Hilton to Bring NoMad Hotels to Asia With Singapore Debut

Hilton Hotels on Monday announced its plan to launch its luxury lifestyle brand NoMad in Singapore, the brand’s first global expansion under Hilton’s ownership.

Hilton and Singapore-listed property group UOL plans to open the 173-room NoMad Singapore in early 2027 on Orchard Road, the city’s retail heart.

Alan Watts, Hilton’s president for Asia Pacific, described Singapore as the first of “many cities in Asia” to welcome NoMad. “This signing adds a new and significant dimension to Hilton’s phenomenal growth story in Asia Pacific,” he said, adding that luxury lifestyle travel is seeing strong, sustained demand across the region.

The Singapore debut follows Hilton’s acquisition of a majority stake in Sydell Group, the parent company of NoMad.  

Hilton’s decision to purchase NoMad comes as global hotel brands have been rushing to enter the luxury lifestyle space. These hotels are smaller, design-focused, and deliver cultural experiences that attract younger, affluent travelers.

Hilton CEO Chris Nassetta noted that while small, NoMad’s cultural cachet is substantial. “It’s a space we needed to be in,” he said at the Americas Lodging Investment Summit earlier this year.

At the time of acquisition, Hilton projected it is already in advanced stages of discussion with Sydell for more than 10 new NoMad properties, with a long-term goal of up to 100 worldwide.

Under the deal, Sydell continues to lead NoMad’s design, branding and operations while Hilton powers the global expansion.

“We are ensuring that the NoMad properties maintain their unique identity and do not become too similar to our existing luxury brands,” Clarence Tan, senior vice president, development — Asia Pacific at Hilton, told Skift last year.

The Asia Pacific Playbook

The NoMad launch is one piece in Hilton’s broader luxury expansion across Asia Pacific. The group plans to grow its luxury footprint to 150 hotels in the region in the coming years. 

Over the next two years, Hilton said it would open Waldorf Astoria properties in Kuala Lumpur, Sydney, Shanghai, Tokyo, Xi’an and Hanoi. Conrad Hotels & Resorts is also expanding with upcoming properties in prime travel destinations across China, including Xi’an, Chengdu, and Nanjing, as well as in Nagoya, Japan. 

The hotel company is also diversifying its luxury playbook with LXR Hotels & Resorts, in Umana Bali after Roku Kyoto in Japan. The company recently absorbed more than 400 Small Luxury Hotels of the World into its loyalty ecosystem.

Competitors like Marriott are also focused on the region. Marriott’s Edition brand, which debuted in Singapore in 2023, will now be heading to Mumbai next in 2029.

Marriott’s recent announcement that it would buy lifestyle brand citizenM will help it accelerate its global expansion in the select-service and lifestyle hotel sectors.

Luxury Lifestyle Trio

While Hilton’s traditional luxury brands like Conrad and Waldorf Astoria continue to expand in regional capitals, NoMad caters to a fast-growing demographic: affluent travelers seeking bespoke, hyper-localized experiences over traditional opulence.

“NoMad is built on the concept of a hotel as a welcoming home filled with stories, where every detail – from its interiors and rich visual appeal to its thoughtfully curated dining experiences – comes to life,” said Andrew Zobler, Founder & CEO of The Sydell Group. 

NoMad Singapore is part of a broader vision led by UOL Group. The project will develop alongside UOL’s luxury residences: Upperhouse at Orchard Boulevard, and the new Pan Pacific Orchard, forming what UOL Chief Executive Liam Wee Sin calls a “luxury lifestyle trio” meant to reimagine the area as a high-end cultural and residential hub.

Talking about the rise of branded residences, lifestyle hotels, and flexible spaces that blend work, play, and community in Asia Pacific, Nihat Ercan, CEO of JLL Hotels & Hospitality Group, Asia Pacific, had told Skift earlier, “Guests today want more than a room — they want connection, story, purpose.”

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