You don’t tune into a Hilton earnings call for dark clouds.
But this week’s earnings from the hotel giant offered something more interesting: evidence that the K-shaped economy that’s concentrated growth in luxury for the last several quarters might finally be starting to flatten. Hilton CEO Chris Nassetta‘s economic thesis is one that could boost the entire hotel industry.
For months (even in an interview with yours truly last fall), Nassetta has pointed to structural tailwinds he believed would eventually filter down through the economy: declining inflation, expected rate cuts, further deregulation, and multiyear tax policy advantages. Now, he is ready to call an emerging shift — not a K-shaped split anymore, but what he described this week as a “C-shaped economy,” where demand is spreading across the income spectrum rather than concentrating at the top and bottom.
A great solo travel tip spotted this week on Luxury Travel Advisor.
