Waldorf Astoria’s New York City revival is just the beginning for Hilton’s planned luxe 2025

"Will it or won't it reopen?" hotel cynics have been wondering about Waldorf Astoria New York for years. (Not me, of course. I'm an eternal optimist who always thought it was coming back. Cough.) But now, the Waldorf Astoria New York finally has a clear path to reopening day.

The storied, ultraluxury hotel is now taking reservations for stays in 2025 after being closed for a multiyear, more than $1 billion renovation. The reopening comes with 375 overhauled guest rooms and suites, a signature restaurant overseen by chef Michael Anthony and the return of the hotel's famous Peacock Alley cocktail lounge.

But it's also a major feather in the cap of Hilton and its expansion at the luxury end of the hotel food chain.

"It's been a labor of love," Dino Michael, senior vice president and global head of Hilton's luxury brands, said of the Waldorf renovation in an interview with TPG this month at the International Luxury Travel Market in Cannes, France. "I think when people go, they'll realize why it took so long. They'll see the detail, the silver leaf, the gold leaf, the renovated mosaics, the marble, the paintings, and they'll be like, 'Okay, we get it now.'"

But it's more than just the Waldorf Astoria outpost in New York City that's keeping Hilton busy on the luxury front. Hilton plans to open additional Waldorf Astoria properties in Costa Rica; Osaka, Japan; and Shanghai next year. Waldorf Astoria could have as many as 50 hotels around the world in the next two to three years, Candice D'Cruz, Hilton's vice president of luxury brands for the Asia-Pacific region, told TPG at ILTM.

Conrad is slated to add hotels in Athens and Hamburg, Germany, next year, while LXR Hotels & Resorts will expand to Casablanca, Morocco, in 2025. The expansion comes amid a flurry of acquisition and partnership deals for Hilton, including a new partnership with Small Luxury Hotels of the World and a deal to expand the NoMad brand into Hilton's leading luxury lifestyle offering.

"It's been a long time coming," Feisal Jaffer, global head of LXR Hotels & Resorts, said of Hilton's broader luxury play. "I mean, this is sort of a journey that we've been on to really change the perception in luxury."

But the growth doesn't come easy. Hilton leadership has to woo hotel owners away from what the competition at Marriott, Hilton and IHG is offering on the brand front.

"They pitch it with all the enthusiasm in the world, and it's a beauty contest," Michael said. "You're pitching against other brands."

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It appears the pitch is working. At a different point of ILTM, leaders with Small Luxury Hotels of the World noted more than 80% of their properties are now participating in the new Hilton partnership; they see value in gaining more exposure and bringing in a new type of customer from the Hilton Honors orbit.

Hilton's luxury liftoff appears to be on track to hit the stratosphere in the new year.

Related reading:

• The award traveler's guide to Hilton Honors
• How to choose the best Hilton credit card for you
• What is Hilton Honors elite status worth?
• The best credit cards to reach elite status
• The best hotel rewards programs in the world
• Best hotel credit cards