Hilton's (HLT) Garden Inn Brand Continues To Expand Globally

Hilton Worldwide Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:HLT) continues to expand one of its 14 brands – Hilton Garden Inn – both domestically as well as internationally.

Currently, Hilton’s Garden Inn brand comprises over 720 hotels across 33 countries and territories catering to the needs of business and leisure travelers alike. The properties offer convenient in-room amenities, fitness centers, on-site dining options, flexible meeting spaces, among many other facilities unique to each location.

The brand’s most recent round of hotel openings in the month of May and up till now includes four new properties in the U.S. and four more across the globe.

The first U.S. property is located on Florida’s Okaloosa Island, offering expansive views of the Gulf of Mexico. The second one is located minutes away from Gerald Ford International Airport (GRR), adjacent to Calvin College, while the third one is minutes from Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT). The fourth property in the U.S. is located in the Long Island harbor waterfront, east of New York City.

Moreover, the four international locations include one located inside Uptown Mérida Mall near the Mérida commercial district in Mexico; one in the heart of Ümraniye, the financial and commercial district of Istanbul, Turkey; another in the United Arab Emirates, steps from the Free Trade Zone; and the last one in the heart of Little India, one of Singapore’s most vibrant enclaves.

All the new properties are part of the company’s industry-leading guest loyalty program — Hilton HHonors loyalty program — which serves millions of members worldwide. In fact, we expect the company’s performance to be buoyed by strong unit development and tremendous growth in loyalty program given its scale, size, industry-leading brands and commercial platform.

Notably, Hilton is scheduled to join the coveted S&P 500 index prior to the open of trading on Jun 19. The company’s addition to the S&P 500 is a major positive, which should aid in enhancing share price returns.

Moreover, in January, Hilton completed the spin-offs of Park Hotels & Resorts, Inc. (NYSE:PK) and Hilton Grand Vacations Inc. (NYSE:HGV) , resulting in three independent, publicly traded companies. On the same day, the company effected the previously announced 1-for-3 reverse stock split. All these changes are expected to make Hilton a fee-based, capital efficient, and resilient business, having enormous growth potential worldwide.

Post the split on Jan 4, the company’s shares have rallied 15.3% while the S&P 500 market recorded a return of 7.7%.

However, Hilton’s international presence makes it vulnerable to lingering political uncertainties and economic downturns in certain parts of the world. Meanwhile, unfavorable currency translations and competition from larger hoteliers like Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ:MAR) could also hurt the top line.

Nevertheless, aggressive expansion policies and the slated addition to the prestigious S&P 500 benchmark augur well for this Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) company. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

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