Marriott appears to lead the global luxury hotel race, with 556 open properties across its top-tier brands as of September 30. Hilton, by comparison, counts just 106 open luxury hotels under its core brands.
But Hilton’s position changes if you include its partnership with Small Luxury Hotels of the World (SLH). This partnership lets members of Hilton’s loyalty program book and earn points at a few hundred independently owned hotels. That brings Hilton’s broader count to 587 open hotels globally, though those properties are independently owned and not branded under Hilton.
The contrast highlights how luxury is being defined and stretched across the major hotel groups. Some are leaning on soft brands (collections of independent hotels that tap into the distribution and loyalty program of a larger hotel group) and conversions. Others are turning to loyalty partnerships (like Hilton’s Small Luxury Hotels deal) or brand extensions (like Marriott’s Ritz-Carlton
