Hilton Worldwide announced the opening of its 4,000th hotel, Hilton Shijiazhuang in the Hebei province of China.

It now has 35 hotels operating in Greater China and a pipeline in this region of more than 120 hotels with more than 42,000 rooms.

Anchored by a focus on global expansion and a portfolio of industry-leading brands, Hilton Worldwide has been the fastest growing global hotel company since 2007*, adding over 1,100 hotels and increasing its room count by 33 percent. It also has a pipeline of nearly 1,000 hotels with over 176,000 rooms, which is the largest in the industry** and in the history of the company.

Hilton Worldwide has opened more than 100 hotels globally since the beginning of 2013, with more than 110 additional hotels expected to open throughout the remainder of the year.

"2013 has been an exceptional year so far for our company, and achieving our 4,000th hotel milestone confirms our commitment to be the world's preeminent hospitality company," said Christopher J. Nassetta, president and CEO, Hilton Worldwide. "Our brands continue to see unprecedented growth in all regions of the world and to innovate to provide our guests with exceptional experiences."

Hilton Worldwide has properties in 90 countries and territories across six continents. While still the largest hospitality company by number of rooms in the U.S.**, it has more than 60 percent of its pipeline located outside the U.S. It has the largest pipeline of any hospitality company in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and the second largest pipeline in the Americas and Asia Pacific**.

Additionally, Hilton Worldwide has nearly 80 percent of its over 93,000 rooms under construction located outside the U.S. and has more rooms under construction globally than any other hospitality company**.

"Given the strength of our pipeline, we expect continued rapid growth this year and into the future," added Nassetta. "All of our award-winning brands are sought by the best developers and owners in the business and continue to be the driving force behind our success."

Hilton Worldwide's growth is due to several key drivers across its major categories, including:

Luxury. The company's overall luxury portfolio of Waldorf Astoria and Conrad hotels has more than doubled since 2007 to 46 properties. Its pipeline stands at 26 hotels, which will increase its current footprint by more than 50 percent. Hilton Worldwide's luxury brands recently entered Latin America, Germany and Scotland with the openings of Waldorf Astoria Panama, Waldorf Astoria Berlin and The Caledonian, a Waldorf Astoria Hotel. This year Conrad Hotels & Resorts opened Conrad Algarve and Conrad Seoul, introducing the brand to Portugal and South Korea.

Full-service. Hilton Worldwide has the largest full-service pipeline by rooms globally** and is achieving major successes across its three full-service brands, including:

• DoubleTree by Hilton is on record pace this year to add more than 60 hotels to its brand portfolio across 17 countries – seven of which are new for the brand. In just five years, the brand has nearly doubled to more than 340 hotels through new-build properties, conversions and adaptive reuse projects. DoubleTree has been the fastest-growing brand by rooms in the industry's "upscale" category globally since 2009**.
• The company's flagship Hilton Hotels & Resorts brand, with 550 hotels, has the largest development pipeline in its 94-year history, with more than 140 projects in the pipeline.
• Embassy Suites Hotels has the largest U.S. pipeline among full-service hotels**. It also leads its competitive set with 211 hotels open and nearly 35 in the pipeline**. By the end of this year, Embassy Suites expects to open five hotels and break ground on six additional properties.

Focused-service and extended-stay. Comprising more than 2,800 hotels, Hilton Worldwide's focused-service and extended-stay brands form a strong growth engine with several achievements, including:

• Hilton Garden Inn, with 570 existing hotels, has nearly 170 properties in its pipeline with 45 percent of them located outside the United States. Hilton Garden Inn debuted in Spain in 2013 with the opening of Hilton Garden Inn Sevilla and earlier this year signed a landmark agreement to develop its first hotel in Africa.
• Hampton surpassed 1,900 hotels with the opening of Hampton Inn Manhattan/United Nations in New York City and continues to expand with more than 300 hotels in its pipeline.
• Homewood Suites by Hilton reached the 35,000th suite milestone with the opening of Homewood Suites by Hilton Orlando Airport and has nearly 100 hotels in its pipeline.
• Home2 Suites by Hilton opened 17 hotels since launching less than five years ago, with nearly 80 hotels in the pipeline. This includes its first property outside of the U.S., which is set to open later this year in Querétaro, Mexico.

Additionally, the company's timeshare brand Hilton Grand Vacations is recording unprecedented growth. Since 2007, it has achieved record sales volume and has significantly outpaced its competition*. It also recently expanded its offerings in Las Vegas, Hawaii and Utah.

"Our growth also comes at a time when our Hilton HHonors loyalty program has surpassed 34 million members, who account for over 50 percent of our occupancy on any given night," said Nassetta. "Our exceptional growth further strengthens our portfolio of hotel offerings and brands so we can continue to exceed the expectations of our guests and to lead the industry for a long time to come."