Hilton and Scandic sign multi-year Nordics hotel development deal

Hilton and Scandic Hotels Group have signed a multi-year strategic agreement to develop Hilton-branded properties across Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland. Scandic, the largest hotel operator in the Nordics, will pair its regional platform with Hilton's globally recognised brands and commercial reach across the four markets.

The deal focuses on individual development opportunities rather than a broad conversion of Scandic's portfolio. Under a franchise agreement, Scandic will operate the properties, which will carry Hilton brands, combining local operational expertise with the American group's booking power and loyalty infrastructure.

The agreement is already taking shape in Copenhagen, where Scandic has signed for a new Hilton Hotels & Resorts property at Scanport, adjacent to Copenhagen Airport. The 284-room hotel is expected to open in 2029, and construction will begin once the remaining pending conditions have been met.

What the Copenhagen hotel offers

The full-service property is close to Scandinavia's largest aviation hub. Guests will find a restaurant and bar, space for meetings and events, wellness amenities and a fitness area, plus an executive lounge with a view across the Öresund Strait. That first hotel gives the agreement a concrete opening date.

The companies will also announce new benefits for members of Hilton Honors and Scandic Friends at a later date. The shared ambition is to open the Nordics further to Hilton Honors members and to give Scandic Friends members access to the wider world, though no timetable or terms were disclosed.

Hilton and Scandic have worked together for more than two decades. Three Hilton Hotels & Resorts properties currently operate in Helsinki: Hilton Helsinki Airport, Hilton Helsinki Strand and Hilton Helsinki Kalastajatorppa. Plans are underway to renovate the airport property through a multi-phase refurbishment of key guest-facing areas.

Jens Mathiesen, president and chief executive of Scandic Hotels Group, framed the agreement as a continuation of that history. Having franchised and operated Hilton hotels in Helsinki for many years, he said, the partnership has demonstrated the strength of combining a global brand with Scandic's leading operational platform.

Chris Nassetta, president and chief executive of Hilton, described the agreement as a significant milestone for the group in the Nordics, creating a clear pathway to expand its leading brands across four important markets. He pointed to significant new opportunities for the company, its owners and its guests.

The two companies behind the agreement

Scandic is the largest hotel company in the Nordic countries, with a network of around 280 hotels and 58,000 rooms in operation and under development at more than 130 destinations. The company is listed on Nasdaq Stockholm and says it leads the region in integrating sustainability into its operations.

Scandic's Design for All concept, which the group describes as award-winning, is built to ensure its hotels are accessible to everyone. Its Scandic Friends loyalty programme is the largest in the Nordic hotel industry, which makes the promised link-up with Hilton Honors one of the more consequential pieces of the deal.

Hilton lists 24 brands across more than 7,600 properties and nearly 1.2 million rooms in 126 countries and territories. It is listed on the New York Stock Exchange as HLT and has welcomed over three billion guests in its more than 100-year history.

Hilton Honors counts nearly 190 million members who book directly with the company, earning points for hotel stays and experiences. Its technology push includes sharing a digital room key with other guests, automatic complimentary room upgrades and confirmed connecting rooms at the point of booking.

Founded in 1919 as the flagship brand of Hilton Worldwide, Hilton Hotels & Resorts operates more than 550 hotels across six continents. It is the brand of the Copenhagen signing and of the three Helsinki hotels Scandic already runs under franchise.

The agreement arrives amid strong momentum for travel across the Nordic region, where inbound tourism has recovered strongly in recent years. International demand has kept growing, driven by interest in nature, outdoor travel and cooler-climate destinations.

In 2025, Sweden logged more than 70 million guest nights, Denmark around 68 million, Norway more than 40 million and Finland over 23 million. International demand, including from the United States and major European source markets, contributed strongly to that growth.

We have tracked the premium tier of hotels performing better than the budget end. In the first half of 2026, luxury brands drove RevPAR growth while economy chains flatlined, and Hilton was one of the groups splitting sharply by price tier.

Construction on the Copenhagen hotel will begin once the pending conditions are cleared, with 2029 given as the opening year. No further properties were named, so the pace of the four-market rollout will depend on how individual development opportunities mature.

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Image: Hilton