Digital Audit: Hilton Worldwide

# Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. — V-DIG Domain Audit

**Prepared:** 30 June 2026
**Subject company:** Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE: HLT)
**Audit phase:** V-DIG Audit

---

## Enterprise Technology Stack & Vendor Relationships
### AI and Cloud Provider Partnerships

Hilton Worldwide formalised partnerships with three US-based AI and cloud providers, confirmed at its April 2026 earnings call: Google, Anthropic, and OpenAI [^1]. The company launched the **Hilton AI Planner**, an Anthropic-powered consumer tool enabling guests to plan travel itineraries through natural-language prompts directly within Hilton's digital channels [^1]. CEO Christopher Nassetta confirmed intentions to extend the Planner's capabilities to additional large language models, including Google Gemini [^1].

### CRM, Marketing Technology, and Analytics

Hilton's customer relationship management infrastructure includes Salesforce Sales Cloud and Adobe Experience Platform, the latter deployed for audience segmentation and personalised marketing [^26]. Business intelligence functions are supported through an expanded strategic partnership with Amadeus, covering the Demand360, Rate360, and Agency360 suite across more than 6,000 Hilton properties [^31]. Additional analytics and conversational AI capabilities are provided by MicroStrategy and [24]7.ai, a US-headquartered conversational AI platform [^26].

### Property Management System Transition

Hilton is executing a large-scale migration from its legacy proprietary on-premise property management system, OnQ, to the cloud-based **HotelKey Property Engagement Platform (PEP)**, co-developed with HotelKey Inc., a Dallas, Texas-based hospitality technology company founded in 2015 [^18][^19]. The target deployment covers more than 7,000 Hilton properties, with over 1,000 hotels migrated as of the most recent public reporting [^18]. The specific cloud infrastructure provider underlying the HotelKey PEP deployment is not identified in available public disclosures [^18][^19].

### IT Infrastructure and Data Centre

IBM serves as Hilton's primary global technology infrastructure integrator under an agreement first announced in 2022, covering data centre management and monitoring, global email services, web hosting, and the central guest reservation system, with primary hosting at IBM's Smarter Data Center in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina [^24]. No public evidence identified linking Hilton workloads or data flows to IBM's Israeli research and development facilities.

### Cybersecurity Governance

Hilton's FY2024 Form 10-K (filed February 2025) describes a cybersecurity governance programme led by a named CISO, with an annual investment of $24.6 million and quarterly Audit Committee briefings [^20]. The 10-K does not name specific security vendors in its public disclosure; the identity of Hilton's endpoint security, SIEM, network monitoring, and threat intelligence providers — including whether any are Israeli-origin — is not determinable from public filings alone [^20]. Hilton's total estimated ICT spend reached $639.4 million in 2023, with software constituting the largest external spend category [^23].

### Israeli-Origin Vendor Ecosystem

No public evidence identified of Hilton Worldwide holding licensing, subscription, or integration relationships with Israeli-origin technology companies. Vendors specifically reviewed with no confirmed Hilton relationship include Check Point Software, Wiz (acquired by Google, completed March 2026), SentinelOne, CyberArk, Claroty, NICE Ltd., Verint, Radware, and Palo Alto Networks; none appear in Hilton's confirmed public technology vendor ecosystem [^26].

---

## Surveillance, Biometrics & Retail Technology
### Facial Recognition and Biometrics

No public evidence identified of Hilton deploying Israeli-origin facial recognition, biometric authentication, or identity verification technology at any property globally. No public evidence identified of an Israeli vendor in connection with any Hilton hospitality biometrics programme across press releases, vendor case studies, or regulatory disclosures reviewed.

### Predictive Analytics, Social Media Monitoring, and Workforce Surveillance

No public evidence identified of Hilton deploying Israeli-origin predictive policing, sentiment analysis, social media monitoring, or workforce surveillance tools across its corporate or property-level operations.

### Third-Party Delivery of Israeli Surveillance Technology

No public evidence identified of Israeli-origin biometric or surveillance technology reaching Hilton indirectly through managed security service providers, bundled enterprise platform suites, or third-party hospitality platform vendors. Source classes reviewed include vendor press releases, NGO accountability databases (Who Profits, AFSC Investigate), hospitality trade press, and news archives.

