Hilton Worldwide Holdings 10-K 2017-12-31

10-K 1 a2017hwh10-k.htm 10-K

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

Form 10-K

(Mark One)

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017

or

For the transition period from to

Commission File Number 001-36243

Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (703) 883-1000

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes x No ¨

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes ¨ No x

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes x No ¨

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files). Yes x No ¨

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K. x

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company or emerging growth company. See the definitions of "large accelerated filer," "accelerated filer," "smaller reporting company" and "emerging growth company" in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

Large accelerated filer x Accelerated filer ¨

Non -accelerated filer ¨ (Do not check if a smaller reporting company) Smaller reporting company ¨

Emerging growth company ¨

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ¨

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes ¨ No x

As of June 30, 2017, the aggregate market value of the registrant’s common stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant was approximately $12,628 million (based upon the closing sale price of the common stock on that date on the New York Stock Exchange).

The number of shares of common stock outstanding on February 7, 2018 was 316,118,115.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

Items 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14 of Part III incorporate information by reference from the registrant's definitive proxy statement relating to its 2018 annual meeting of stockholders to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission within 120 days after the close of the registrant's fiscal year.

HILTON WORLDWIDE HOLDINGS INC.

FORM 10-K TABLE OF CONTENTS

YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2017

PART I

Forward -Looking Statements

This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act") and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"). These statements include, but are not limited to, statements related to our expectations regarding the performance of our business, our financial results, our liquidity and capital resources and other non-historical statements. In some cases, you can identify these forward-looking statements by the use of words such as "outlook," "believes," "expects," "potential," "continues," "may," "will," "should," "could," "seeks," "projects," "predicts," "intends," "plans," "estimates," "anticipates" or the negative version of these words or other comparable words. Such forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties, including, among others, risks inherent to the hospitality industry, macroeconomic factors beyond our control, competition for hotel guests and management and franchise contracts, risks related to doing business with third-party hotel owners, performance of our information technology systems, growth of reservation channels outside of our system, risks of doing business outside of the United States of America ("U.S.") and our indebtedness. Accordingly, there are or will be important factors that could cause actual outcomes or results to differ materially from those indicated in these statements. We believe these factors include but are not limited to those described under "Part I—Item 1A. Risk Factors." These factors should not be construed as exhaustive and should be read in conjunction with the other cautionary statements that are included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or review any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise, except as required by law.

Terms Used and Basis of Presentation in this Annual Report on Form 10-K

Except where the context requires otherwise, references in this Annual Report on Form 10-K to "Hilton," "the Company," "we," "us" and "our" refer to Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc., together with its consolidated subsidiaries. Except where the context requires otherwise, references to our "properties," "hotels" and "rooms" refer to the hotels, resorts and timeshare properties managed, franchised, owned or leased by us. Of these properties, a portion are directly owned or leased by us or joint ventures in which we have an interest, and the remaining properties are owned by third-party owners.

On January 3, 2017, we completed the spin-offs of a portfolio of hotels and resorts, as well as our timeshare business, into two independent, publicly traded companies: Park Hotels & Resorts Inc. ("Park") and Hilton Grand Vacations Inc. ("HGV"), respectively, (the "spin-offs"). The spin-offs were completed via a distribution to each of Hilton's stockholders of record, as of the close of business on December 15, 2016, of 100 percent of the outstanding common stock of each of Park and HGV. Each Hilton stockholder received one share of Park common stock for every five shares of Hilton common stock and one share of HGV common stock for every 10 shares of Hilton common stock. Hilton did not retain any interest in Park or HGV. Both Park and HGV have their common stock listed on the New York Stock Exchange ("NYSE") under the symbols "PK" and "HGV," respectively. See "—Item 1A. Risk Factors" included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for additional information. This Annual Report on Form 10-K presents our business and results of operations as of and for the periods indicated, giving effect to the spin-offs, with the combined historical financial results of Park and HGV reflected as discontinued operations.

On January 3, 2017, we completed a 1-for-3 reverse stock split of Hilton's outstanding common stock (the "Reverse Stock Split"). The authorized number of shares of common stock was reduced from 30,000,000,000 to 10,000,000,000, and the authorized number of shares of preferred stock remained 3,000,000,000. All share and share-related information presented in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for periods prior to the Reverse Stock Split have been retrospectively adjusted to reflect the decreased number of shares resulting from the Reverse Stock Split.

HNA Tourism Group Co., Ltd. and certain of its affiliates are referred to herein as "HNA," and the Blackstone Group L.P. and certain of its affiliates are referred to herein as "Blackstone."

Reference to "Average Daily Rate" or "ADR" means hotel room revenue divided by total number of room nights sold in a given period, and "Revenue per Available Room" or "RevPAR" represents hotel room revenue divided by room nights available to guests for a given period. References to "Adjusted EBITDA" means earnings before interest expense, a provision for income taxes and depreciation and amortization, or "EBITDA," further adjusted to exclude certain items. Refer to "Part II—Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Key Business and Financial Metrics Used by Management" for additional information on these financial metrics.

Overview

Hilton is one of the largest and fastest growing hospitality companies in the world, with 5,284 properties comprising 856,115 rooms in 105 countries and territories as of December 31, 2017. Our premier brand portfolio includes: our luxury and lifestyle hotel brands, Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts, Conrad Hotels & Resorts and Canopy by Hilton; our full service hotel brands, Hilton Hotels & Resorts, Curio - A Collection by Hilton, DoubleTree by Hilton, Tapestry Collection by Hilton and Embassy Suites by Hilton; our focused service hotel brands, Hilton Garden Inn, Hampton by Hilton, Tru by Hilton, Homewood Suites by Hilton and Home2 Suites by Hilton; and our timeshare brand, Hilton Grand Vacations. As of December 31, 2017, we had approximately 71 million members in our award-winning guest loyalty program, Hilton Honors.

We operate our business through two operating segments: (i) management and franchise; and (ii) ownership. Each segment is managed separately because of its distinct economic characteristics. The management and franchise segment includes all of the hotels we manage for third-party owners, as well as all franchised hotels operated or managed by someone other than us. As of December 31, 2017, this segment included 656 managed hotels, 4,507 franchised hotels and 48 timeshare resorts totaling 5,211 properties consisting of 833,909 rooms. Within this total are the 67 hotels with 35,406 rooms that were previously owned or leased by Hilton or unconsolidated affiliates of Hilton and, upon completion of the spin-offs, were owned or leased by Park or unconsolidated affiliates of Park. The management and franchise segment generates its revenue from: (i) management and franchise fees charged to third-party hotel owners; (ii) license fees for the exclusive right to use certain Hilton marks and intellectual property; and (iii) affiliate fees charged to owned and leased hotels. As of December 31, 2017, the ownership segment included 73 properties totaling 22,206 rooms, comprising 64 hotels that we wholly owned or leased, one hotel owned by a consolidated non-wholly owned entity, two hotels leased by consolidated variable interest entities ("VIEs") and six hotels owned or leased by unconsolidated affiliates.

