Hilton’s 20-year McLaren play turns fandom into loyalty

Yesterday’s Singapore Grand Prix offered plenty of drama on the track. George Russell clinched his fifth career win, McLaren defended its Constructors’ Championship, and Lando Norris stood on the podium while Oscar Piastri followed close behind in fourth.

But for Hilton, the race had another layer of significance. The hospitality giant marked two decades of partnership with McLaren, a relationship that has evolved from a simple accommodation arrangement to a global brand platform.

From 2–5 October, Hilton’s Conrad Singapore Marina Bay leaned into the city’s race weekend with a series of activations. Guests booking three-night stays were rewarded with executive lounge access and hospitality passes offering premium circuit-side views, all-day dining, and trackside access zones.

The hotel lobby hosted a McLaren F1 car display and an interactive reaction wall challenge with daily prizes. A limited-edition Alchemy of Chocolate afternoon tea, inspired by the McLaren team, and guaranteed late check-outs completed the offering. These touches—small but strategic—were designed to draw in both racing fans and loyal Hilton Honors members.

The long game in fandom

The McLaren partnership exemplifies Hilton’s approach to fandom marketing. What started as a B2B tie-up has matured into a broader cultural play.

Ben George, senior vice president and commercial director—APAC, Hilton, described it as a lesson in brand consistency. “The McLaren partnership is 20 years old and it shows that we take our partnerships seriously. We don't want to do something that will be here for a couple of years only, as that's not a good look for the brand,” he told Campaign in an exclusive interaction.

He added that when the hospitality chain enters into partnerships, it takes a long-term view. “So, there were times when McLaren weren’t successful over the last 20 years, but we never once thought about finding another team, because, partnerships have their highs and lows,” he added.

Ben George, senior vice president and commercial director—APAC, Hilton

That long view matters. Because the brand provides lodging and hospitality services for the team at races, collaborates on social video content with drivers, and connects fans with behind-the-scenes experiences. And this collaboration brings immeasurable visibility.

Hilton has capitalised on this momentum by leaning into content with McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. Campaigns like ‘Stay Like a Winner’ or showing Piastri “ducking around” with the hotel’s popular bathtub duckie while immersed in a post-practice ice bath. These behind-the-scenes glimpses tie hospitality branding to personalities that fans already admire.

The surge in Formula 1’s global fandom owes much to Netflix’s docuseries Drive to Survive. The show opened the sport to viewers who may never attend a race—only 1% of fans do so in person. Rather than advertising against the OTT series, Hilton activated its own touchpoints.

At Conrad Singapore Marina Bay, champagne bottles were shared with guests when McLaren won, hotel keycards were embossed with race cars, and guests received McLaren merchandise like caps and jackets. These small activations gained traction as digital content—fans posting selfies with McLaren cars parked outside the hotel became part of Hilton’s extended reach.

Hilton’s McLaren tie-up isn’t unique; Marriott Bonvoy has a longstanding partnership with Mercedes-AMG Petronas, while Accor and Hyatt also lean on celebrity and fandom partnerships. Moore argued Hilton’s edge lies in how it builds storytelling into the stay itself.

“What we come back to is ensuring that the story of the stay is the center of our storytelling. The content we create with McLaren F1 drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri is authentic, which our audiences understand and appreciate. We talk about how our team is committed to creating environments and experiences that helps the drivers perform better, be it storytelling of their stay, the blackout curtains, the breakfast at lunchtime, etc, so that they can stay on the same schedule. That's unique to Hilton,” she said.

Loyalty as currency

For Hilton, the real payoff lies in how fandom translates into loyalty. This year, 9 million Hilton Honors points were redeemed for Formula 1 Singapore experiences.

Gretchen Moore, vice president of marketing and loyalty for APAC, Hilton, framed this as proof of company’s ability to drive emotional connections. “It is the best evidence of our ability to drive fandom, by taking a fan base and delivering these ‘money can't buy experiences’ to loyal members about their passion drives that loyalty, trust, and connection,” she told Campaign.

Hilton Honors has grown sharply in recent years. Its membership base expanded 147% since 2018, reaching 211 million in 2024—a 17% jump from the previous year. Half of its new members this year originated in Asia Pacific.