---

## Cloud Infrastructure, Data Residency & Sovereign Cloud Participation
### Israeli Data Centre Footprint

No public evidence identified of Hilton operating, leasing, or co-locating data centre or cloud infrastructure within Israel. Hilton's primary technology infrastructure is hosted by IBM at the Smarter Data Center in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina [^24].

### Project Nimbus and Israeli State Cloud Programmes

No public evidence identified of Hilton participating in Project Nimbus — the Israeli state cloud contract awarded to Google Cloud and Amazon Web Services — or in any comparable Israeli government-sponsored digital infrastructure initiative.

### Israeli Legal Entity and Data Residency

Hilton Israel Ltd is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. incorporated under Israeli law, confirmed in SEC Exhibit 21.1 subsidiary disclosures for fiscal years 2022, 2024, and 2025 [^10][^11][^12][^38]. The subsidiary's specific operational function is not specified in publicly available SEC filings, but its consistent listing across multiple annual reports is consistent with Hilton's management of its Israeli hotel portfolio [^10][^11][^12]. As an Israeli-incorporated entity, Hilton Israel Ltd creates a legal nexus to Israeli jurisdiction for the hotel operations it supports [^10][^11].

### Israeli Hotel Portfolio Expansion

Hilton currently operates properties in Tel Aviv and manages the Waldorf Astoria Jerusalem under a franchise arrangement [^2][^8]. Hilton has signed agreements for two further openings planned for 2026: an LXR Hotels & Resorts property (176 rooms) and a Curio Collection by Hilton property (401 rooms), both on HaYarkon Street beachfront adjacent to Independence Park in Tel Aviv [^2]. In announcing the expansion, Hilton cited Tel Aviv's status as a "tech business hub" as a strategic rationale [^2].

---

## Defence, Intelligence & Security Sector Technology Relationships
### Direct Military and Intelligence Contracts

No public evidence identified of Hilton Worldwide holding contracts, partnerships, or service agreements with the Israeli Ministry of Defence, the Israel Defence Forces, Israeli intelligence services (Mossad, Shin Bet, or Unit 8200 as an operational entity), or any other Israeli state security body. Source classes reviewed include SEC filings, defence industry registries, NGO accountability databases (Who Profits, AFSC, B'Tselem), export control databases, and news archives.

### Dual-Use Technology Deployment

No public evidence identified of Hilton's commercially available hospitality technology — including its property management, reservation, loyalty, or digital channel platforms — being documented as deployed for military, intelligence, or law enforcement surveillance purposes within Israel or the occupied Palestinian territories.

### Offensive Cyber and Weapons-Adjacent Technology

No public evidence identified.

---

## AI, Algorithmic & Autonomous Systems
### AI Product Provision to Israeli State or Military Bodies

No public evidence identified of Hilton's AI products, platforms, or capabilities being licensed, sold, or otherwise transferred to Israeli governmental, military, or intelligence bodies. Hilton's three named AI partners are US entities — Google, Anthropic, and OpenAI — and the Hilton AI Planner is a consumer-facing guest planning tool [^1].

### Training Data Sourcing

No public evidence identified of Hilton's AI systems being trained on civilian population data, intercepted communications, or surveillance-derived datasets originating from Israel or the occupied Palestinian territories.

### Autonomous and Lethal Systems

No public evidence identified of Hilton involvement in autonomous weapons, lethal autonomous systems, or military robotics programmes.

---

## Technology Ecosystem & R&D Footprint
### Israeli R&D and Engineering Facilities

No public evidence identified of Hilton Worldwide operating research and development facilities, engineering offices, innovation labs, or technology accelerator programmes within Israel. Hilton Israel Ltd is consistently listed as a registered Israeli subsidiary across multiple SEC annual filings [^10][^11][^12][^38]. No public evidence identified of an R&D or technology development function associated with Hilton Israel Ltd.

### Acquisitions and Startup Investments

No public evidence identified of Hilton Worldwide directly acquiring Israeli-origin technology companies or directly investing in Israeli technology startups, venture funds, or university-affiliated technology transfer programmes.