In addition to our current hotel portfolio, we are focused on the growth of our business through expanding our share of the global lodging industry through our development pipeline. During the year ended December 31, 2017, nearly 108,000 new rooms were approved for development, and we opened 399 hotels consisting of over 59,000 rooms. As of December 31, 2017, we had a total of 2,257 hotels in our development pipeline, representing approximately 345,000 rooms under construction or approved for development throughout 107 countries and territories, including 39 countries and territories where we do not currently have any open hotels. All of the rooms in the pipeline are within our management and franchise segment. Over 182,000 rooms in the pipeline, or more than half, are located outside the U.S. Additionally, over 174,000 rooms in the pipeline, or more than half, are under construction. We do not consider any individual development project to be material to us.

Overall, we believe that our experience in the hotel industry, which spans nearly a century of highly focused customer service and entrepreneurship, evolving for the needs of our customers; our strong, well-defined brands that operate throughout the lodging industry chain scales; and our commercial service offerings will continue to drive customer loyalty, including participation in our Hilton Honors guest loyalty program. We believe that satisfied customers will continue to provide strong overall hotel performance for our hotel owners and us and encourage further development of additional hotels under our brands and with existing and new hotel owners, which further supports our growth and future financial performance. We believe that our existing portfolio and development pipeline, which will require minimal capital investment from us, puts us in a strong position to further improve our business and serve our customers in the future.

Our Brand Portfolio

The goal of each of our brands is to deliver exceptional customer experiences and superior operating performance.

				December 31, 2017
Brand(1)		Chain Scale		Countries/ Territories		Properties		Rooms		Percentage of Total Rooms		Selected Competitors(2)
		Luxury		12		27		9,579		1.1%		Four Seasons, Mandarin Oriental, Peninsula, Ritz Carlton, St. Regis
		Luxury		24		34		10,709		1.3%		Fairmont, Intercontinental, JW Marriott, Park Hyatt, Sofitel
		Upper Upscale		2		2		287		—%		Hyatt Centric, Joie De Vivre, Kimpton, Le Méridien
		Upper Upscale		88		578		211,423		24.7%		Hyatt Regency, Marriott, Renaissance, Sheraton, Sofitel, Westin
		Upper Upscale		15		48		10,548		1.2%		Autograph Collection, The Unbound Collection
		Upscale		41		520		123,773		14.5%		Crowne Plaza, Delta, Holiday Inn, Hyatt, Radisson, Renaissance, Sheraton
		Upscale		1		4		467		0.1%		Ascend Collection, Tribute Portfolio
		Upper Upscale		6		245		57,216		6.7%		Courtyard, Hyatt Regency, Marriott, Renaissance, Sheraton
		Upscale		37		771		111,438		13.0%		Aloft, Courtyard, Four Points, Holiday Inn, Hyatt Place, Springhill Suites
		Upper Midscale		21		2,338		237,334		27.7%		Comfort Suites, Courtyard, Fairfield Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Springhill Suites
		Midscale		1		9		911		0.1%		Best Western, Comfort Inn & Suites, La Quinta, Quality Inn, Sleep Inn
		Upscale		3		451		51,305		6.0%		Element, Hyatt House, Residence Inn, Staybridge Suites
		Upper Midscale		2		204		21,015		2.5%		Candlewood Suites, Hawthorn Suites, TownePlace Suites, WoodSpring Suites
		Timeshare		3		48		8,101		0.9%		Hyatt Residence, Marriott Vacation Club, Vistana Signature Experiences, Wyndham Vacations Resorts

Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts: What began as an iconic hotel in New York City is today a portfolio of 27 luxury hotels and resorts. In landmark destinations around the world, Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts reflect their locations, each providing the inspirational environments and personalized attention that are the source of unforgettable moments. Properties typically include elegant spa and wellness facilities; high-end restaurants; golf courses (at resort properties); 24-hour room service; fitness and business centers; meeting, wedding and banquet facilities; and special event and concierge services.

Conrad Hotels & Resorts: Conrad is a global luxury brand of 34 hotels and resorts offering guests personalized experiences with sophisticated, locally inspired surroundings and an intuitive service model based on customization and control, as demonstrated by the Conrad Concierge mobile application that enables guest control of on-property amenities and services. Properties typically include convenient and relaxing spa and wellness facilities; enticing restaurants; comprehensive room service; fitness and business centers; multi-purpose meeting facilities; and special event and concierge services.

Canopy by Hilton: Canopy by Hilton represents an energizing, new hotel in the neighborhood offering simple, guest-directed service, thoughtful local choices and comfortable spaces. Each property is designed as a natural extension of its neighborhood, with local design, food and drink and culture. As of December 31, 2017, Canopy had two properties open and 30 properties in the pipeline.

Hilton Hotels & Resorts: Hilton is our global flagship brand and one of the most globally recognized hotel brands, with 578 hotels and resorts in 88 countries and territories across six continents. The brand primarily serves business and leisure upper upscale travelers and meeting groups. Hilton hotels are full service hotels that typically include meeting, wedding and banquet facilities and special event services; restaurants and lounges; food and beverage services; swimming pools; gift shops; retail facilities; and other services. Additionally, Hilton Hotels & Resorts was voted the favorite hotel chain in the 2018 Globe Travel Awards.

Curio – A Collection by Hilton: Curio – A Collection by Hilton is created for travelers who seek local discovery and one-of-a-kind experiences. Curio is made up of a collection of hand-picked hotels that retain their unique identity, but are able to leverage the many benefits of the Hilton global platform, including our common reservation and customer care service and Hilton Honors guest loyalty program. As of December 31, 2017, Curio had 48 properties open and 59 properties in the pipeline.

DoubleTree by Hilton: DoubleTree by Hilton is an upscale, full service hotel designed to provide true comfort to today’s business and leisure travelers. DoubleTree's 520 hotels and resorts are united by the brand’s CARE ("Creating a Rewarding Experience") culture and its iconic warm chocolate chip cookie served at check-in. DoubleTree’s diverse portfolio includes historic icons, small contemporary hotels, resorts and large urban hotels.

