Following the long-awaited and highly-anticipated relaunch of the Waldorf Astoria New York in July this year, Hilton Luxury & Lifestyle has shifted its energies across the Atlantic for the delivery of Waldorf Astoria London Admiralty Arch expected to open in mid-2026.

Slated to open next spring at one of London’s most iconic historical landmarks, Waldorf Astoria Admiralty Arch marks the brand’s first appearance in London. The development was revealed more than nine years ago.

Hilton is revitalising the landmark property to meet the needs of the next generation of discerning travellers and locals while honouring the building’s storied past. The property will feature 100 keys as well as residences. Originally commissioned by King Edward VII in memory of Queen Victoria, the Admiralty Arch building stands proudly at the end of The Mall opposite Buckingham Palace, offering unrivalled views of the Palace in one direction and across Nelson’s Column and Trafalgar Square in the other. Central to plans is a newly developed presidential suite with views of Buckingham Palace and Trafalgar Square.  

Hilton, in partnership with Reuben Brothers, is meticulously restoring the Grade I listed monument.

Speaking to media at ILTM Cannes, Guillaume Marly, General Manager of Waldorf Astoria London Admiralty Arch said the significance of the 112 year old residence of the UK’s First Sea Lord, the Commander of the Royal Navy was “quite special”.

“Since New York is now open the shift of attention has very much swung from the Waldorf Astoria New York to the London property, which is great.” 

“The responsibility of opening a world-class property with a world-class brand is not lost upon myself and my team. The pressure and the excitement is building up tremendously,” he said.

Culinary direction for the ultra-luxury property will come from Clare Smyth MBE and Daniel Boulud, two of the world’s most celebrated chefs whose eponymous restaurants together hold seven Michelin stars.

“Being a world-class hotel means that we are also bringing with us world-class partners, two culinary ‘royalty’ chefs,” Marly said.

Potential realised

Meanwhile, Dino Michael, Hilton’s Senior Vice President & Category Head, Luxury Brands described 2025 as a “heck of a year… across the board.”

“If you think about the last several years, its about the potential of what we were doing.”

“This year is it about potential realised.”

“Whether its the reopening of the iconic Waldorf Astoria New York, entering new markets like Helsinki with Waldorf Astoria, Hamburg with Conrad, [or] bringing Waldorf Astoria to Costa Rica.”

Other openings for Hilton’s Luxury portfolio include Waldorf Astoria Osaka in April and Waldorf Astoria Shanghai (last month), and bringing LXR to Paris” and having a luxury product in Paris”.

“You can just see the momentum of how serious we are to the point where we now have 1,000 luxury and lifestyle hotels across our portfolio. On the back of that, Hilton Honors has made a number of changes – we’ve taken the program and made it easier to earn Gold and Diamond, making sure that our best customers engage with us earlier, more frequently.”

Michael highlighted the expansion into news spaces, such as glamping with Auto Camp, and expanding the Nomad brand across the world with an opening flagged for Singapore’s Orchard Road. 

“The momentum is crazy, it’s out of control and it’s going to be sustained for the next several decades to come,” he added. “Next year we’ll introduce Waldorf Astoria to Kuala Lumpur and Conrad, opening LXR in India.”

Hushpitality

Discussing ‘hushpitality’ (raised by Hilton recently when forecasting 2026 trends), Michael said the movement towards quiet travel and quiet luxury, follows a “move away from a possession-based attitude towards more experiences, and that’s translating into things that we buy. The ‘if you know, you know’ attitude is increasing.”

“We’ve always had to accommodate, whether it’s multi-generational or solo travel taking on a little bit of a twist. Solo travel is now more about doing that one thing, the ‘why travel’ – maybe to experience a restaurant or nature.

“The purpose is first, the destination is second, the brand is sometimes third. We need to plan to accommodate for that.”

“Multi-generational, as families become more desperate and [move] further apart. We are seeing three-, four- and sometimes even five-generations of family travelling together. So that’s where we’re pivoting and looking at, and then being able to curate those experiences to accommodate multi-generational trips.”

Meanwhile, discussing how Hilton’s Luxury & Lifestyle brands continue to tap into the ‘calm and reflection’ of hushpitality, Mark Weinstein – Chief Marketing Officer and Head of Luxury Brands, Hilton said the onus of brand choice is always placed on the guest.

“All our brands to that very well, while making sure it’s up to the traveller.”

“Our job is not to tell you how to travel. It’s to intercept you where you are.”

“If you want to be energised, our job is to energise you. If you want to indulge, our job is to help you indulge. If your task is to continue the trend at home of your fitness routine or your wellness eating routing, how do we enable that when you are travelling with us. Or if you want to have more of an ‘eat, pray, love’ inspirational moment, how do we enable that?”

Weinstein said the key is “not to prescribe to customers that we’re a wellness brand or eco-tourism brand.

“Those need to be embedded into what we’re doing, so you can travel the way you travel.”