### Controlling Principal: Jonathan D. Gray and the Blackstone Nexus

Jonathan D. Gray has served as Non-Executive Chairman of Hilton Worldwide's Board of Directors since 2007 [^29][^37]. Gray simultaneously serves as President and Chief Operating Officer of Blackstone Inc. and is a member of Blackstone's board [^29]. Blackstone fully exited its Hilton equity position by 2018, and Gray's board chairmanship at Hilton is held in a personal capacity rather than as a Blackstone-nominated shareholder representative [^29].

The following are Blackstone corporate investment activities conducted under Gray's leadership — distinct from and not attributable to Hilton Worldwide:

- **Adaptive Shield (Tel Aviv, Israel):** Blackstone's BXG growth equity fund invested $10 million in Adaptive Shield, a Tel Aviv-based SaaS security posture management platform, on 25 July 2023 [^6][^25]. Blackstone was additionally reported as a client of Adaptive Shield's technology platform [^6]. Adaptive Shield was subsequently acquired by CrowdStrike for approximately $300 million [^35].
- **Cyera (Israel):** Blackstone led a $400 million Series F funding round in Cyera in January 2026, valuing the company at $9 billion [^13][^14][^36]. Cyera is an AI-driven data security posture management platform founded by Yotam Segev and Tamar Bar-Ilan, both veterans of Israeli military intelligence Unit 8200 and the Talpiot programme [^13][^14].
- **Blackstone Israel Investment Office:** Blackstone established a dedicated Tel Aviv office managed by Senior Managing Director Yifat Oron, focused on sourcing investment targets for its $4.5 billion growth equity fund [^32].

On 10 May 2025, Gray and his wife Mindy made a personal philanthropic gift of $125 million to Tel Aviv University's Faculty of Medicine, announced as the largest gift in the university's history [^7]. Gray stated publicly that the events of 7 October 2023 motivated the gift [^7]. The faculty was renamed in Gray's honour [^7]. These are personal philanthropic activities and are not attributable to Hilton Worldwide as a corporate entity. No public evidence identified that Blackstone's operational use of Adaptive Shield's technology extended to Hilton-controlled IT environments or corporate networks.

### Board Technology Composition

On 4 March 2025, Hilton nominated Marissa Mayer — former CEO of Yahoo Inc. and former Google executive — to its Board of Directors, following the retirement of long-serving director Judith McHale [^30]. No public evidence identified of board-level directors holding current affiliations with Israeli government, military, or intelligence bodies.

### Patents, IP, and Academic Partnerships

No public evidence identified of Hilton holding significant patent portfolios, technology licensing arrangements, or co-development agreements with Israeli-domiciled academic institutions (Technion, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Weizmann Institute of Science) or Israeli-incorporated technology companies.

---

## Civil Society Scrutiny & Regulatory History
### UN OHCHR Settlement Business Database

Hilton Worldwide is not listed in the OHCHR database of business enterprises engaged in activities related to Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory, as updated in June 2023 (97 companies) [^16][^39] and in September 2025 (158 companies) [^15][^40]. Travel and online accommodation platforms included in the database across both updates include Airbnb, Booking.com, Expedia, and TripAdvisor [^27]; no hotel operating chain appears in the database. Hilton's absence is consistent across all secondary reporting of both the 2023 and 2025 updates reviewed [^15][^16].

### AFSC Investigate

Hilton is not listed among the approximately 400+ companies profiled in AFSC Investigate's Palestine-related corporate accountability database [^34]. Hospitality and travel entities on the AFSC platform include Booking Holdings, Expedia Group, TripAdvisor, and Wyndham Hotels & Resorts; Hilton's absence is confirmed from the platform's published issue-company listings [^34].

### Business & Human Rights Resource Centre

Hilton's profile on the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre documents seven allegations covering labour rights violations (Qatar, UAE, United States), migrant worker abuse, and Xinjiang forced-labour supply-chain risk [^17]. No Israel-related allegations appear among the documented incidents on the Hilton platform page [^17].

