Hilton has announced the launch of Undergraduate by Hilton, a new upper-midscale hotel brand designed specifically for college and university markets, marking a significant expansion of its lifestyle portfolio. The new brand builds on the success of Graduate by Hilton and aims to bring college-town hospitality to a broader range of destinations across the United States and beyond.
Developed to cater to students, families, alumni, sports fans, business travellers and conference attendees, Undergraduate by Hilton will focus on college communities that experience consistent year-round demand driven by campus visits, academic events, sporting weekends and university gatherings. The brand is intended to provide a campus-connected hospitality experience while maintaining Hilton’s standards of comfort, reliability and service.
Unlike Graduate by Hilton, which operates in the upper-upscale segment with highly customised designs and extensive food and beverage offerings, Undergraduate by Hilton is positioned in the upper-midscale category. The brand features a more flexible and scalable development model that supports both new-build and conversion projects, enabling hotel owners and developers to enter college-town markets more efficiently.
Hilton expects the new brand to have long-term expansion potential of 400 to 500 hotels, significantly increasing its footprint in university-focused destinations. The first Undergraduate by Hilton property is anticipated to open in 2027.
Commenting on the launch, Chris Nassetta, President and CEO of Hilton, said:
“We saw a clear opportunity to bring the energy, design and experiences people love about campus communities to more university towns with this new brand. Undergraduate by Hilton unveils an exciting new era of college-town hospitality, expanding how we show up for campus-connected travelers, offering more stay options while supporting disciplined, long-term growth across our portfolio.”
The brand will also participate in the Hilton Honors loyalty programme, giving more than 250 million Hilton Honors members additional opportunities to earn and redeem points across Hilton’s growing portfolio.The launch aligns with Hilton’s broader growth strategy for its lifestyle segment, which the company aims to expand to 700 lifestyle hotels globally by 2028. By introducing Undergraduate by Hilton alongside Graduate by Hilton, the hospitality giant seeks to serve a wider range of college-town travel occasions while strengthening its presence in fast-growing university markets.
