Hilton Worldwide had a fairly strong third quarter in terms of financial targets, but the overall tone of the company’s earnings call on Oct. 26 was, as CEO Christopher Nassetta said, “cautiously optimistic.”
During the hotel company's quarterly investor call, Hilton's CEO Christopher Nassetta outlined a few of the reasons why the HNA deal represents “tremendous opportunity for the company.” The deal “is a win for all parties” because both companies leverage one another’s customer bases and various relationships.
In addition to already having investments in hotel companies such as Red Lion Hotels and Spain’s NH Hotels, HNA also announced earlier this year that it would purchase Carlson Hotels and, possibly, a majority stake in Rezidor in an acquisition that has yet to close.
At one point during the call, Nassetta was asked if the recent Marriott-Starwood merger was having any impact on Hilton’s business.
“I think the way I think about it is we are very competent in the strategy that we are pursuing.”
