Up to 500 new hotels are scheduled to be built by Hilton Worldwide Holdings in the coming months and years, all targeting student populations in college towns.
What is being officially called the Undergraduate by Hilton will see hotels that in some ways appear to look more like college apartment buildings, or any university student gathering spot, with an emphasis on lounge space, cocktail bars, and coffee shops.
The new hotels will also uniquely feature small 24-hour marketplaces.
According to the Washington Business Journal, the project will see a mixture of “new construction and conversions of existing hotels,” with the first slated to be opened sometime early next year.
Described by Forbes magazine as an “upper midscale brand,” the Undergraduate by Hilton hotels will additionally be geared for the visiting families of students and alumni and is expected to prove particularly popular during college football weekends.
In a statement, Chris Nassetta, chief executive officer of Hilton Worldwide Holdings, remarked: “We found a clear opportunity to bring the energy, design, and experiences people love about college communities to more university towns with this new brand.”
That new brand will additionally offer “more stay options while supporting disciplined, long-term growth across our portfolio,” added Nassetta.
Exactly where all the new Undergraduate by Hilton hotels will be built and/or established is not yet known.
Based in McLean, Virginia, Hilton Worldwide Holdings Incorporated manages just over 7,500 properties and is the descendant of the world-famous Hilton Hotels chain first launched with the Mobley Hotel in Cisco, Texas in 1919.
June 19, 2026
By Garry Boulard
Hilton advertisement
