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4 April, 2019

Hilton celebrates 100 years in hospitality with ‘The Hilton Effect’

Hilton Effect 2019 APEC Series. Sydney February 2019. Photograph Dallas Kilponen

Hilton Hotels & Resorts is celebrating its 100 year milestone by launching ‘The Hilton Effect’, a campaign showcasing the positive impacts of the company worldwide.

The company celebrates a momentous year of achievements, not only in reaching its centenary, but in achieving the highest honours in the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For 2019.

On top of that, nationally Hilton Australasia has been recognised as Australia’s Employer of Choice for Gender Equality 2018 to 2019, joining 140 other organisations across the country to receive the honour this year.

Heidi Kunkel, vice president of operations across Australasia at Hilton, said: “[Hilton] are honoured to be the only hospitality company in Australia to receive this wonderful recognition, and as a WGEA Equal Pay Ambassador, I am personally committed to ensuring Hilton continues to embrace gender equality.”

Hilton’s Heidi Kunkel. Photograph: Dallas Kilponen

“There’s much to be gained from women lifting each other up, trusting in each other’s ability, and encouraging each other to overcome any negativity and challenges in the workplace,” Kunkel recently wrote in a LinkedIn post.

Furthermore, in early 2014 to 2015, Hilton Australasia’s introduction of the Women in Leadership program in 2015 has empowered more than 140 female team members in Australasia, assisting them in their career journeys.

As of 2019, 30 per cent of participants have already been promoted or transferred within the company.

While the company is a champion on the national front for gender diversity in the workplace, Hilton is also known for embracing all forms of diversity, from gender to national and cultural equality.

“Across Australasia, we are very fortunate to have Team Members from over 90 different nationalities who come from all walks of life,” Kunkel said.

“Diversity in the workplace brings increased creativity of thought to challenge the status quo, enable thinking ‘outside the box’ and leverage complementary skills and experience.

“We are all working towards a common goal and vision and when you combine a diverse mix of talents, skills and perspectives, supported by a culture of openness and inclusion, everyone benefits.”

In Australasia, The Hilton Effect coincided with last week’s release of Hilton’s very own short-film for Hilton Australasia, Lasting Impression.

The film tells the story of Georgia Spencer, sales executive at West Hotel Sydney, Curio Collection by Hilton, and her history with the company, beginning with her father Ashley Spencer and his role at Hilton as vice president of operations.

Just one among an international assortment of happy stories, Spencer’s is an example of what the company calls The Hilton Effect – the ‘world-altering’ impact that Hilton has had on the world, as Chip Heath, Stanford business professor, defined in his book of the same name: The Hilton Effect.

“We’re not trying to be something else,” Alan Watts, Hilton’s Asia Pacific president and executive vice president, said at a recent media lunch.

Hilton’s Alan Watts.

“The difference in working for Hilton is that we are a hospitality company. We’re not trying to be a travel vertical. We’re not trying to acquire our way to success.

“If you think of a company that has been around for 100 years… the majority of companies that made it to 100 are no longer doing what they set out to do.”

Since its founding by Conrad Hilton in 1919, the multi-national company has enjoyed an illustrious history employing more than 10 million staff, hosting more than three million guests, expanding across the world with hotels in every continent.

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equality gender diversity hilton The Hilton Effect