Hilton is betting on people in an industry that can’t afford to lose them

These concerns are filtering through to the workforce. Seven in 10 (69%) of U.K. workers jointly surveyed by King’s College London’s Institute for Artificial Intelligence and Policy Institute said they were worried about the economic impact of AI on job losses. 

Global hospitality business Hilton is acutely aware of these concerns. The company has been gradually increasing its use of AI across back office and customer-facing roles and has introduced an AI chatbot to its website to help customers plan their trips. But it insists the technology is there to enhance—not replace—the human interactions that make a hotel stay memorable.  

“Nothing is a substitute for the human touch, and our team members appreciate that,” says Steve Ryan, senior vice president of HR for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa at Hilton, adding that the company wants to remain “people-led and people-focused.” 

He hopes this commitment will help to reduce employee anxieties around AI. “We talk openly about using technology to enable even more focus on the guest experience, so I think that helps to allay fears. Most people that work in hospitality want to support guests and create great experiences for them. The more we can use technology to help with that, the better.” 

Hilton’s people-centric culture has helped it take the No.1 position on Fortune’s list of the 100 Best Companies to work for — Europe 2026, which is based on anonymous employee survey data and reviews of organizations’ employee benefits programs. The hotel group rose above logistics company DHL, which held the top spot last year. In the U.K., 92% of Hilton’s employees rated it a “great place to work”, compared with an average of 54% for a typical U.K. organization, according to Great Place to Work, which partners with Fortune for its 100 Best Companies To Work For lists. 

Ryan suggests that Hilton’s focus on purpose has been key to its rise up the rankings. Hilton’s ‘travel with purpose’ program encourages employees to engage in community projects such as litter picking, cleaning river banks, and helping young people with CV writing. In 2025, Hilton employees spent 1.8 million hours volunteering.  

“People want to feel they’re part of something bigger and that they’re having a positive impact on the company and the wider community,” Ryan says. “Our ability to demonstrate that is a real competitive advantage.”  

While AI may pose a threat to certain roles within hospitality, the industry needs more people overall as it grows. Demand for workers in the travel and tourism sector is projected to exceed supply by more than 43 million people by 2035, according to research by the World Economic Forum. Attracting staff is therefore top of mind. 

Ryan is currently focused on creating greater consistency across Hilton’s perks and benefits packages, which can differ between countries. One example is Hilton’s care hub, which provides guidance and strategies for caring for elderly relatives, children, and mental health advice. This upgrade to Hilton’s employee assistance program was first introduced in the U.S. but is now available for staff across Europe and the Middle East, with country-specific pages developed for 17 regions. Access to Hilton’s discounted gym memberships and wellbeing apps has also been expanded to 10 new countries in the region over the past year. 

Elsewhere, an employee exchange program has aided skills development and knowledge-sharing across Hilton’s global hotel network by allowing people to try out new roles, work at a new property, or experience a new culture. Since 2023, 1,400 Hilton staff members have participated in the scheme. 

One of Hilton’s most popular benefits, according to Ryan, is its travel benefit, which allows employees and their friends and families to stay at Hilton’s hotels for a heavily discounted rate. “You normally find that if somebody works in hospitality, they like to travel,” Ryan says. “It’s one of those benefits that everybody loves, and it’s available to our team members across the world.”  

An ongoing challenge is maintaining a consistent culture across all of Hilton’s properties. The company has a current pipeline of 329 hotels under construction or in development. “We’re opening hotels at quite a pace and, when you open a new hotel, you have to build the culture from scratch,” Ryan explains.  

Getting that right is critical to Hilton’s ability to recruit and retain its workforce, he says. “Culture is the reason so many people stay with us and develop successful careers.” 

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