### Don't Buy Into Occupation (DBIO)

Hilton is not referenced in secondary reporting or DBIO's own published descriptions of its 2024 report (58 companies) or its expanded 2025 report (104 companies) [^33]. The 2025 DBIO expansion added entities including Amazon (for cloud/AI services) and Boeing (military equipment); no hotel operating chain has been identified in secondary reporting as newly included [^33].

### BDS Prioritisation

Hilton is not listed as a priority BDS boycott target in the USCPR's 2025 published BDS resource list [^28]. The USCPR's current priority list targets travel intermediaries and online accommodation platforms, including Expedia, Airbnb, and Booking.com; hotel operating chains are not separately enumerated as priority targets [^28].

### EXPO Israel at DoubleTree by Hilton Pikesville (2024)

The DoubleTree by Hilton Baltimore North – Pikesville, Maryland was the confirmed venue for "EXPO Israel," an event promoting Israeli real estate purchases — including properties in Israeli West Bank settlements — scheduled for 17 September 2024 [^3]. An activist petition by the Palestinian Youth Movement, hosted on Action Network, called on Hilton to cancel the event, citing the ICJ advisory opinion of July 2024 on the illegality of Israeli settlements [^3]. No public evidence identified of Hilton Worldwide or the franchised property issuing a response to the petition, or of the event being cancelled.

### USCPR "Seize the Moment" Conference Cancellation (October 2023)

The Hilton Houston Post Oak cancelled the US Campaign for Palestinian Rights "Seize the Moment" national conference, which had been scheduled for 27–29 October 2023 [^4][^5]. The property cited "escalating security concerns in the current environment" and potential risks to team members and guests as grounds for cancellation [^4][^5]. The cancellation followed social media pressure campaigns [^4]. Democratic Representative Rashida Tlaib was scheduled as keynote speaker, and BDS co-founder Omar Barghouti was to address the conference via video link [^5]. USCPR Executive Director Ahmad Abuznaid characterised the cancellation as "an act of ethnic, racial and religious discrimination" [^5]. No public evidence identified of a corporate-level response from Hilton Worldwide headquarters.

### Waldorf Astoria Jerusalem: Arbitration Enforcement Proceedings

Hilton has pursued enforcement in Israeli courts of two International Chamber of Commerce arbitration awards (issued in London) against Michel Ohayon, former owner-operator of the Waldorf Astoria Jerusalem, for approximately $26.8 million (approximately NIS 99 million) in unpaid franchise fees, loan obligations, and accrued interest [^9]. The Jerusalem District Court issued a temporary injunction over Ohayon's Israeli properties in connection with enforcement proceedings [^9]. Ohayon had acquired the Waldorf Astoria Jerusalem for approximately $160 million in 2017 [^8]. The most recent public reporting on this matter dates to 2 April 2024 [^9]. This is a civil commercial franchise-fee dispute and does not constitute a technology-related regulatory action.

### Otelier Third-Party Data Breach (2024)

Hilton was among major hotel groups whose guest records were exposed in a breach of the Otelier cloud-based hotel management platform, occurring between July and October 2024 [^21][^22]. Threat actors obtained Atlassian employee credentials, accessed AWS S3 bucket credentials, and exfiltrated approximately 7.8 terabytes of data including guest names, email addresses, physical addresses, phone numbers, and reservation data [^21][^22]. Hilton suspended its automated Otelier integrations as a remedial measure following discovery [^22]. No public evidence identified of an Israeli corporate or jurisdictional connection to Otelier or to this breach.

### Board Composition

Jonathan D. Gray serves as Non-Executive Chairman of Hilton's board [^29][^37]. Marissa Mayer, former CEO of Yahoo Inc. and former Google executive, was nominated to the Hilton Board on 4 March 2025 following the retirement of long-serving director Judith McHale [^30]. No public evidence identified of board-level directors holding current affiliations with Israeli government, military, or intelligence bodies.

