One thing's for sure, it won't be Maison Heler, the newly opened hotel in Metzthe brainchild of Philippe Starck. No more so, no doubt, than SAX Paris, the Hilton Group's first luxury hotel in the capital expected in early April. So why not the Hilton Turin Centre or the new member of the Curio Collection in Greece, the Adia Aluma Athens? While announcing precise hotel opening dates is as unpredictable as a 15-day weather forecast, one thing is certain: in the next few weeks, the Hilton group will be crossing the threshold of "new". the 1,000-establishment mark in the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region.
" We are delighted to reach this impressive milestone across the 77 countries of the EMEA region." said Simon Vincent, Hilton's Executive Vice President and President for the region. Since the opening of its first hotel in Europe in 1953, the Castellana Hilton in Madrid, followed by the Hilton Istanbul Bosphorus in 1955 and, later, the Hilton Addis Ababa, the first in Africa inaugurated in 1969, the American hotel group has greatly expanded its presence in the region. And its efforts should not be limited to the 1,000 hotels mark, as the American group is planning to increase its presence by 50% over the next five years, with more than 450 hotels in the pipeline.
In the near future, there will be a 175-room and suite Hilton in the centre of Turin, a DoubleTree by Hilton at Addis Ababa airport, a Tapestry Collection in Portrush in Northern Ireland and a Hampton in Venice. But as well as the expected development of these well-established brands, growth will also come from the introduction of new brands in the region. SAX Paris, which opens in a few days' time, will symbolise the arrival of the LXR Hotels luxury collection in Europe.
Another new feature for business travellers is the Signia by Hilton brand, focused on the high-end, large-capacity hotels for meetings and events made its regional debut last February at AmmanThe new Signia by Hilton will feature a contemporary design hotel with 272 rooms and a convention centre with a capacity of 3,400 people. Its expansion is set to continue in the medium term, with a second Signia by Hilton announced in Cairo, close to the new Grand Egyptian Museum, which will offer 200 rooms and 200 long-stay flats, in addition to a 5,000 m² MICE area.
In a less upmarket niche, Spark by Hilton, a new premium economy brand unveiled in early 2023, made its EMEA debut last year in 2024 with Spark by Hilton London Romford and has since expanded into Austria and Germany, Vienna and Stuttgart, as well as Poland. Looking forward to France and LyonIn Spain, Hilton has signed a franchise agreement with the Arteloge group to bring three of its establishments under the brand by 2026. In the meantime, Spark by Hilton will discover other countries this year: Turkey in September, in Van, and Spain from this summer with the Spark by Hilton Madrid Alcala, to the east of the capital.
As part of the diversification of its portfolio, Hilton is also preparing to take its lifestyle brand Tempo by Hilton with three confirmed signings Tempo by Hilton Belfast City Centre, Tempo by Hilton Reykjavik and Tempo by Hilton Lisbon Parque das Nacoes. A new hotel for the Portuguese capital's business and congress district, integrated into the MIMA by Kronos Homes multi-use residential complex.
