Hilton Hotels announced on Monday its plans to launch NoMad – its luxury lifestyle hotel brand – in Singapore. This will be the first global expansion of the brand. under Hilton’s ownership.
Hilton and Singapore’s listed property group UOL are planning to open the NoMad Singapore with 173 rooms on Orchard Road – the heart of retail in the city – by early 2027.
Alan Watts, Hilton’s president for Asia Pacific said that Singapore was the first among “many Asian cities” to welcome NoMad. This signing adds an important new dimension to Hilton’s growth story in Asia Pacific, said Watts, and added that luxury lifestyle travel has a strong, sustained demand throughout the region.
Singapore premieres follows Hilton’s acquisition of a majority stake in Sydell GroupNoMad is the parent company.
Hilton’s decision to purchase NoMad comes as global hotel brands have been rushing to enter the luxury lifestyle space. These hotels offer cultural experiences, are small, and have a design focus. They attract younger, more affluent travelers.
Hilton CEO Chris Nassetta said that NoMad, while small in size, has a significant cultural cachet. He said, “It was a place we had to be.” Americas Lodging Investment Summit Early this year.
Hilton, at the time of its acquisition, projected that it had already advanced discussions with Sydell on more than ten new NoMads, with an overall goal of up 100 NoMads worldwide.
Hilton will be responsible for the global expansion.
“We are ensuring that the NoMad properties maintain their unique identity and do not become too similar to our existing luxury brands,” Clarence Tan, senior vice president, development — Asia Pacific at Hilton, told Skift last year.
The Asia Pacific Playbook
NoMad’s launch is part of Hilton’s wider luxury expansion across Asia Pacific. The group plans on expanding its luxury footprint in the region to 150 hotels over the next few years.
Hilton announced that it will open Waldorf Astoria hotels in Kuala Lumpur and Sydney over the next two-year period. It also plans to build Waldorf Astorias in Tokyo, Xi’an, Hanoi, Shanghai, and Shanghai. Conrad Hotels & Resorts is also expanding with upcoming properties in prime travel destinations across China, including Xi’an, Chengdu, and Nanjing, as well as in Nagoya, Japan.
The hotel company is also diversifying its luxury playbook with LXR Hotels & Resorts, in Umana Bali after Roku Kyoto in Japan. The company has recently integrated more than 400 Small Luxury Hotels of the World within its loyalty ecosystem.
Marriott and other competitors are also focusing on the region. Marriott’s Edition, which launched in Singapore in Singapore in the year 2023, is now heading to Mumbai in 2029.
Marriott’s recent announcement Its decision to purchase lifestyle brand citizenM and accelerate its global expansion will allow it to expand in the select service and lifestyle hotel sector.
Luxury Lifestyle Trio
Hilton’s luxury brands such as Conrad and Waldorf Astoria are expanding in regional capitals. NoMad, however, caters to an ever-growing segment: wealthy travelers who prefer hyper-localized, bespoke experiences to traditional opulence.
“NoMad is built on the concept of a hotel as a welcoming home filled with stories, where every detail – from its interiors and rich visual appeal to its thoughtfully curated dining experiences – comes to life,” said Andrew Zobler, Founder & CEO of The Sydell Group.
NoMad Singapore fits into a larger vision of the UOL Group. The project will be developed alongside UOL’s luxurious residences, Upperhouse at Orchard Boulevard and the new Pan Pacific Orchard. This “luxury living trio” is what UOL CEO Liam Wee Sin describes as being meant to reimagine this area as a high end cultural and residential hub.
Talking about the rise of branded residences, lifestyle hotels, and flexible spaces that blend work, play, and community in Asia Pacific, Nihat Ercan, CEO of JLL Hotels & Hospitality Group, Asia Pacific, had told Skift earlier, “Guests today want more than a room — they want connection, story, purpose.”
Accommodations Sector Stock Performance Year-to Date
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