---

## End Notes

[^1]: https://www.ciodive.com/news/hilton-bets-ai-with-vendor-partnerships/818875/

[^2]: https://stories.hilton.com/emea/releases/hilton-plans-to-bring-two-new-brands-to-tel-aviv

[^3]: https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/hilton-drop-the-expo-israel

[^4]: https://www.newsweek.com/hilton-hotel-faces-pressure-cancel-pro-palestine-conference-1835515

[^5]: https://uscpr.org/hilton-hotel-capitulates-to-hate-cancels-palestinian-voices/

[^6]: https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/syo9mv692

[^7]: https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/26rfjtlzd

[^8]: https://www.timesofisrael.com/jerusalems-waldorf-astoria-sold-for-160-million/

[^9]: https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/bkzgubtyr

[^10]: https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/0001585689/000158568926000007/ex211-202510ksubsidiariesex.htm

[^11]: https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/0001585689/000158568925000008/exhibit211-subsidiarylistx.htm

[^12]: https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1585689/000158568923000036/exhibit211-202210xk.htm

[^13]: https://fortune.com/2026/01/08/cyera-cybersecurity-startup-yotam-segev-400-million-series-f-funding-9-billion-valuation-blackstone/

[^14]: https://www.timesofisrael.com/ai-security-boom-triples-valuation-of-israeli-cyber-startup-to-9-billion-within-a-year/

[^15]: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/9/26/un-lists-150-firms-tied-to-illegal-israeli-settlements

[^16]: https://www.ohchr.org/en/business/bhr-database

[^17]: https://www.business-humanrights.org/en/companies/hilton/

[^18]: https://www.hoteldive.com/news/hilton-hotelkey-co-develop-cloud-based-property-management-system/648928/

[^19]: https://skift.com/2023/04/27/hilton-taps-hotelkey-for-property-management-tech-at-all-its-hotels/

[^20]: https://www.board-cybersecurity.com/annual-reports/tracker/20250206-hilton-worldwide-holdings-inc-cybersecurity-10k/

[^21]: https://www.cpomagazine.com/cyber-security/cloud-based-hotel-management-platform-otelier-data-breach-exposes-millions-of-hotel-guest-records/

[^22]: https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/otelier-data-breach-exposes-info-hotel-reservations-of-millions/

[^23]: https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2024/07/02/2907246/0/en/Hilton-Worldwide-Holdings-Digital-Transformation-Strategy-Analysis-2024-Innovation-Programs-Technology-Initiatives-Estimated-ICT-Budget-and-Major-ICT-Contracts.html

[^24]: https://hospitalitytech.com/hilton-worldwide-ibm-ink-global-technology-infrastructure-and-solutions-agreement

[^25]: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230725843418/en/Adaptive-Shield-Secures-Strategic-Investment-from-Blackstone

[^26]: https://www.appsruntheworld.com/customers-database/customers/view/hilton-worldwide-united-states

[^27]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_companies_operating_in_West_Bank_settlements

[^28]: https://uscpr.org/activist-resource/boycott-divestment-and-sanctions/

[^29]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_D._Gray

[^30]: https://stories.hilton.com/releases/hilton-announces-nomination-of-marissa-mayer-to-board-of-directors-long-time-director-judith-mchale-to-retire

[^31]: https://www.hotelmanagement.net/tech/hilton-amadeus-expand-business-intelligence-partnership

[^32]: https://www.timesofisrael.com/us-giant-blackstone-sets-up-israel-office-to-fund-fast-growth-tech-firms/

[^33]: https://dontbuyintooccupation.org/reports/dont-buy-into-occupation-report-2025/

[^34]: https://investigate.afsc.org/issue-companies/5

[^35]: https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/s1zuniozkx

[^36]: https://serrarigroup.com/blackstone-invests-400-million-in-israeli-data-security-unicorn-cyera-at-record-9-billion-valuation/

[^37]: https://stories.hilton.com/2025-report-stockholder-information

[^38]: https://fintel.io/doc/sec-hilton-worldwide-holdings-inc-1585689-ex211-2024-february-07-19760-5863

[^39]: https://www.ohchr.org/en/documents/thematic-reports/ahrc6019-database-all-business-enterprises-involved-activities-detailed

[^40]: https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2025/09/un-human-rights-office-updates-database-businesses-involved-israeli ```