VOICE OF LUXURY
VOICE LUXURY Ů Dino Michael Hilton Luxury Brands
As Hilton expands its premium offering at breakneck speed, the group’s senior
vice-president and category head of luxury brands discusses its latest openings and future launches. Katie Byng-Hall reports
Q. How did 2025 perform for Hilton Luxury Brands? Last year was really strong for us. After several openings, and as a result of the continuation of our partnership with Small Luxury Hotels of the World, we now have 600 high-end properties across five brands with another 120 in the pipeline. So it was a phenomenal year in terms of boosting optionality for our guests. We also had 17 branded residential signings, which underscores how demand for that luxury living experience is growing. A seminal moment was the opening of Waldorf Astoria New York after an eight-year restoration. You can see why it took so long – the level of detail and care that’s been taken with every space has been really impressive, so we’re very happy to be open again.
Q. What openings do you have coming up? We’ve got 13 luxury debuts due this year. The most anticipated opening – especially for me, as a Londoner – is Waldorf Astoria London Admiralty Arch. It’s a huge milestone for us because it’s literally at the centre of the capital – it’s a
once-in-a-generation chance to take over such a historic building. I’m really excited for the food and beverage offering, as we’re hosting two global chefs whose restaurants have been awarded seven Michelin stars between them: Coreus by Clare Smyth and Café Boulud by Daniel Boulud. Greece is massively popular with the UK market, and we’ve got three openings there: Sandblu Santorini under LXR Hotels & Resorts, Conrad Corfu and Conrad Athens The Ilisian. The latter is a huge reinvention of the original Hilton Athens, with glorious views of the Acropolis. NoMad Singapore, meanwhile, will be opening around September in a really dynamic building. Singapore is already such a hub for Asia, but India is one to watch – we haven’t expanded there for a while, but it’s now a focus for us. It’s got massive potential – both inbound and outbound – thanks to the growing middle class, and UK travellers are waking up to what it has to offer.
Q. What other destinations are your sights set on? Greece has been an emerging market since the tourist board broadened into the luxury sector six or seven years ago, so
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