How Hilton Is Attempting to Redefine the Airport Hotel
Photo Credit: Hilton Munich Airport is beginning a 160-room expansion this spring. Hilton Worldwide
Skift Take
Promoting itself as the inventor of the airport hotel concept, Hilton Worldwide is trying to change the image of airport hotels from transient hubs to interesting business destinations in their own right.
The newly reflagged Hilton Munich Airport held its official grand opening last week, where some of Hilton’s top executives promoted the brand’s holistic views of airport hotels moving into the future.
According to Rob Palleschi, global head full service brands of Hilton Worldwide, he says Conrad Hilton pioneered the airport hotel concept with the launch of the San Francisco airport property in 1959. It basically served as a big billboard that directed a lot of eyeballs toward Hilton's new hotels worldwide and the reality of international travel for more consumers.
“Conrad thought that if people had a good experience in San Francisco, the next logical stop was Tokyo, and so on, so the airport hotel platform has always been in our DNA,” says Palleschi. “We've seen the transformation going from what were once low-rise properties predominantly focused on convenient one-night stays, to now what is really becoming a destination with a large number of guest rooms and faciliti