Tapestry Collection by Hilton: Tapestry Collection by Hilton, our newest brand, is a curated portfolio of original hotels in the upscale hotel segment that have recognizable features distinct to each hotel. Tapestry guests are looking for new experiences and choose to stay where they can expect to never see the same thing twice. Travelers can book an independent and reliable stay with confidence knowing these hotels are backed by the Hilton name and the award winning Hilton Honors guest loyalty program. In May 2017, the first Tapestry Collection by Hilton opened in Syracuse, New York, just four months after the brand's launch. As of December 31, 2017, Tapestry Collection by Hilton had four properties open and 24 properties in the pipeline.

Embassy Suites by Hilton: Embassy Suites by Hilton comprises 245 upper upscale, all-suite hotels that feature two-room guest suites with a separate living room and dining or work area, a complimentary cooked-to-order breakfast and complimentary evening receptions every night. Embassy Suites’ bundled pricing ensures that guests receive all of the amenities our properties have to offer at a single price.

Hilton Garden Inn: Hilton Garden Inn is our award-winning, upscale brand with 771 hotels worldwide. At Hilton Garden Inn, guests find an open, inviting atmosphere with warm, glowing service and simple, thoughtful touches that allow them to relax and recharge. As a recognized leader in food and beverage services, Hilton Garden Inn caters to guests' dining needs by serving cooked-to-order breakfast and offering handcrafted cocktails, shareable small plates and full meals at its on-site restaurants and bars. Flexible meeting space, free Wi-Fi, wireless printing and fitness centers are offered to help guests stay polished and productive.

Hampton by Hilton: Hampton by Hilton is our moderately priced, upper midscale hotel with limited food and beverage facilities. The Hampton by Hilton brand also includes Hampton Inn & Suites hotels, which offer both traditional hotel rooms and suite accommodations within one property. Across our over 2,300 Hamptons around the world, guests receive free hot breakfast and free high-speed internet access, all for a great price and all supported by the 100% Hampton Guarantee.

Tru by Hilton: Tru by Hilton is a new brand designed to be a game changer in the midscale segment. Tru was built from a belief that being cost conscious and having a great stay do not have to be mutually exclusive. By focusing on the brand's three key tenets of simplified, spirited and grounded in value, every detail of the property is crafted for operational efficiency and to drive increased guest satisfaction - from the activated, open lobby to the efficiently designed bedrooms. In May 2017, the first Tru by Hilton property opened in Oklahoma City. As of December 31, 2017, Tru had nine properties open and 284 properties in the pipeline.

Homewood Suites by Hilton: Homewood Suites by Hilton is our upscale, extended-stay hotel that features residential style accommodations including business centers, swimming pools, convenience stores and limited meeting facilities. These 451 hotels provide the touches, familiarity and comforts of home so that extended-stay travelers can feel at home on the road.

Home2 Suites by Hilton: Home2 Suites by Hilton is our upper midscale hotel that provides a modern and savvy option to budget conscious extended-stay travelers. Offering innovative suites with contemporary design and cutting-edge technology, we strive to ensure that our guests are comfortable and productive, whether they are staying a few days or a few months. Each of the brand's 204 open hotels offer complimentary continental breakfast, integrated laundry and exercise facility, recycling and sustainability initiatives and a pet-friendly policy. As of December 31, 2017, 387 properties were in the pipeline.

Hilton Grand Vacations: Hilton Grand Vacations is our timeshare brand. Ownership of a deeded real estate interest with club membership points provides members with a lifetime of vacation advantages and the comfort and convenience of residential-style resort accommodations in select, renowned vacation destinations. Each of the 48 Hilton Grand Vacations properties provides a distinctive setting, while signature elements remain consistent, such as high-quality guest service, spacious units and extensive on-property amenities.

Our Guest Loyalty Program

Hilton Honors is our award-winning guest loyalty program that supports our portfolio of brands and our owned, leased, managed and franchised hotels and resorts. The program generates significant repeat business by rewarding guests with points for each stay at any of our nearly 5,300 properties worldwide, which are then redeemable for free nights and other goods and services. Members can also use points earned to transact with nearly 130 partners, including airlines, rail and car rental companies, credit card providers, Amazon.com and others. The program provides targeted marketing, promotions and customized guest experiences to approximately 71 million members, a 20 percent increase from December 31, 2016. Our Hilton Honors members represented approximately 57 percent of our system-wide occupancy and contributed hotel-level revenues to us and our hotel owners of over $19 billion during the year ended December 31, 2017. Affiliation with our loyalty programs encourages members to allocate more of their travel spending to our hotels. The percentage of travel spending we capture from loyalty members increases as they move up the tiers of our program. The program is funded by contributions from eligible revenues generated by Hilton Honors members and collected by us from hotels and resorts in our system. These funds are applied to reimburse hotels and partners for Hilton Honors points redemptions by loyalty members and to pay for program administrative expenses and marketing initiatives that support the program.

Our Business

As of December 31, 2017, our system included the following properties and rooms, by type, brand and region:

We operate our business under a management and franchise segment and an ownership segment. For more information regarding our segments, see "Part II—Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" and Note 19: "Business Segments" in "Part II—Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data."

Management and Franchise

Through our management and franchise segment, we manage hotels and license our brands. This segment generates its revenue primarily from fees charged to hotel owners. We grow our management and franchise business by attracting owners to become a part of our system and participate in our commercial services to support their hotel properties. These contracts require little or no capital investment to initiate on our part and provide significant return on investment for us as fees are earned.

Hotel Management

Our core management services consist of operating hotels under management contracts for the benefit of third parties who either own or lease the hotels and the associated personal property. Terms of our management contracts vary, but our fees generally consist of a base management fee, which is based on a percentage of the hotel’s gross revenue, and, when applicable, an incentive management fee, which is typically based on a percentage of hotel operating profits. In general, the owner pays all operating and other expenses and reimburses our out-of-pocket expenses. In turn, our managerial discretion typically is subject to approval by the owner in certain major areas, including the approval of annual operating and capital expenditure budgets. Additionally, the owners generally pay a monthly fee based on a percentage of the hotel's gross room revenue, or other usage fees, which covers the costs of advertising and marketing programs; the costs of internet, technology and reservation systems; and quality assurance program expenses. Owners are also responsible for various other fees and charges, including payments for participation in our Hilton Honors guest loyalty program, training, consultation and procurement of certain goods and services. As of December 31, 2017, we managed 656 hotels with 208,235 rooms, excluding our owned, leased and joint venture hotels.

