Hilton CEO Sees All of the Hotel Giant’s Business Returning to Previous Demand — Eventually
Photo Credit: Despite a $432 million second quarter loss, Hilton continues to build out a development pipeline for a post-pandemic travel environment. Hilton
Skift Take
It's never too early to start planning for a post-pandemic travel environment, which Hilton is clearly doing with robust optimism. But the company can't ignore the fact the ongoing case surge in the U.S. threatens to curtail months of recovery momentum. How will that play out for the long term?
The coronavirus downturn in travel pummeled Hilton’s springtime business performance, but the company’s leaders are still planning to expand well beyond the pandemic.
Hilton posted a $432 million second quarter loss due to the pandemic that tanked travel demand around the world, the company reported Thursday. But the company also approved more than 18,000 new rooms for development in the same time period.
Company leaders, while recognizing the historic downturn fueled by a public health crisis, said they still anticipate future growth to reach previous levels and beyond, despite the uncertain next couple of months in the travel industry.
“In the short, intermediate-term, we’ve absolutely scrambled every jet we’ve got to figure out a weaker business transient environment,” Hilton CEO Christopher Nassetta said Thursday on an investor call. “While it will take a few years to get back, one way or another we will have similar levels of demand both for business transie
