Hilton has just announced plans to introduce Apartment Collection by Hilton, as the hotel company gets into the furnished apartment accommodation business, thanks to a new partnership.
The partnership is expected to go live in the coming months (in the first half of 2026), at which point travelers will be able to book stays via the Hilton website or app. These properties will participate in the Hilton Honors program, though exact details remain to be seen, including earning and redemption rates, plus elite benefits.
Here’s how Hilton CEO Chris Nassetta describes this:
“Apartment Collection by Hilton represents the next chapter in Hilton’s growth story and the ways we are evolving to meet growing guest demand for this dynamic segment of hospitality. With this new brand, we are continuing to pioneer the future of the hospitality industry, giving guests even more ways to choose Hilton for every stay, backed by our service and reliability.”
Companies like Hilton and Marriott aren’t interested in owning hotels, or even particularly interested in managing them. Instead, they’re interested in taking a cut on anywhere that someone could sleep at night, whether it’s a hotel room, an apartment, or something else.
In many ways, the hotel giants have basically become versions of online travel agencies, using their loyalty programs as a way to drive people to book through their channels. The intent here is that Hilton is simply white labeling Placemakr apartments — Hilton gets a commission on each booking, and essentially passes on some of that to members in the form of points and elite nights.
Hilton markets how if you book these properties, you’ll receive “Hilton’s trusted service and reliability.” However, if something goes wrong with your stay, I’m sure Hilton will suddenly shift responsibility, and pass you over to their partner.
Many may remember Marriott’s recent partnership with Sonder, which ended with Sonder liquidating overnight. Marriott also promoted how its involvement would bring the trusted service the brand is known for, and that ended with Marriott telling customers to pound sand when they spent thousands of dollars on stays, only to find that Sonder was out of business.
The hotel giants will try to skim a commission on anything
Bottom line
Hilton plans to get into the apartment lodging business, with the introduction of Apartment Collection by Hilton. This will be in partnership with Placemakr, where those apartments will essentially be white labeled for Hilton. Hilton will get a commission on these bookings, and in return, members can earn and redeem points for stays. This matches the general industry trend we’re seeing, so I don’t think anyone should be surprised.