The initial terms of our management contracts for full service hotels are typically 20 to 30 years. In certain cases, when we have entered into a franchise contract in addition to a management contract, we classify these hotels as managed hotels in our portfolio. Extension options for our management contracts are negotiated and vary, but typically are more prevalent in full service hotels. Typically, these contracts contain one or two extension options that are for either five or 10 years and can be exercised at our or the other party’s option or by mutual agreement. In the case of our management contracts with Park, assuming we exercise all renewal periods, the total term of the management contracts will range from 30 to 70 years.

Some of our management contracts provide early termination rights to hotel owners upon certain events, including the failure to meet certain financial or performance criteria. Performance test measures typically are based upon the hotel’s performance individually and/or in comparison to specified competitive hotels. We often have a cure right by paying an amount equal to the performance shortfall over a specified period, although in some cases our cure rights are limited.

Franchising

We license our brand names, trademarks and service marks and operating systems to hotel owners under franchise contracts. We do not own, manage or operate franchised hotels and do not employ the individuals working at these locations. We conduct periodic inspections to ensure that brand standards are maintained. For new franchised hotels (both new construction and conversions of existing hotels from other brands), we approve the location, as well as the plans for the facilities to ensure the hotels meet our brand standards. For existing franchised hotels, we provide franchisees with product improvement plans that must be completed to keep the hotels in compliance with our brand standards so they can remain in our hotel system. Occasionally, we may have a franchise contract and a management contract in place at the same property, in which case we are both the franchisor and the manager of that property. We also earn license fees from a license agreement with HGV and co-brand credit card arrangements for the use of certain Hilton marks and intellectual property. As of December 31, 2017, we franchised 4,555 properties with 625,674 rooms.

Each franchisee pays us a franchise application fee in conjunction with the inception of a franchise contract. Franchisees also pay a royalty fee, generally based on a percentage of the hotel’s gross room revenue and, in some cases, a percentage of food and beverage revenue. Additionally, the franchisees pay a monthly program fee based on a percentage of the hotel's gross room revenue that covers the costs of certain advertising and marketing programs, internet, technology and reservation systems, and quality assurance programs (among other things) that benefit the brand. Franchisees also are responsible for various other fees and charges, including payments for participation in our Hilton Honors guest loyalty program, training, consultation and procurement of certain goods and services.

Our franchise contracts for new construction hotels and our franchise contracts with Park typically have initial terms of approximately 20 years. Our franchise contracts for converted hotels have initial terms of approximately 10 to 20 years. At the expiration of the initial term, we may have a contractual right or obligation to relicense the hotel to the franchisee, for an additional term ranging from 10 to 15 years. Our franchise contracts with Park cannot be extended without our consent. We have the right to terminate a franchise contract upon specified events of default, including nonpayment of fees or noncompliance with brand standards. If a franchise contract is terminated by us because of a franchisee’s default, the franchisee is contractually required to pay us liquidated damages.

Ownership

As of December 31, 2017, our ownership segment consisted of 73 hotels with 22,206 rooms that we owned or leased or that are owned or leased by entities in which we own a noncontrolling interest. As a hotel owner, we focus on maximizing the cost efficiency and profitability of the portfolio by, among other things, maximizing hotel revenues, implementing new labor management practices and systems and reducing fixed costs. Through our disciplined approach to asset management, we develop and execute on strategic plans for each of our hotels to enhance their market position and, at many of our hotels, we invest in renovating guest rooms and public spaces and adding or enhancing meeting and retail space to improve profitability.

Competition

We encounter active and robust competition as a hotel, residential and resort manager, franchisor, owner and developer. Competition in the hotel and lodging industry generally is based on the attractiveness of the facility; location; level of service; quality of accommodations; amenities; food and beverage options and outlets; public and meeting spaces and other guest services; consistency of service; room rate; brand reputation; and the ability to earn and redeem loyalty program points through a global system. Our properties and brands compete with other hotels, resorts, motels and inns in their respective geographic markets or customer segments, including facilities owned by local interests, individuals, national and international chains, institutions, investment and pension funds and real estate investment trusts ("REITs"). We believe that our position as a multi-branded manager, franchisor and owner of hotels with an associated system-wide guest loyalty platform helps us succeed as one of the largest and most geographically diverse lodging companies in the world.

Our principal competitors include other branded and independent hotel operating companies, national and international hotel brands and ownership companies, including hotel REITs. While local and independent brand competitors vary, on a global scale, our primary competitors are firms such as Accor S.A., Carlson Rezidor Group, Choice Hotels International, Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels, Hyatt Hotels Corporation, Intercontinental Hotel Group, Marriott International and Wyndham Worldwide Corporation.

Seasonality

The hospitality industry is seasonal in nature. The periods during which our hotels and resorts experience higher revenues vary from property to property, depending principally upon their location and the customer-base served. We generally expect our revenues to be lower in the first quarter of each year than in each of the three subsequent quarters.

Cyclicality

The hospitality industry is cyclical, and demand generally follows, on a lagged basis, key macroeconomic indicators. There is a history of increases and decreases in the development and supply of and demand for hotel rooms, occupancy levels and room rates realized by owners of hotels through economic cycles. The combination of changes in economic conditions and in the supply of hotel rooms can result in significant volatility in results for owners and managers of hotel properties. The costs of running a hotel tend to be more fixed than variable. As a result of such fixed costs, in a negative economic environment, the rate of decline in earnings can be higher than the rate of decline in revenues.

Intellectual Property

In the highly competitive hospitality industry in which we operate, trademarks, service marks, trade names, logos and patents are very important to the success of our business. We have a significant number of trademarks, service marks, trade names, logos, patents and pending registrations and expend significant resources each year on surveillance, registration and protection of our trademarks, service marks, trade names, logos and patents, which we believe have become synonymous in the hospitality industry with a reputation for excellence in service and authentic hospitality.

Government Regulation

Our business is subject to various foreign and U.S. federal and state laws and regulations, including laws and regulations that govern the offer and sale of franchises, many of which impose substantive requirements on franchise contracts and require that certain materials be registered before franchises can be offered or sold in a particular jurisdiction.

