From the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, we knew that staying true to Hilton’s founding vision – to fill the earth with the light and warmth of hospitality – would be critical to sustaining our business and the people and communities we serve. Throughout a year filled with uncertainty and upheaval, I’ve been so inspired by our Team Members who rose to the challenge, proving our hospitality is an unstoppable force for good all around the world.
Despite the pandemic’s unprecedented impact on the global hospitality industry, Hilton remained fully committed to our Travel with Purpose 2030 Goals and our teams worked tirelessly to be part of the solution to this global crisis. With the support of our Owners, Team Members and partners around the world, we focused on helping those on the front lines of the pandemic – from making one million room nights available to medical professionals, to supporting relief organizations with emergency funding, to donating food and other essential supplies to our local communities. We activated our Team Member Assistance Fund to offer direct support to those in need, and distributed more than a million dollars from the Hilton Effect Foundation, providing recovery funding to severely impacted communities and constituencies. In the face of social unrest around the world – particularly in the United States – we strengthened our commitments to diverse leadership in our hotels and corporate offices, as well as our partnerships with racial justice organizations fighting for a more just and equitable society.
Through it all, our Team Members were the heart of these efforts, spreading hospitality to our guests in communities across the globe, and offering gestures of hope that were all the more meaningful in such a turbulent year. Thanks to their grit, hard work and resilience, we continued to make a difference, and we were humbled to receive recognition for our efforts, including being:
More than ever, the global community is relying on the private sector to lead the way in building resilience and inclusive growth in a complex world. Knowing Hilton has a unique role to play in making that growth a reality, we refreshed our materiality assessment in 2020 to ensure that our Travel with Purpose 2030 Goals are closely aligned with the most critical environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues, focusing our efforts where we can have the greatest impact.
In a year like no other, Hilton never wavered in its commitment to our people and the planet we all call home. As we look ahead, we will continue to lean into the legacy we have created, allowing us to have an even more profound and positive impact on the communities where we live, work and travel. I’m proud of all we have accomplished in 2020 and know that together, our Hilton family will continue leading the way in sustainable travel for years to come.
Christopher J. Nassetta
President and Chief Executive Officer
Travel with Purpose is Hilton’s strategy to redefine and advance sustainable travel globally. We have committed to double our investment in social impact and cut our environmental impact in half by 2030. We track, analyze and report our environmental and social impact at each of Hilton’s 6,400+ hotels through LightStay, our award-winning ESG management system.
Travel with Purpose unites our organization around a set of global issues that connect our business to society, concentrating our efforts where we can have the highest social and environmental impact. It also allows us to contribute in a meaningful way to help the international community reach the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
We are committed to cutting our environmental footprint in half and doubling our investment in social impact. These overarching commitments are underpinned by 23 sub-targets which closely align with the global Sustainable Development Goals (“SDGs”) adopted by the United Nations in 2015.
We are committed to transparent and accurate external reporting of our corporate responsibility performance. We follow recognized ESG reporting frameworks including SASB, GRI and CDP. We obtain external assurance over our environmental and social impact data.
Hilton's robust corporate governance structure is designed to ensure the success and longevity of our business as we work towards our 2030 Goals. We hold ourselves and our partners to the highest standards, and Hilton’s Values guide our approach to ethical business practices, risk management, and public policy and advocacy.
We periodically assess our material issues to ensure we are aligning our programs with the issues that matter most to our stakeholders. In 2020, we refreshed our Materiality Assessment to inform the direction of our ESG programs as we progress towards our 2030 Goals.