in Versailles and then drive to Amsterdam with a stay at the brand’s property in the Dutch city.

The first property in Hilton’s new LXR portfolio is the Habtoor Palace in Dubai, with 230 rooms, including 50 suites, seven food and beverage outlets and two pools. LXR will be exclusively 5-star properties with 4-star hotels joining the Curio brand. Executives said they expect strong growth as luxury hotel owners seek to tap into Hilton’s 400 person strong worldwide meetings and incentives sales team.

Upcoming openings include a Conrad in Washington DC set for next year and Waldorf Astoria properties in the Maldives and at the Dubai Financial Center. Recent Waldorf openings include Bangkok and the conversion of the Mandarin Oriental in Las Vegas. Other key openings further down the road include London at Admiralty Arch, San Francisco, a new build, and the reopening of New York reduced to 350 keys from over 1,000.