In addition, a number of states regulate the activities of hospitality properties and restaurants, including safety and health standards, as well as the sale of liquor at such properties, by requiring licensing, registration, disclosure statements and compliance with specific standards of conduct. Operators of hospitality properties also are subject to laws governing their relationship with employees, including minimum wage requirements, overtime, working conditions and work permit requirements. Our franchisees are responsible for their own compliance with laws, including with respect to their employees, minimum wage requirements, overtime, working conditions and work permit requirements. Compliance with, or changes in, these laws could reduce the revenue and profitability of our properties and could otherwise adversely affect our operations.

We also manage and own hotels with casino gaming operations as part of or adjacent to the hotels. However, with the exception of casinos at certain of our properties in Puerto Rico and one property in Egypt, third parties manage and operate the casinos. We hold and maintain the casino gaming license and manage the casinos located in Puerto Rico and Egypt and employ third-party compliance consultants and service providers. As a result, our business operations at these facilities are subject to the licensing and regulatory control of the local regulatory agency responsible for gaming licenses and operations in those jurisdictions.

Finally, as an international owner, manager and franchisor of properties in 105 countries and territories, we also are subject to the local laws and regulations in each country in which we operate, including employment laws and practices, privacy laws and tax laws, which may provide for tax rates that exceed those of the U.S. and which may provide that our foreign earnings are subject to withholding requirements or other restrictions, unexpected changes in regulatory requirements or monetary policy and other potentially adverse tax consequences.

In addition, our business operations in countries outside the U.S. are subject to a number of laws and regulations, including restrictions imposed by the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act ("FCPA"), as well as trade sanctions administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control ("OFAC"). The FCPA is intended to prohibit bribery of foreign officials and requires us to keep books and records that accurately and fairly reflect our transactions. OFAC administers and enforces economic and trade sanctions based on U.S. foreign policy and national security goals against targeted foreign states, organizations and individuals. In addition, some of our operations may be subject to additional laws and regulations of non-U.S. jurisdictions, including the United Kingdom's ("U.K.") Bribery Act 2010, which contains significant prohibitions on bribery and other corrupt business activities, and other local anti-corruption laws in the countries and territories in which we conduct operations.

Environmental Matters

We are subject to certain requirements and potential liabilities under various foreign and U.S. federal, state and local environmental, health and safety laws and regulations and incur costs in complying with such requirements. These laws and regulations govern actions including air emissions, the use, storage and disposal of hazardous and toxic substances, and wastewater disposal. In addition to investigation and remediation liabilities that could arise under such laws, we may also face personal injury, property damage, fines or other claims by third parties concerning environmental compliance or contamination. We use and store hazardous and toxic substances, such as cleaning materials, pool chemicals, heating oil and fuel for back-up generators at some of our facilities, and we generate certain wastes in connection with our operations. Some of our properties include older buildings, and some may have, or may historically have had, dry-cleaning facilities and underground storage tanks for heating oil and back-up generators. We have from time to time been responsible for investigating and remediating contamination at some of our facilities, such as contamination that has been discovered when we have removed underground storage tanks, and we could be held responsible for any contamination resulting from the disposal of waste that we generate, including at locations where such waste has been sent for disposal. In some cases, we may be entitled to indemnification from the party that caused the contamination pursuant to our management or franchise contracts, but there can be no assurance that we would be able to recover all or any costs we incur in addressing such problems. From time to time, we may also be required to manage, abate, remove or contain mold, lead, asbestos-containing materials, radon gas or other hazardous conditions found in or on our properties. We have implemented an on-going operations and maintenance plan at each of our owned and managed properties that seeks to identify and remediate these conditions as appropriate. Although we have incurred, and expect that we will continue to incur, costs relating to the investigation, identification and remediation of hazardous materials known or discovered to exist at our properties, those costs have not had, and are not expected to have, a material adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations or cash flow.

Insurance

U.S. hotels that we manage are permitted to participate in certain of our insurance programs by mutual agreement with our hotel owners. If not participating in our programs, hotel owners must purchase insurance programs consistent with our requirements. U.S. franchised hotels are not permitted to participate in our insurance programs, but rather must purchase insurance programs consistent with our requirements. Foreign managed and franchised hotels are required to participate in certain of our insurance programs. In addition, our management and franchise contracts typically include provisions requiring the owner of the hotel property to indemnify us against losses arising from the design, development and operation of hotels owned by such third parties.

Most of our insurance policies are written with self-insured retentions or deductibles that are common in the insurance market for similar risks, and we believe such risks are prudent for us to assume. Our third-party insurance policies provide coverage for claim amounts that exceed our self-insurance retentions or deductible obligations. We maintain insurance coverage for general liability, property including business interruption, terrorism and other risks with respect to our business for all of our owned and leased hotels, and we maintain workers' compensation coverage for all of our team members. In addition, through our captive insurance subsidiary, we participate in a reinsurance arrangement that provides coverage for a certain portion of our deductibles. In general, our insurance provides coverage related to any claims or losses arising out of the design, development and operation of our hotels.

Corporate Responsibility

The success of our business is linked to the success of communities in which our hotels operate - from the local owners who partner with us to build hotels, to the local talent that operate the hotels, to the local economies and businesses our hotels support through sourcing products serving guests.

Travel with Purpose, our corporate responsibility strategy, is a holistic approach that leverages our global footprint and scale coupled with local insights and partnerships to address global and local challenges. Our strategy was developed by mapping social and environmental issues that are impacted by our business and will continue to be critical to our long-term success. We ranked the issues based on our influence and the relative importance to our business operations and stakeholder groups. We also engaged with both internal and external stakeholders to identify interests and concerns that should be taken into consideration as we continue to grow. We revisited our materiality results in 2015 and based on these results, we have identified the priority issue areas for our corporate responsibility efforts and forthcoming goals and targets. Creating shared value for hotel employees, guests, owners, communities and overall business is a strategic priority we strive to achieve by focusing on advancing three priority, material issue areas:

LightStay, our proprietary corporate responsibility performance measurement platform, is a global brand standard that allows us to manage the impact of our hotels on the environment and global community through the measurement, analysis and improvement of our use of natural resources, opportunities created and community service. This year, for the first time, Hilton was named to the Dow Jones Sustainability Index North America as an industry leader across economic, social and environmental criteria.

History

Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. was incorporated in Delaware in March 2010. In 1919, our founder Conrad Hilton purchased his first hotel in Cisco, Texas. Through our predecessors, we commenced corporate operations in 1946.

Employees

As of December 31, 2017, more than 163,000 people were employed at our managed, owned and leased properties and at our corporate locations.

