Having opened its 600,000th guest room in 2010, Hilton Worldwide is now the largest hospitality company in the United States by number of rooms, it announced yesterday.
The company — which is only the second hotel company to reach the 600,000-room milestone — achieved several other watershed moments last year, too. It opened 178 hotels with 24,000 rooms, for instance; signed management or franchise agreements on more than 230 hotels with more than 44,000 rooms; and achieved a global pipeline of 868 hotels with more than 138,000 rooms.
Also in 2010, Hilton increased the percentage of its total pipeline of rooms outside the United States to approximately 50 percent, up from 15 percent in 2007; welcomed 2.5 million new HHonors members, reaching a total of 27 million; and became the first major global hospitality company to implement a sustainability measurement system as a brand standard, courtesy of LightStay, which measures energy and water consumption, as well as waste and carbon outputs.
"2010 was a turning point for the industry with overall performance improving and showing more signs of recovery, and Hilton Worldwide was positioned at the front of the pack to capitalize on this rebound," said Hilton President and CEO Christopher J. Nassetta. "Over the past few years, Hilton Worldwide has transformed our business and united as one globally-integrated company. As a result, we recorded some very strong results in 2010 and have reason to be even more optimistic about what's to come."
Hilton's individual brands also achieved several milestones last years, according to the company. Doubletree, for example, introduced a new global brand identity; Embassy Suites opened its 50,000th suite; Hilton Garden Inn opened its 500th hotel; Homewood Suites opened its 300th hotel; and Home2 Suites, Hilton's newest brand, completed construction on its very first property.