Hilton Partners with Bollywood Actor Sidharth Malhotra

13.08.2024 - 07:12 / skift.com / Thomas Cook / Peden Doma Bhutia / Zubin Saxena / Cruises / Bulbul Dhawan

Hilton has partnered with Indian actor Sidharth Malhotra to extend its global marketing platform, ‘Hilton. For The Stay’ in the Indian market. The campaign would be driven with new initiatives and investments tailored to India, the company said in a statement. 

“Over the coming months, Hilton plans to invite other prominent personalities to experience their own bespoke stay to reinforce why it matters where you stay.”

Hilton’s India Plans: Hilton is expanding its presence in India, with plans to triple its portfolio in the country over the next few years. It is also launching new brands – Curio Collection by Hilton and Waldorf Astoria. 

The company’s new India country head Zubin Saxena told Skift in an earlier interview that this will be Hilton’s best year yet in India. “Between this year and the next, we will be opening a hotel every two to three months,” he said. 

Earlier this year, Hilton also partnered with actor Deepika Padukone for the ‘Hilton. For The Stay’ campaign. 

Indian Celebrities as Ambassadors: Indian celebrities enjoy significant following in the country and can influence the decisions of their fans. Case in point: Maldives became a popular tourist destination among Indians after it was featured in several Bollywood films and was listed as a favorite by multiple celebrities, including Salman Khan. 

This has led to international travel brands onboarding Indian celebrities as brand ambassadors, and Sidharth Malhotra is the latest in this trend. 

Last year, hotel chain Accor partnered with actor Katrina Kaif in its ALL – Accor Live Limitless loyalty program campaign. 

In 2022, Bollywood actor Alia Bhatt became the first Indian celebrity to endorse Mandarin Oriental hotel group as part of its global The Fan campaign alongside Morgan Freeman and Dev Patel. 

Westin Hotels and Resorts also partnered with actor Kareena Kapoor Khan as the India brand ambassador for its ‘Let’s Rise’ campaign, which focused on physical and mental health of guests and customers. 

Actor Shah Rukh Khan has been the brand ambassador for Dubai since 2016. He also became the first Indian actor to get the UAE golden visa. Dubai also launched a new campaign ‘Dubai, A Whole New You’ earlier this year with father-daughter actor duo Saif Ali Khan and Sara Ali Khan. 

Last year, Abu Dhabi entered into a two-year partnership with actor Ranveer Singh as the emirate’s new official ambassador. 

Global travel and hospitality leaders recognize the potential of India as a burgeoning market. My colleague Peden Doma Bhutia analyzed recent earnings calls from these industries to gauge their outlook on India’s evolving role in global tourism.

Hilton, Airbnb, and IHG have said that the demand in India is not slowing down. Airbnb has