Hilton and YOTEL are joining forces, which I’m happy to see, as I’m kind of a sucker for the YOTELAIR concept.
YOTEL & Hilton enter exclusive franchise agreement
Hilton and YOTEL have announced a new exclusive agreement. With this franchise agreement, all YOTEL properties will join the Hilton Honors portfolio, meaning members will be able to book through Hilton channels, and to earn and redeem points.
All 23 YOTEL properties across 10 countries are expected to join Hilton Honors later in 2026. With this partnership, the goal is to more than triple the portfolio in the coming years. The company is known for its highly efficient rooms in urban markets (YOTEL), but also has some in-terminal hotels (YOTELAIR), as well as extended stay properties (YOTELPAD).
YOTEL will be the first brand in Hilton’s newly established Select by Hilton concept, which the company describes as follows:
Select by Hilton is designed to grow into a brand that creates new ways to stay for guests, with the trust, confidence, and perks they expect from Hilton. High-quality, established hotel brands that join Select by Hilton will retain their own identity and brand management while they connect to the award-winning Hilton Honors loyalty program and enjoy the benefits of Hilton’s superior distribution and technology platforms.
Here’s how Hilton’s Chief Development Officer, Christian Charnaux, described this:
“The addition of YOTEL to Hilton’s network is the latest example of our commitment to capital efficient growth through a relationship that is both complementary to our existing brand portfolio and offers guests thoughtfully designed, sleek new ways to stay with Hilton in key urban locations around the world. This agreement further strengthens our network effect by connecting a beloved independent brand like YOTEL into the powerful Hilton Honors network and commercial distribution system, while preserving what makes the brand unique.”
Meanwhile here’s what YOTEL’s CEO, Phil Andreopoulos, had to say:
“Hilton brings unmatched global distribution and loyalty scale to our brand and business. YOTEL’s relationship with Hilton allows us to expand our reach while staying true to who we are. What changes for YOTEL is access – not identity – in a capital-light, and scalable way.”
This seems like a logical partnership for both brands
The major hotel groups have been growing at an incredibly fast pace in recent years, with an asset-light strategy. So essentially the play is to see how giants like Hilton and Marriott can get a cut on as many “heads in beds” as possible.
We’re increasingly seeing the major hotel groups expand beyond just traditional hotel concepts, and this is the perfect example of that. We recently saw Marriott acquire the citizenM brand, and I’d say YOTEL is a competitor (at least the city locations). So while Hilton isn’t acquiring YOTEL, a long term agreement seems like a win-win.
While I’ve never stayed at a YOTEL city property, I have stayed at multiple airport properties, and I’ve consistently found them to be very good. I find these compact rooms to be so cozy, and YOTEL does a good job with functional design and comfort. So if I can earn and redeem Hilton Honors points for my next YOTEL stay, that’s something I’m happy about!
Bottom line
YOTEL is going to partner with Hilton, and with that, we’ll see the roughly two dozen existing properties join the Hilton Honors program later this year. With this added exposure, YOTEL is hoping to grow massively, and more than triple its property count in the coming years.
With Marriott having recently acquired citizenM, it makes sense that Hilton would also look to partner with such a brand.
What do you make of Hilton and YOTEL partnering?
