Hilton Hotels has announced the launch of its premium economy brand Spark into another key European market, signing the first hotel in Italy.
A 118 room hotel at Milan’s Linate airport will join the Spark brand later in 2026, becoming the trailblazer for what will be Hilton’s eleventh brand to launch in the country. Property owner ELE Spa will be converting its existing hotel at the airport to the Hilton format, joining Moxy and Best Western properties at the busy transport interchange.
A Growing Presence in Italy
For Hilton, the arrival of the Spark brand at the airport will set up the group’s tenth hotel in the Milan area. And it signals another country market entry for the brand, which was designed to expand Hilton’s offering by growing into the premium economy space. From the outset, Spark was designed to be suitable for quick, cost-efficient conversions of existing properties, enabling a faster market entry.
For owner ELE Spa, the project will be the fifth collaboration with Hilton. “This collaboration marks a significant milestone for us, and we look forward to opening the property later this year and welcoming guests to Milan,” commented the company’s chairman, Fabiano Rebecchini.
Spark was launched in mid 2024, and quickly built momentum – in less than 18 months, it had opened 100 hotels, with more than double that signed to the pipeline. Starting out in US markets, it then added a hotel east of London, UK as its first international site. Hotels in Canada, Austria and France soon followed.
In late 2025, the brand opened its first hotel in the Caribbean and Latin America region, launching Spark by Hilton Ponce, in Puerto Rico. Hilton also signed a multi-site licensing agreement in India, aiming to deliver up to 150 hotels across the country. In Saudi Arabia, signing of Spark by Hilton Makkah Aziziyah indicated the group’s willingness to build a presence in the MEA region.
In Italy, meanwhile, Hilton has recently opened the Puccini Hotel Milan as part of its Tapestry Collection, and opened Hilton Garden Inn Rome Colosseum. Later this year, it will also launch the Canopy by Hilton Milan Duomo, a four star property with 96 rooms, and both indoor and outdoor pools.
A Pipeline of Luxury Openings
During 2027, attention will focus on luxury segment properties, with the official launch of Rome Cavalieri, A Waldorf Astoria Hotel. This is a large property, which has 370 rooms, and is undergoing a rolling refurbishment to ensure it meets the standards expected of a Waldorf Astoria property. Also coming is another landmark refurbishment, reinvigorating the Grand Hotel Gardone Lake Garda before it joins Hilton’s LXR brand. Overlooking the lake, the hotel will even have its own private lake access.
And in Sorrento, another refurbishment is planned, for the Majestic Palace hotel. The upgrade will then see the property join Hilton’s Curio Collection, with the relaunch planned for the second quarter of 2027.