As of December 31, 2017, approximately 31 percent of our employees globally (or 35 percent of our employees in the U.S.) were covered by various collective bargaining agreements generally addressing pay rates, working hours, other terms and conditions of employment, certain employee benefits and orderly settlement of labor disputes.

Where You Can Find More Information

We file annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other information with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"). Our SEC filings are available to the public over the internet at the SEC's website at http://www.sec.gov. Our SEC filings are also available on our website at newsroom.hilton.com as soon as reasonably practicable after they are filed with or furnished to the SEC. You may also read and copy any filed document at the SEC's public reference room in Washington, D.C. at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. Please call the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330 for further information about public reference rooms.

We maintain an internet site at newsroom.hilton.com. Our website and the information contained on or connected to that site are not incorporated into this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

In addition to the other information in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, the following risk factors should be considered carefully in evaluating our company and our business.

Risks Related to Our Business and Industry

We are subject to the business, financial and operating risks inherent to the hospitality industry, any of which could reduce our revenues and limit opportunities for growth.

Our business is subject to a number of business, financial and operating risks inherent to the hospitality industry, including:

Any of these factors could increase our costs or limit or reduce the prices we are able to charge for hospitality products and services, or otherwise affect our ability to maintain existing properties or develop new properties. As a result, any of these factors can reduce our revenues and limit opportunities for growth.

Macroeconomic and other factors beyond our control can adversely affect and reduce demand for our products and services.

Macroeconomic and other factors beyond our control can reduce demand for hospitality products and services, including demand for rooms at our hotels. These factors include, but are not limited to:

Any one or more of these factors could limit or reduce overall demand for our products and services or could negatively affect our revenue sources, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Contraction in the global economy or low levels of economic growth could adversely affect our revenues and profitability as well as limit or slow our future growth.

Consumer demand for our services is closely linked to the performance of the general economy and is sensitive to business and personal discretionary spending levels. Decreased global or regional demand for hospitality products and services can be especially pronounced during periods of economic contraction or low levels of economic growth, and the recovery period in our industry may lag overall economic improvement. Declines in demand for our products and services due to general economic conditions could negatively affect our business by limiting the amount of fee revenues we are able to generate from our managed and franchised properties and decreasing the revenues and profitability of our owned and leased properties. In addition, many of the expenses associated with our business, including personnel costs, interest, rent, property taxes, insurance and utilities, are relatively fixed. During a period of overall economic weakness, if we are unable to meaningfully decrease these costs as demand for our hotels decreases, our business operations and financial performance may be adversely affected.

The hospitality industry is subject to seasonal and cyclical volatility, which may contribute to fluctuations in our results of operations and financial condition.

The hospitality industry is seasonal in nature. The periods during which our lodging properties experience higher revenues vary from property to property, depending principally upon location and the customer base served. We g

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None.

Hotel Properties

Owned or Controlled Hotels

As of December 31, 2017, we owned 100 percent or a controlling interest in the following four properties, representing 929 rooms.

Joint Venture Hotels

As of December 31, 2017, we had a minority or noncontrolling financial interest in and operated the following six properties, representing 2,457 rooms. We have a right of first refusal to purchase additional equity interests in certain of these joint ventures. We manage each of the hotels for the entity owning or leasing the hotel.

Leased Hotels

As of December 31, 2017, we leased the following 63 hotels, representing 18,820 rooms.

Corporate Headquarters and Regional Offices

Our corporate headquarters are located at 7930 Jones Branch Drive, McLean, Virginia 22102. These offices consist of approximately 223,000 rentable square feet of leased space. The lease for this property expires on December 31, 2023, with options to renew and increase the rentable square footage. We also have corporate offices in Watford, England (Europe), Dubai, United Arab Emirates (Middle East and Africa), Singapore (Asia Pacific), Tokyo (Japan) and Shanghai (China). Additionally, to support our operations, we have our Hilton Honors and other commercial services office in Addison, Texas. Other non-

operating real estate holdings include centralized operations centers located in Memphis, Tennessee and Glasgow, U.K., and our Hilton Reservations and Customer Care offices in Carrollton, Texas and Tampa, Florida.

We believe that our existing office properties are in good condition and are sufficient and suitable for the conduct of our business. In the event we need to expand our operations, we believe that suitable space will be available on commercially reasonable terms.

We are involved in various claims and lawsuits arising in the ordinary course of business, some of which include claims for substantial sums, including proceedings involving tort and other general liability claims, employee claims, consumer protection claims and claims related to our management of certain hotel properties. We recognize a liability when we believe the loss is probable and can be reasonably estimated. Most occurrences involving liability, claims of negligence and employees are covered by insurance with solvent insurance carriers. The ultimate results of claims and litigation cannot be predicted with certainty. We believe we have adequate reserves against such matters. We currently believe that the ultimate outcome of such lawsuits and proceedings will not, individually or in the aggregate, have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial position, results of operations or cash flows. However, depending on the amount and timing, an unfavorable resolution of some or all of these matters could materially affect our future results of operations in a particular period.

Not applicable.

PART II

Market Information and Dividends

Our common stock began trading publicly on the NYSE under the symbol "HLT" on December 12, 2013. As of December 31, 2017, there were approximately 35 holders of record of our common stock. This stockholder figure does not include a substantially greater number of holders whose shares are held of record by banks, brokers and other financial institutions. On January 3, 2017, we completed a 1-for-3 reverse stock split of our outstanding common stock.

We currently pay regular quarterly cash dividends and expect to continue paying regular dividends on a quarterly basis. Any decision to declare and pay dividends in the future will be made at the sole discretion of our board of directors and will depend on, among other things, our results of operations, cash requirements, financial condition, contractual restrictions and other factors that our board of directors may deem relevant. Because we are a holding company and have no direct operations, we will only be able to pay dividends from funds we receive from our subsidiaries. The following table presents the high and low sales prices for our common stock as reported by the NYSE and the cash dividends we declared for the last two fiscal years:

Performance Graph

The following graph compares the cumulative total stockholder return since December 12, 2013 with the S&P 500 Index ("S&P 500") and the S&P Hotels, Resorts & Cruise Lines Index ("S&P Hotel"). The graph assumes that the value of the investment in our common stock and each index was $100 on December 12, 2013 and that all dividends and other distributions, including the effect of the spin-offs, were reinvested. The comparisons in the graph below are based on historical data and are not indicative of, or intended to forecast, future performance of our common stock.

Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities

None.

Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

The following table sets forth information regarding our purchases of shares of our common stock during the three months ended December 31, 2017:

We derived the selected statement of operations data for the years ended December 31, 2017, 2016 and 2015 and the selected balance sheet data as of December 31, 2017 and 2016 from our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. All periods presented have been restated to reflect the combined results of operations and financial position of Park and HGV as discontinued operations as a result of the spin-offs of these businesses in January 2017. The selected statement of operations data for the year ended December 31, 2014 and the selected balance sheet data as of December 31, 2015 were derived from audited consolidated financial statements that are not included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. The selected statement of operations data for the year ended December 31, 2013 and the selected balance sheet data as of December 31, 2014 and 2013 were derived from unaudited consolidated financial statements, adjusted to reflect the spin-offs, that are not included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

The selected financial data below should be read together with the consolidated financial statements including the related notes thereto and "Part II—Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Our historical results are not necessarily indicative of the results expected for any future period.

The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Overview

Our Business

Hilton is one of the largest and fastest growing hospitality companies in the world, with 5,284 properties comprising 856,115 rooms in 105 countries and territories as of December 31, 2017. Our premier brand portfolio includes: our luxury and lifestyle hotel brands, Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts, Conrad Hotels & Resorts and Canopy by Hilton; our full service hotel brands, Hilton Hotels & Resorts, Curio - A Collection by Hilton, DoubleTree by Hilton, Tapestry Collection by Hilton and Embassy Suites by Hilton; our focused service hotel brands, Hilton Garden Inn, Hampton by Hilton, Tru by Hilton, Homewood Suites by Hilton and Home2 Suites by Hilton; and our timeshare brand, Hilton Grand Vacations. As of December 31, 2017, we had approximately 71 million members in our award-winning guest loyalty program, Hilton Honors, a 20 percent increase from December 31, 2016.

Recent Events

On January 3, 2017, we completed the spin-offs of Park and HGV. The historical financial results of Park and HGV are reflected in our consolidated financial statements as discontinued operations. See Note 3: "Discontinued Operations" in our consolidated financial statements for additional information.

On January 3, 2017, we completed a 1-for-3 reverse stock split of Hilton's outstanding common stock. See Note 1: "Organization" in our consolidated financial statements for additional information.

Segments and Regions

Management analyzes our operations and business by both operating segments and geographic regions. Our operations consist of two reportable segments that are based on similar products or services: (i) management and franchise; and (ii) ownership. The management and franchise segment provides services, including hotel management and licensing of our brands. This segment generates its revenue from: (i) management and franchise fees charged to third-party hotel owners; (ii) license fees for the exclusive right to use certain Hilton marks and intellectual property; and (iii) affiliate fees charged to owned and leased hotels. As a manager of hotels, we typically are responsible for supervising or operating the property in exchange for management fees. As a franchisor of hotels, we charge franchise fees in exchange for the use of one of our brand names and related commercial services, such as our reservation system, marketing and information technology services. The ownership segment primarily derives earnings from providing hotel room rentals, food and beverage sales and other services at our owned and leased hotels.

Geographically, management conducts business through three distinct geographic regions: (i) the Americas; (ii) Europe, Middle East and Africa ("EMEA"); and (iii) Asia Pacific. The Americas region includes North America, South America and Central America, including all Caribbean nations. Although the U.S. is included in the Americas, it represented 74 percent of our system-wide hotel rooms as of December 31, 2017; therefore, the U.S. is often analyzed separately and apart from the Americas geographic region overall and, as such, it is presented separately within the analysis herein. The EMEA region includes Europe, which represents the western-most peninsula of Eurasia stretching from Iceland in the west to Russia in the east, and the Middle East and Africa ("MEA"), which represents the Middle East region and all African nations, including the Indian Ocean island nations. Europe and MEA are often analyzed separately and, as such, are presented separately within the analysis herein. The Asia Pacific region includes the eastern and southeastern nations of Asia, as well as India, Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific island nations.

System Growth and Pipeline

Our strategic objectives include the continued expansion of our global footprint and fee-based business. As we enter into new management and franchise contracts, we expand our business with minimal or no capital investment by us as the manager or franchisor, since the capital required to build and maintain hotels is typically provided by the third-party owner of the hotel with whom we contract to provide management or franchise services. Additionally, prior to approving the addition of new properties to our management and franchise development pipeline, we evaluate the economic viability of the property based on its geographic location, the credit quality of the third-party owner and other factors. By increasing the number of management

and franchise contracts with third-party owners, we expect to increase overall return on invested capital and cash available for return to stockholders.

As of December 31, 2017, we had a total of 2,257 hotels in our development pipeline, representing approximately 345,000 rooms under construction or approved for development throughout 107 countries and territories, including 39 countries and territories where we do not currently have any open hotels. All of the rooms in the pipeline are within our management and franchise segment. Over 182,000 of the rooms in the pipeline, or more than half, were located outside the U.S. Additionally, over 174,000 rooms in the pipeline, or more than half, were under construction. We do not consider any individual development project to be material to us.

Principal Components and Factors Affecting our Results of Operations

Revenues

Principal Components

We primarily derive our revenues from the following sources:

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We are exposed to market risk primarily from changes in interest rates and foreign currency exchange rates, which may affect future income, cash flows and the fair value of the Company, depending on changes to interest rates or foreign exchange rates. In certain situations, we may seek to reduce cash flow volatility associated with changes in interest rates and foreign currency exchange rates by entering into financial arrangements intended to provide a hedge against a portion of the risks associated with such volatility. We continue to have exposure to such risks to the extent they are not hedged. We enter into derivative financial arrangements to the extent they meet the objectives described above, and we do not use derivatives for trading or speculative purposes.

Interest Rate Risk

We are exposed to interest rate risk on our variable-rate debt, and on our fixed-rate debt to the extent that the interest rate affects its fair value. We are most vulnerable to changes in one-month LIBOR, as the interest rate on our variable-rate debt is based on this index. We use interest rate swaps in order to maintain a level of exposure to interest rate variability that we deem acceptable, and as of December 31, 2017, we held two interest rate swaps which swap one-month LIBOR on the Term Loans to fixed rates. We elected to designate these interest rate swaps as cash flow hedges for accounting purposes.

The following table sets forth the contractual maturities and the total fair values as of December 31, 2017 for our financial instruments that are materially affected by interest rate risk, including long-term debt and interest rate swaps. For long-term debt, the table presents contractual maturities and related weighted average interest rates. For interest rate swaps, the table presents notional amounts and weighted average interest rates by contractual maturity dates. Fixed rates are the weighted average actual rates and variable rates are the weighted average market rates prevailing as of December 31, 2017 for the interest rate hedges in place.

