Our Approach
CEO Message
At Hilton, we are driven by a firm belief that our hospitality holds the power to be a transformative force for good in the world.
Today, our founding vision to spread the light and warmth of hospitality has never been more important. Through the power of 465,000+ passionate and committed Hilton Team Members serving guests across 126 countries and territories, we’re creating an engine of opportunity for the people and communities we are so privileged to serve.
Our Travel with Purpose program is an integral component of our business strategy, and it is also reflective of our desire to offer our guests the dynamic and restorative travel experiences they expect—experiences that connect them closer to the people, cultures and natural environments they visit.
It also underscores our commitment to remain the best citizen, neighbor, partner and supporter of every community, guest, Team Member and owner we serve. 2023 was another monumental year of progress, with important gains across several critical fronts.
Creating Opportunities for our Team Members
In 2023, we were named the #1 Best Place to Work in the World by Great Place to Work and Fortune Magazine.
Helping our Guests Travel Sustainably
In 2023, we continued to provide our guests with an extensive electric vehicle (EV) charging network, making EV chargers available at over 1,800 hotels globally. We also created Sustainable Design Checklists to support owners in incorporating energy efficiency into the hotels they’re developing.
Enabling our Communities to Flourish
When a new Hilton opens, our presence lifts up entire communities through both our economic impact and our support of local nonprofits. In 2023, the Hilton Global Foundation prioritized charitable investment across three core areas: Environmental Sustainability, Career Development, and Community Resilience.
These highlights are just the tip of the iceberg of our Travel with Purpose strategy, and I invite you to explore our initiatives and achievements in this report.
I’ve never been more excited about the future of the Company and our unique role as an engine of opportunity for the communities we serve. Thank you for being part of our Hilton family.
Thanks for reading,
Christopher J. Nassetta
President and Chief Executive Officer
ESg Strategic Framework
Travel with Purpose is our environmental, social and governance (ESG) strategy to drive responsible travel and tourism globally. This framework outlines the priority areas for action within our strategy and serves as a blueprint for how we achieve our goals, organized beneath the three pillars of ESG—Environmental, Social and Governance.
TRAVEL WITH PURPOSE 2030 GOALS
In 2018, we set our ambitious Travel with Purpose 2030 Goals to hold ourselves accountable for the environmental and social progress we aim to create in our business. Our 2030 Goals closely align with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and include emissions-reduction targets validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) and aligned with the Paris Climate Agreement.
THE DRIVING FORCES BEHIND ESG
Through Travel with Purpose, Hilton aims to redefine and advance sustainable travel by combining the power of our people, who are at the heart of this work, and a robust roster of initiatives, which serves as its backbone. Achieving our ambitious Travel with Purpose 2030 Goals will require deep collaboration and a powerful set of programs.
THE BACKBONE OF TRAVEL WITH PURPOSE
LIGHTSTAY
Our robust ESG management system helps track, analyze, and report our environmental and social impact at each of our hotels and corporate offices, as well as our progress. Hotel leaders can also use LightStay to identify improvement actions based on individual hotel performance and the performance of their peers for the metrics tracked in the system.
HILTON SUPPLY MANAGEMENT (HSM)
Our global procurement and supply chain arm develops relationships and negotiates with suppliers around the world to source goods and services at the best combination of price, quality, and service. HSM’s Responsible Sourcing Team helps us make progress on our sourcing goals.
PARTNERSHIPS
Hilton works closely with partner organizations, such as World Wildlife Fund and the International Youth Foundation, that provide expertise and advance initiatives that create meaningful change for our communities and planet.
HILTON GLOBAL FOUNDATION (HGF)
The Hilton Global Foundation supports projects around the world led by nonprofit partners and Hilton Team Members who make a positive impact on our communities. Through the Team Member Assistance Fund, HGF also supports Hilton Team Members in the aftermath of disasters or financial hardship due to unexpected personal circumstances.
THE HEART OF TRAVEL WITH PURPOSE
TEAM MEMBERS
It’s our incredible people who turn our commitments into a reality. Our Team Members take action each day to pursue our goals. Whether turning off unused lighting, or recycling soaps, or volunteering at a local nonprofit, there are countless ways each Team Member is empowered to operate our hotels more sustainably and responsibly.
HOTEL OWNERS
Our owners and developers are critical partners in the advancement of a more sustainable future for the hospitality industry. They collaborate, share program feedback, help pilot new initiatives and are visionary leaders to inspire and drive environmental and social progress. Check out how one Hilton owner is setting an example for a brighter, fossil-fuel free future.
CUSTOMERS
Our guests inspire us to take action so they can travel more sustainably and responsibly. We use guest feedback to shape our ESG initiatives and collaborate with customers to help them achieve their own environmental and social impact goals. Our Meet with Purpose program enables customers to achieve their goals to protect the planet and impact communities.
COMMUNITIES
Each Hilton hotel operates as a hub in its community, convening community members and serving as a gateway for new visitors to the destination. Small businesses, nonprofits, local government leaders, and neighbors engage with our hotels to inform strategies that contribute to local initiatives. See how hotels jumped into action to support relief from the Maui wildfires.
INTEGRATION OF ESG ACROSS OUR BUSINESS
At Hilton, every team works hand in hand to “fill the earth with the light and warmth of hospitality” and make progress toward our Travel with Purpose 2030 Goals.
Here are some examples of what our Team Members are doing to integrate ESG into our operations, supply chain and communities:
HOUSEKEEPING
- Recycle soaps to support communities in need
- Minimize energy and water use while cleaning the rooms and common spaces
- Implement towel linen reuse program
ENGINEERING
- Strive for operational excellence to increase efficiency
- Install energy/water efficient appliances, such as LED light bulbs
- Log the hotel’s watts, water and waste data into LightStay
FRONT OF HOUSE
- Offer Hilton Digital Key to guests to reduce single-use plastics
- Report any suspicion of human trafficking
HUMAN RESOURCES
- Create pathways of opportunity for Team Members and community members through job opportunities and training/education
- Ensure all Team Members complete training on diversity, inclusion and human rights
SALES
- Support customers to meet their ESG goals with Meet with Purpose
- Use Hilton’s Meeting Calculator and LightStay to estimate and offset the carbon footprint of events
GENERAL MANAGER
- Inspire Team Member and guest engagement with social and environmental goals
- Ensure hotel ESG data is tracked in LightStay and review monthly performance
- Mobilize Team Members to volunteer in the communities where we live, work and travel
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FOOD & BEVERAGE
- Increasingly source cage-free eggs, sustainable seafood and other ingredients
- Provide locally sourced and healthy options
- Set up food donation partnerships
- Implement effective start-up and shut-down procedures for hoods and appliances in kitchens to reduce energy consumption
TRAVEL WITH PURPOSE CORPORATE TEAM
- Collaborate with business partners, owners and hotel leaders to develop an effective Travel with Purpose program for our hotels
- Create resources and opportunities for Team Member engagement with Travel with Purpose
- Advise functions across the business to advance Travel with Purpose across Hilton’s global operations
HILTON SUPPLY MANAGEMENT
Negotiate competitive pricing for more sustainable services and products, such as LED lighting, plastic alternatives and electric vehicle chargers; this approach drives impact at scale for our properties, owners and communities
Stakeholder Engagement
Hilton engages with both internal and external stakeholders to seek their expertise, set expectations and align priorities for the development of ESG programs. Through these relationships, we identify the best opportunities to deploy ESG strategic initiatives across the operations of our hotels.
