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Hilton: Creating Memorable Experiences and Giving Back to Communities Globally

Hilton is arguably the most well-known hotel brand name in the industry. Recognized as the world’s first global hospitality company when it was founded more than 100 years ago, its creator Conrad Hilton believed that travel could make the world a better place. Over its first century, this globally recognized brand has been creating memorable experiences for travelers in a multitude of locations across the globe. Currently with more than 6,300 hotels in 118 different countries and territories, the company doesn’t plan on stopping anytime soon. 

The travel and tourism sectors have been one of the hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic this year. However, Hilton has stayed true to its founder’s noble premise and has led the industry by continuing to invest in communities where it operates and remaining focused on redefining sustainable travel and tourism through its impactful corporate responsibility program, Travel with Purpose. As borders reopen and people begin to venture out again, Hilton is leading in what they describe as a transition from the “Golden Age of Travel” to the “Golden Age of Sustainable Travel.” 

A key component of recovery from the global crisis, Hilton has reaffirmed the company’s commitment to its bold Travel with Purpose 2030 Goals, which will see the company cut its environmental footprint in half and double its social impact. These goals, which were established in 2018, align with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and drive Hilton’s positive impact through its operations, supply chain, and communities. Hilton is dedicated to fighting climate change and is proud to have been the first major hotel brand to set science-based carbon reduction targets in line with the Paris Climate Agreement. The company was recently recognized as the Global Industry Leader in Sustainability for the second consecutive year by the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI), the most prestigious ranking for corporate responsibility and sustainability performance.

Hilton has also achieved significant reductions in carbon emissions, water and waste, and expanded the company’s industry-leading soap recycling program to more than 5,300 hotels. To date, Hilton has contributed more than 13 million bars of new soap that have been distributed to people in need in 127 countries around the world.

A key tool Hilton uses to drive forward its sustainability efforts is LightStay, a proprietary corporate responsibility management and tracking system. Since its creation in 2008, LightStay has helped to put Hilton ahead of the game by allowing the company to closely track its utility consumption across all hotels globally, measuring everything from the minuscule changes at an individual hotel, to the big investments. Through this effort, the company has been able to reduce its carbon emissions globally by over 36%, its food waste by 44%, its water usage by 25%, among Hilton’s many other achievements. 

The improvements Hilton makes globally, even through small actions from each property, ladder up to a far greater movement. Every single hotel plays a critical role and when properly tracked, it can make a positive and larger impact. By having LightStay in place, individual hotels can track how the systems they have in place are performing and can help inform the property to make further reductions to their environmental footprint. 

For example, when it comes to water usage, many Hilton hotels have incorporated water efficiency efforts into the design of their landscaping and guest rooms including the Conrad Washington DC. The property has fixtures in guest rooms outfitted with energy-saving appliances which allows the hotel to save upwards of two million gallons of water a year. Additionally, the five-star LEED-certified hotel utilizes rainfall by capturing water in its cistern and using that water to feed its irrigation systems and cooling towers. 

 Hilton is not only known for its signature hospitality and providing its customers with incredible memories, but also for the company’s passion to protect the places they love and the communities they are proud to be a part of. Over the last century, Hilton has measured more than 1 trillion dollars in economic impact in its communities, served more than three billion guests at its hotels, and employed more than 10 million people worldwide. 

Ultimately, within the hospitality industry, there is one thing that is blindingly clear: consumers and travelers alike have developed a renewed sense of appreciation for the environment and organizations are coming together to tackle climate change. With the continuation of Hilton’s focus on its 2030 Goals, the company will be doing its part to help lead the way so that future generations can Travel with Purpose for many years to come.