Hilton has launched Undergraduate by Hilton, a new upper-midscale lifestyle brand designed to expand the company’s presence across college and university destinations globally.
The new brand has been developed as a complementary extension of Graduate by Hilton and is aimed at serving a broader range of campus-driven markets through a flexible development model and cost structure suited to university towns.
According to Hilton, Undergraduate by Hilton has long-term expansion potential of 400 to 500 hotels globally, with the first property expected to open in 2027.
The brand is targeted at travellers visiting college towns, including students, families, alumni, sports fans, business travellers and conference attendees. Hilton stated that the concept has been created to address growing accommodation demand in university destinations while balancing character, accessibility and value.
Chris Nassetta, President and CEO, 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 travellers, offering more stay options while supporting disciplined, long-term growth across our portfolio.
He added, “Undergraduate reflects the ongoing momentum of our Lifestyle portfolio, which is one of the most dynamic areas of expansion for our company as we plan to grow to offer 700 Lifestyle hotels globally by 2028, with 60 opening this year alone.”
Hilton stated that Undergraduate by Hilton will combine scalable development efficiencies with design elements inspired by campus culture and social experiences.
Key brand features include social public spaces inspired by off-campus lounges and libraries, flexible guest room layouts with dedicated study areas, barista-led social spaces and grab-and-go retail concepts, along with locally influenced design elements and art programmes.
The brand will also feature a cocktail programme developed in collaboration with Authentic Hospitality, known for operating New York hospitality venues including Ray’s and Pebble Bar.
Chris Silcock, President – Global Brands and Commercial Services, Hilton, said, “We’re continuously evolving how we connect with the next generation of travellers by creating new ways to stay within the places that matter most to them. With Undergraduate by Hilton, we’re broadening the stay experiences we offer, pairing community-led experiences with the scale of Hilton’s global platform to expand choice and deliver long-term value for owners.”
The launch further strengthens Hilton’s rapidly growing Lifestyle portfolio, which is projected to reach 700 hotels globally by 2028.
Hilton noted that Graduate by Hilton currently has nearly 60 hotels in various stages of development across university markets, while other lifestyle and collection brands including Curio Collection by Hilton, Tapestry Collection by Hilton, Motto by Hilton, Tempo by Hilton and Canopy by Hilton continue to expand across key international destinations.
Undergraduate by Hilton will also participate in the Hilton Honors loyalty programme, which currently has more than 250 million members globally.