Refer to Note 11: "Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities" and Note 12: "Fair Value Measurements" in our consolidated financial statements for additional information of the fair value measurements of our derivatives and financial assets and liabilities, respectively.

Foreign Currency Exchange Rate Risk

We conduct business in various currencies and are exposed to earnings and cash flow volatility associated with changes in foreign currency exchange rates. Our principal exposure results from management and franchise fees earned in foreign currencies and revenues from our international leased hotels, partially offset by foreign operating expenses, the value of which could change materially in reference to our reporting currency, USD. We also have exposure from our international financial assets and liabilities, including certain intercompany loans not deemed to be permanently invested, the value of which could change materially in reference to the functional currencies of the exposed entities. As of December 31, 2017, our largest net exposures were to the euro, GBP and AUD.

We use forward contracts designated as cash flow hedges to offset exposure from foreign currency exchange rate risks associated with our euro and yen denominated management and franchise fees. We use short-term foreign exchange forward contracts not designated as hedging instruments to offset exposure to cash balances denominated in foreign currencies. However, the fair value and earnings effect of these derivatives are not material to our consolidated financial statements.

INDEX TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Management's Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

Management of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (the "Company") is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting as such term is defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. The Company’s internal control over financial reporting is designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles. The Company's internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (1) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the Company; (2) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the Company are being made only in accordance with authorizations of the Company’s management and directors; and (3) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use or disposition of assets of the Company that could have a material effect on the financial statements.

Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.

Management has assessed the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2017. In making this assessment, management used the criteria set forth by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO) in Internal Control—Integrated Framework (2013). Based on this assessment, management determined that the Company maintained effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2017.

Ernst & Young LLP, the independent registered public accounting firm that has audited the consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, has issued an attestation report on the Company’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2017. The report is included herein.

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

To the Board of Directors and Stockholders of

Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc.

Opinion on Internal Control over Financial Reporting

We have audited Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc.’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2017, based on criteria established in Internal Control—Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (2013 framework) (the COSO criteria). In our opinion, Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (the Company) maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2017, based on the COSO criteria.

We also have audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB), the consolidated balance sheets of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (the Company) as of December 31, 2017 and 2016, the related consolidated statements of operations, comprehensive income, stockholders’ equity, and cash flows, for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2017 of the Company and the related notes, and our report dated February 14, 2018 expressed an unqualified opinion thereon.

Basis for Opinion

The Company's management is responsible for maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting, and for its assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting included in the accompanying Management’s Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s internal control over financial reporting based on our audit. We are a public accounting firm registered with the PCAOB and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether effective internal control over financial reporting was maintained in all material respects.

Our audit included obtaining an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, assessing the risk that a material weakness exists, testing and evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of internal control based on the assessed risk, and performing such other procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.

Definition and Limitations of Internal Control over Financial Reporting

A company’s internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. A company’s internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (1) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the company; (2) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the company are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the company; and (3) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the company’s assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.

Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.

/s/ Ernst & Young LLP

Tysons,

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None.

Disclosure Controls and Procedures

The Company maintains a set of disclosure controls and procedures as that term is defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Exchange Act, that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by the Company in reports that it files or submits under the Exchange Act, is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in SEC rules and forms, and that such information is accumulated and communicated to the Company's management, including its Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosures. The design of any disclosure controls and procedures is based in part upon certain assumptions about the likelihood of future events, and there can be no assurance that any design will succeed in achieving its stated goals under all potential future conditions. Any controls and procedures, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance of achieving the desired control objectives. In accordance with Rule 13a-15(b) of the Exchange Act, as of the end of the period covered by this annual report, an evaluation was carried out under the supervision and with the participation of the Company’s management, including its Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, of the effectiveness of its disclosure controls and procedures. Based on that evaluation, the Company’s Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this annual report, were effective to provide reasonable assurance that information required to be disclosed by the Company in reports that it files or submits under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in SEC rules and forms and is accumulated and communicated to the Company’s management, including the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.

Management’s Annual Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

We have set forth management's report on internal control over financial reporting and the attestation report of our independent registered public accounting firm on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting in Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Management's report on internal control over financial reporting is incorporated in this Item 9A by reference.

Changes in Internal Control

There has been no change in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting during the Company’s most recent fiscal quarter that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.

None.

PART III

The information required by this item is incorporated by reference to our definitive proxy statement for the 2018 Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be filed with the SEC within 120 days of the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017.

The information required by this item is incorporated by reference to our definitive proxy statement for the 2018 Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be filed with the SEC within 120 days of the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017.

Securities Authorized for Issuance Under Equity Compensation Plans

The following table provides certain information about common stock that may be issued under our existing equity compensation plans. The only plan pursuant to which the Company may grant new equity-based awards is the Company’s 2017 Omnibus Incentive Plan (the "2017 Incentive Plan"), which replaced the Company’s 2013 Omnibus Incentive Plan (the "2013 Incentive Plan"). The number of securities to be issued upon exercise of outstanding options, warrants and rights reflected in the table below includes shares underlying equity-based awards granted, and that remained outstanding as of December 31, 2017 under, the 2017 Incentive Plan and the 2013 Incentive Plan.

The remaining information required by this item is incorporated by reference to our definitive proxy statement for the 2018 Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be filed with the SEC within 120 days of the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017.

The information required by this item is incorporated by reference to our definitive proxy statement for the 2018 Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be filed with the SEC within 120 days of the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017.

The information required by this item is incorporated by reference to our definitive proxy statement for the 2018 Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be filed with the SEC within 120 days of the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017.

PART IV

The following documents are filed as part of this report.

(a) Financial Statements

We include this portion of Item 15 under Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

(b) Financial Statement Schedules

All schedules are omitted as the required information is either not present, not present in material amounts or presented within the consolidated financial statements or related notes.

(c) Exhibits:

The agreements and other documents filed as exhibits to this report are not intended to provide factual information or other disclosure other than with respect to the terms of the agreements or other documents themselves, and you should not rely on them for that purpose. In particular, any representations and warranties made by us in these agreements or other documents were made solely within the specific context of the relevant agreement or document and may not describe the actual state of affairs as of the date they were made or at any other time.

None.

Signatures

Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in McLean, Virginia, on the 14th day of February 2018.

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1934, this report has been signed by the following persons in the capacities indicated on the 14th day of February 2018.