A 20+ yr aim to turn out to be the world’s finest office has fueled spectacular monetary efficiency for the worldwide resort model.
Working in hospitality is demanding. There aren’t locks on the foyer doorways as a result of the resort by no means closes. So, you may be shocked {that a} hospitality firm is the No. 1 office on this planet.
Hilton, which was named No. on the Fortune World’s Greatest Workplaces™ listing in 2025, has greater than 170,000 group members in its owned and managed portfolio and operations throughout 9,000 properties in 141 nations and territories all over the world.
Is the housekeeping workers at a resort actually having a greater expertise than workers at a typical monetary companies or expertise firm?
A powerful sure.
At Hilton, 9 in 10 group members (91%) say they’ve an amazing office in comparison with simply seven in 10 at a typical international tech firm and 64% at a typical office, no matter business. Extra workers at Hilton give additional effort and plan to stick with the corporate long-term than typical international workers in finance or expertise, in accordance with a Nice Place To Work survey of 43,000 employes in 69 nations.
Being No. 1 on this planet is a enterprise precedence for Hilton.
“We set out on this journey as a result of we acknowledge that our tradition is the engine that powers our enterprise,” says Christine Maginnis, SVP and international head of expertise at Hilton. “Persons are on the coronary heart of hospitality, and we all know that once you maintain your group members, they’ll in flip maintain our company driving distinctive service and robust enterprise outcomes.”
Hilton’s personal analysis says practically 80% of U.S. customers consider that firms who take higher care of their workers present higher services and products, and practically 90% consider that’s the case for hospitality manufacturers. As Hilton’s rating has elevated on lists just like the Fortune World’s Greatest Workplaces, the enterprise has grown in tandem — with Hilton’s inventory efficiency, the place now buying and selling upwards of $250 per share, greater than ten occasions increased than its share worth in 2013.
What comes first — monetary efficiency, or tradition?
It’s tempting to suppose that Hilton’s exceptional enterprise efficiency is the engine behind its beneficiant office tradition.
However it’s by no means the perks or packages that make an organization actually nice. It’s an ethos and dedication from the group that turns good packages into distinctive worker experiences.
Look no additional than Go Hilton, Hilton’s best-known journey perk that gives group members 110 nights per yr at deep reductions at Hilton’s practically 9,000 areas everywhere in the globe. A lot of firms have an worker low cost program, so what makes Go Hilton particular?
It’s greater than a reduction.
“It is a gateway to life-changing experiences,” Maginnis explains. “Go Hilton shouldn’t be solely creating wonderful adventures and journeys and holidays for our group members, we’re seeing it actually come to life when our group members are in want.”
For instance, when a group member from Kazakhstan was touring overseas to safe medicine for a sick member of the family, her flight was canceled, leaving her stranded. She used Go Hilton to e-book a resort, and when the Hilton group heard her story at check-in, they shortly got here collectively to assist.
Hilton additionally donates a portion of every keep by means of this system to the World Hilton Basis and its Staff Member Help Fund. When Hilton group members journey, they know they’re additionally giving again to their communities and colleagues.
And the outcomes for the enterprise communicate for themselves.
“In 2024 alone, this saved thousands and thousands for our group members on room charge bills, generated billions by way of income for our house owners and contributed thousands and thousands to those foundations,” Maginnis says. ‘It is a win-win-win throughout the board for our group members, for our house owners, and for our communities.”
That is simply one of many methods Hilton places the Nice Place To Work Impact into motion, the place investing in group members has a direct affect on enterprise progress.
Growing each group member
As a hospitality enterprise, Hilton’s potential to scale is carefully tied to its potential to develop its individuals, “I feel individuals may be shocked simply by how broad and barrier-free our funding in expertise improvement actually is.”
There are myriad roles at Hilton, from its company workplace to the frontline serving company, so coaching must be customized, versatile and inclusive.
“Not each job that we have now has the power to take a seat and do synchronous digital studying in individual,” Maginnis says. “Our dedication to you is your progress and serving to you obtain what you need to obtain. And progress and management improvement moments aren’t only for some, however they’re for everyone.”
Sources vary from bite-sized content material to bigger packages like highschool completions and faculty diploma help. One space of focus? Empowering group members with AI.
“We use gen AI immersive trainings to assist our group members apply visitor interactions and downside fixing with speedy suggestions that may assist construct empathy and ability,” Maginnis provides for example. “Our visitor messaging chat simulation makes use of AI teaching to essentially assist refine that service supply.”
Measuring success
To turn out to be No. 1, you have to have a powerful dedication to measurement.
“We have recognized from the start which you can’t enhance what you do not measure,” Maginnis says. “Our technique has at all times been based mostly on group member suggestions and knowledgeable by information. We’re actively listening to our group members and gathering their suggestions by means of a wide range of channels, together with the Nice Place To Work Survey.”
One metric that Hilton watches carefully is the retention charge on group members with 10-plus years of service. Nevertheless, Maginnis says it’s essential to trace an array of metrics, from sentiment on surveys to behavioral information, from utilizing packages to promotion charges and retention.
“You type of get tripped up once you actually simply give attention to one or two issues,” Maginnis says. “You might need blinders on to what the downstream impacts of that metric have.”
Betting on hospitality careers
Because the world’s finest office, Hilton plans on working exhausting and innovating to maintain its No. 1 spot.
“We’re tremendously happy with this recognition, however we aren’t accomplished but. We’re a gaggle of overachievers and at all times desirous to push the envelope,” Maginnis says.
Hilton is doubling all the way down to make an enormous wager on hospitality careers and the those that drive success in its international enterprise.
“As we glance to the longer term, I feel that hospitality careers will stand the check of time,” Maginnis says.
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