Hilton sees more wellness, mocktails and all-inclusive resorts in its future
If hotel companies behaved like high school cliques, Hilton would definitely be a forward-thinking tech nerd.
The company is typically ahead of the pack with things like mobile check-in and checkout, digital key technology and connecting room guarantees with its online reservations system. So, when Hilton puts out a report on where it sees future travel trends heading, it's usually smart to tune in and see what the forecast is. The industry is likely to follow.
The company's 2024 Trends Report examines how travelers of all ages, from Generation Z to baby boomers, look to interact with a hotel during a stay — and how that might impact your next trip.
Welcome to the era of wellness
The company points to one of its newer brands, Tempo, when touching on how wellness trends increasingly impact how Hilton approaches design and operations at its hotels. Tempo, which debuted this year in New York City's Times Square, includes various mechanisms to help guests sleep better. A charging puck for smartphones is meant to promote leaving a phone on the nightstand instead of scrolling and looking at the screen well past bedtime.
Canopy by Hilton features sleep-enhanced bedding with features like temperature-controlled and supportive mattresses. Motto by Hilton includes sound-absorbing surroundings in its guest rooms.
Expect to see more sleep features — perhaps quieter ones — in the future, as Hilton notes nearly 10% of travelers around the world travel with a white noise machine. The company estimates that 20% of global travelers request rooms away from elevators or on a higher floor to get away from any noise.
The company is also monitoring how nearly 20% of travelers admit to bringing their own pillow to a hotel stay to ensure better sleep. You can already point to pillow libraries at nicer hotels like Japan's Conrad Osaka or the Waldorf Astoria Dubai Palm Jumeirah as a sign hotels are picking up on this trend. We'll be curious how this travel trend plays out on a more mainstream level at Hilton brands like Home2 and Tru.
Free-spirited fun at the bar
The company also emphasized ways it is looking to court travelers who increasingly look to consume nonalcoholic beverages for a variety of reasons. The wellness report noted a quarter of Gen Z travelers avoid alcohol before bedtime. But the company doesn't take this as a sign Gen Z travelers are heading to bed early; they just aren't drinking as many alcohol-fueled drinks.
The company highlighted its nonalcoholic (or "free-spirited") cocktail menu at Tempo as one way Hilton can appeal to all travelers. A company presentation indicated some travelers even alternate between spirited and free-spirited drinks throughout the night.
"We don't want to be didactic about how we engage with wellness and our guests," said Amanda Al-Masri, Hilton's vice president of wellness, during an online webinar early this month. "We don't mean to tell them what it means to be well. We want to react to their needs and where they are in their wellness journey."
The all-inclusive resort is no longer just for poolside fun
Wristbands and frozen cocktails might be the hallmark of many all-inclusive resorts, but Hilton is banking that there's a business travel future for this type of hotel stay. Hilton and its main competitors like Hyatt, Marriott and IHG all have various strategies to beef up their all-inclusive resort offerings in the coming years.
One area of change that likely comes with these hotel giants and their loyalty programs entering a space previously dominated by Sandals and Club Med is that trip purpose might expand. Hilton notes businesses might start to give all-inclusive resorts more consideration for meetings and events travel.
"The past few years have reinforced that there is no true replacement for in-person meetings and events," Chris Silcock, Hilton's chief commercial officer, said in a statement included in the trends report. "Today many are embracing the unique value of business travel and want to maximize the time that they have on the road, in the meeting or at the conference to build and strengthen relationships."
One way the company appears poised to capitalize on the trend is to position all-inclusive resorts as venues that play into the idea of more blended business and leisure travel. It appears to be paying off, as the company claims group bookings at Hilton all-inclusive resorts were up "by double digits" from a year ago.
Yes, that means you might see as many crowds at the business center at a Hilton all-inclusive resort as you do at the swim-up poolside bar. OK, maybe not as many — but close.
Related reading:
TPG featured card
at American Express's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 3X | Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases. |
Pros
- Delta SkyClub access when flying Delta
- Annual companion ticket for travel on Delta (upon renewal)
- Ability to earn MQDs through spending
- Various statement credits for eligible purchases
Cons
- Steep annual fee of $650
- Other Delta cobranded cards offer superior earning categories
- Earn 100,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $6,000 or more in purchases with your new Card within the first 6 months of Card Membership and an additional 25,000 bonus miles after you make an additional $3,000 in purchases on the Card within your first 6 months, starting from the date that your account is opened. Offer Ends 04/01/2026.
- Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card Members receive 15 Visits per Medallion® Year to the Delta Sky Club® when flying Delta and can unlock an unlimited number of Visits after spending $75,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year. Plus, you’ll receive four One-Time Guest Passes each Medallion Year so you can share the experience with family and friends when traveling Delta together.
- Enjoy complimentary access to The Centurion® Lounge in the U.S. and select international locations (as set forth on the Centurion Lounge Website), Sidecar by The Centurion® Lounge in the U.S. (see the Centurion Lounge Website for more information on Sidecar by The Centurion® Lounge availability), and Escape Lounges when flying on a Delta flight booked with the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card. § To access Sidecar by The Centurion® Lounge, Card Members must arrive within 90 minutes of their departing flight (including layovers). To access The Centurion® Lounge, Card Members must arrive within 3 hours of their departing flight. Effective July 8, 2026, during a layover, Card Members must arrive within 5 hours of the connecting flight.
- Receive $2,500 Medallion® Qualification Dollars with MQD Headstart each Medallion Qualification Year and earn $1 MQD for each $10 in purchases on your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card with MQD Boost to get closer to Status next Medallion Year.
- Enjoy a Companion Certificate on a Delta First, Delta Comfort, or Delta Main round-trip flight to select destinations each year after renewal of your Card. The Companion Certificate requires payment of government-imposed taxes and fees of between $22 and $250 (for itineraries with up to four flight segments). Baggage charges and other restrictions apply. Delta Basic experiences are not eligible for this benefit.
- $240 Resy Credit: When you use your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card for eligible purchases with U.S. Resy restaurants, you can earn up to $20 each month in statement credits. Enrollment required.
- $120 Rideshare Credit: Earn up to $10 back in statement credits each month after you use your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card to pay for U.S. rideshare purchases with select providers. Enrollment required.
- Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card Members get 15% off when using miles to book Award Travel on Delta flights through delta.com and the Fly Delta app. Discount not applicable to partner-operated flights or to taxes and fees.
- With your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card, receive upgrade priority over others with the same Medallion tier, product and fare experience purchased, and Million Miler milestone when you fly with Delta.
- Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees. Enjoy international travel without additional fees on purchases made abroad.
- $650 Annual Fee.
- Apply with confidence. Know if you're approved for a Card with no impact to your credit score. If you're approved and you choose to accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.
- Terms Apply.
- See Rates & Fees