McLean, Virginia – 15 July 2017 – By Chris Nassetta, CEO Hilton –
At Hilton, our mission is simple – to be the most hospitable company in the world. Providing exceptional experiences to our guests day-in and day-out is our top priority. At the front line of delivering that authentic hospitality are 360,000 Hilton Team Members around the world who are the key to our company’s success.
Yet, we are living in stressful times. Increasingly busy schedules, the endless political news cycle and digital device overload all make it more and more challenging to maintain our energy. The burnout, fatigue and stress that result are real problems for business. In fact, job stress costs U.S. industries more than $300 billion each year.
Hilton has decided to take a different approach. We know that our Team Members are our greatest asset, and so we invest in them. In just two years, we have launched new Team Member benefits like industry-leading parental leave and adoption assistance, boosted our Team Member travel perks, and doubled-down on our continuing education and career development programs.
These investments in our Team Members pay off. Over the years, we’ve seen that increases in resources and benefits for our Team Members have corresponded with rising guest satisfaction scores and parallel growth in our most loyal customer base. In 2015, we welcomed six million new members to our Hilton Honors program, and an additional nine million guests joined last year. Greater guest satisfaction and loyalty has, in turn, led to market expansion with nearly one new Hilton property opened around the world per day in 2016. Seeing this confirms our belief that having Team Members thrive at work and at home isn’t just thoughtful business, it is smart business that leads to sustainable high-performance.
That’s why today, we are taking our focus on our Team Members to the next level. We are launching a new value proposition – Thrive@Hilton – to help our Team Members understand our people programs and flourish in every area of the business, from corporate to hourly, from the front desk to back-of-house. Working with the experts at Thrive Global, we will strive to help Team Members feel more resilient, focused and optimistic about their work, which we believe will support our company’s continued success.
Thrive@Hilton will help us to truly evolve the way we work to create space for what matters: inspiration, creativity and meaningful connections. Through new initiatives like building in time to recharge during the workday, sabbaticals and modern tools for increasing recognition, we will enable our Team Members to grow and flourish in body, mind and spirit.
Thrive Global founder and CEO Arianna Huffington recently shared her thoughts on Thrive@Hilton, saying: “I’m thrilled to be partnering with Hilton. Those who are charged with looking after the well-being of others – including the millions who work in the hospitality industry – are especially vulnerable to stress and burnout. But Hilton has been a global leader in proving that prioritizing the well-being of employees is the surest route to sustainable growth. With Thrive@Hilton we’ll be able to build on that success and ensure that all Hilton Team Members continue to thrive.”
In partnership with Thrive Global, we are making a new long-term commitment to help our Team Members live their best lives. And it’s a commitment we’re proud to make.