Gretchen Moore, vice president of marketing and loyalty for APAC, Hilton

“Half of our new members globally have originated out of APAC this year, so, there's real momentum across the region. But when we speak to our customers and members, they want the program to be recognise and value them. And through any enhancement, partnership or innovation, we see how it can build excitement for the stay, making that easier, more rewarding, and adding value to their own life,” Moore added.

Cultural storytelling without tokenism

Hilton’s broader strategy goes beyond sports sponsorship. The company increasingly positions itself at the intersection of culture and travel, using cultural storytelling to engage customers.

Moore explained the process. “Before we did anything, we spent a lot of time just understanding our customers through research and insights. But beyond that, we tap into the human truth, like what truly drives people, what they are passionate about and their emotional connections. Our storytelling and insight have to go beyond surface-level to be deep-rooted and tell stories without being overt. That is what we see in the comments and feedback,” she elaborated.

In markets like China, this has taken the form of partnerships with Starbucks and Didi. In 2024, Hilton integrated Starbucks China’s loyalty program with Hilton Honors. In May 2025, it collaborated with DiDi Global on a lodging and transportation membership system.

Moore said, “We're allowing cross member collaboration and connection based on what our guests tell us about making their experience easier. Interestingly, through innovation or seamless kind of app experience, we see our Honors members enjoy the fact that they can now communicate through instant message now that the language barriers are removed.”

This gives travellers direct access to team members in hotels on-ground —before their stay they can communicate their preferences and also during their stay update it. This removes friction that many have come to expect from hotel companies.

Balancing luxury with broad appeal

Hilton’s advertising slate in 2025 reflected its dual focus: showcasing luxury icons like Waldorf Astoria and Hilton Cancun Mar Caribe while experimenting with creator-led campaigns in emerging markets.

In July 2025, it used The Stay to go beyond traditional ad campaigns and create cultural moments for the next generation of travellers, through culturally relevant, ambassador-led content. In India and beyond, Deepika Padukone’s voice featured in the It Matters Where You Stay campaign, which the company claimed garnered 1.9 billion views on Instagram in eight weeks.

A GlobalData report noted Hilton’s adaptability in aligning with evolving traveller preferences. Sagar Kishor, Ads Analyst at GlobalData, commented, “Its marketing strategies during February-July 2025 illustrate the company’s adaptability to the evolving preferences of contemporary travellers. By merging elegance with tailored service, the company engages a wide range of guests from families seeking memorable vacations to professionals in need of efficient accommodations.”

Moore emphasised the need for balance. While the hotel chain does celebrity-led campaigns, it also does other activities and partnerships that talk about the broad range of its brands and offering.

“We've just finished up a big creator-led activation in Vietnam, working with influencers looking at some Tru by Hilton brand and value-economy club brands too. So, there's lots of other consistent storytelling to bring to life how it creates these human-centered moments of customers truly being seen, understood and valued,” she stated.

That breadth is also a hedge against alienating middle-class travellers. Hilton uses both celebrity tie-ins and grassroots content to maintain relevance across income segments.

“Our audiences understand who they are, and being able to bring that story to life through their lens allows people to really get that sense of our service, our hospitality style and how we make people feel cared for,” Moore said.

The differentiation question

Digital ad spend continues to dominate hospitality marketing, but platforms like Google and Meta are costly and prone to consumer fatigue. Hilton relies on first-party insights and storytelling to break through.

“We work really closely with media partners to sum up how we show up on their feed, content and storytelling that someone's going to be interested in, because we know who they are, what they're looking for, and why they're on that platform in that moment,” Moore said. “Being able to do that allows us to have some relevance and resonance in that space.”

The McLaren partnership reflects a larger truth about marketing in an era where experiences carry as much weight as transactions. Hilton has bet on the idea that loyalty programs must extend beyond room upgrades and discounts, tapping into cultural moments where passion translates into preference.

The nine million points redeemed for F1 Singapore are less a statistic than a signal: fandom is a currency, and hospitality brands that know how to spend it wisely stand to win.

As Formula 1 grows in Asia, and as entertainment and sports increasingly drive travel choices, Hilton’s strategy highlights a pressure that marketers across industries face: how to anchor campaigns in authenticity while scaling them across diverse audiences. Whether that balance holds will decide whether Hilton’s 20-year bet on fandom continues to pay off.