Manish Tolani of Hilton on the rise of experience-led storytelling in hospitality

India is currently experiencing its peak wedding season, a period that has expanded significantly beyond a few traditional months to become an almost year-round occurrence. Estimated to be worth ₹4.5–5 lakh crore, the Indian wedding industry continues to be one of the nation's largest consumption-driven sectors. Increased disposable incomes, the shift towards smaller nuclear families, and a growing demand for personalised experiences have collectively elevated weddings into major, large-scale productions across the country.

What has changed most is how couples plan these celebrations. Venue visits are no longer the starting point. Discovery now happens online. Research shows that nearly 55% of couples use social media to find wedding planners, venues, photographers, and related services, making digital platforms the first step in the decision-making journey.

Each platform plays a distinct role. Instagram drives inspiration and aspiration. Wedding platforms help couples compare options. WhatsApp moves interest into action, enabling real-time conversations, sharing of menus, packages, and proposals. At the same time, rising costs and limited availability in metros, where prices are up 30–50%, are pushing couples towards Tier II and Tier III cities as wedding destinations.

For Hilton, these shifts have meant changing how and when the brand shows up. Instead of engaging only when couples are shortlisting venues, Hilton is now reaching them much earlier in the planning journey. Across its luxury, lifestyle and focused-service hotels in India, the brand is focusing on what Manish Tolani, Vice President & Commercial Director, South Asia, calls ‘guest-first narratives’, aiming to connect with couples at the dreaming stage, before they begin comparing options.

In this conversation, Tolani explains how Hilton has reshaped its storytelling for Indian audiences, why weddings have become a strategic growth driver for the brand, and how marketing, media, and technology are shaping one of India’s most emotionally driven consumer decisions.

Edited Excerpts: 

Hilton’s global campaign 'Hilton. For The Stay’ shifted the category conversation from rooms to experiences. How has this philosophy shaped Hilton India’s marketing journey over the last few years? Can you take us through how the brand is positioning itself through its storytelling in ads? 

The idea behind the ‘For The Stay’ campaign has always been simple. When people travel, their stay is not an add-on to the trip but the core experience that shapes how they remember it. So, the conversation had to move away from hardware and focus on what guests actually value.

When we launched “Hilton. For The Stay” globally in 2022 and later brought its India version “It Matters Where You Stay”, it was never about just a tagline. It was about reframing what hospitality means. 

Travel behaviours in India have changed since the pandemic, which also meant a major recalibration of our storytelling. With ‘the Stay’ as the hero, we shifted from rooms to real-life moments and guest-first narratives. You see this in our work with cultural icons like Deepika Padukone, where the story comes from her own Hilton stay experiences. Her journey reflects what many Indian travellers look for: reliability, warmth and a stay that makes the trip better. That authenticity is what has made the campaign so effective, because it mirrors how people choose hotels today. You also see this philosophy in initiatives like Wedding Diaries by Hilton, where we show how the brand delivers seamless celebrations and anticipates needs.

As we grow our footprint in India, this philosophy keeps us aligned. It ensures every brand touchpoint communicates the same thing: Hilton delivers stays that remove friction and add value. That is the core of our marketing journey, and it guides us to show how we show up in every market and every campaign. 

Hilton globally leans into humour, storytelling, and myth-busting. How do you adapt this global tone to Indian audiences while staying culturally relevant?

Hilton’s global tone works because it is rooted in real traveller behaviour. When we bring that tone to India, we keep the core intact but change the lens because for Indian travellers, travel is emotional and often purpose-led. It spans family milestones, multi-generational trips, weddings, and work travel that extends into leisure. So, our storytelling leans into situations that feel resonant here and uses humour only when it reveals our truth.

The myth-busting carries through, but the myths are local, like the idea that a hotel is just a room. Indian guests expect reliability, warmth and support through the chaos that comes with weddings, multi-city work trips or family breaks. That is where the Hilton promise shows up.

Our work with Deepika reflects this approach. We didn’t script a performance end-to-end. We captured her actual stay journey with us in her hometown, Bengaluru, and that authenticity made the message land, with the campaign now becoming one of the most-viewed campaigns globally. When people see someone, they trust describe the comfort and ease she experiences at Hilton, it becomes relatable rather than glossy.

So, the adaptation is simple: keep the honesty, root it in Indian behaviour, and let the humour come from moments people recognise.

With consumer expectations evolving rapidly, how has Hilton’s marketing mix changed in India?

As traveller behaviour shifts and media consumption fragments, our marketing mix in India has evolved to be more insight-driven, agile and platform-specific. Digital sits at the centre, allowing us to optimise in real time. But we’re far more deliberate today. A channel only works when it has a clear job to do and a clean audience segmentation to cater to. So, we choose platforms based on who we’re speaking to, what we want to say, and the moment in the traveller’s journey.

It’s no longer a blanket mix. It’s a purpose-led mix.

Our research showed us the power of contextual placements, especially in travel environments. That’s why smart digital OOH in and around airports has become an important touchpoint as travellers are relaxed, receptive, and actively thinking about their existing or next trip. That visibility keeps the brand top of mind and supports consideration at the right stage of the journey.

Weddings are a major, year-round demand driver in India, which makes them a strategic focus for us. Our role is to show that a branded hotel like Hilton, with its consistency and service depth, is a stronger partner for celebrations than standalone venues. Wedding Diaries by Hilton was created for exactly that reason, to demonstrate how we manage Indian weddings end to end and deliver the level of detail families expect. So OOH becomes critical to narrate this story, as digital alone cannot communicate the full breadth of what Hilton can deliver. We complement that with branded content partnerships that genuinely resonate with this audience. Another impactful collaboration is with Vogue India, where we are showcasing ‘The Dream Wedding’, a unique partnership offering one winning couple a once-in-a-lifetime wedding celebration that will be hosted at one of our Hilton properties.

We’ve also experimented with Spotify and launched our official WhatsApp channel, which is the first by an international hotel brand. The focus is simple: meet the traveller where they are, with relevant messaging and the right medium for the moment. That discipline ensures our marketing not only reaches people but drives meaningful consideration and preference for Hilton across segments.

Wedding decisions often start long before a hotel search, with inspiration on Instagram, Pinterest, and creator content. How do you map your marketing to the top-of-funnel discovery journey for couples?

Wedding consideration begins far earlier than the hotel search itself, often long before couples have even formalised who they will marry. It’s a deeply aspirational, dream-led category, built over time rather than triggered by immediate intent.

From our perspective, the opportunity lies in entering that consideration set early. With the sophistication of our CRM and customer behaviour insights, we now have the ability to identify who to engage with and when. This is where Wedding Diaries by Hilton becomes a powerful and highly relevant proposition, anchored by our wedding ambassador, a strong food and beverage narrative, and the ability to design and customise weddings at scale.

Our approach starts deliberately at the top of the funnel, focusing on inspiration rather than transaction. The Vogue x Hilton partnership is a great example, high-quality, aspirational content delivered through short-form films and storytelling formats that help us enter the consumer’s mind early, long before active planning begins. 

But inspiration alone is not enough. We are very intentional about moving that interest down the funnel, driving traffic to the India Weddings landing page, where all our wedding-capable hotels are represented. From there, the focus shifts to conversion: qualifying interest, building preference and brand love, and then introducing a clear call to action at the right moment.

A critical breakthrough for us has been enabling the RFP journey on WhatsApp, recognising that weddings cannot transition seamlessly from digital dreaming to offline execution without friction. WhatsApp allows us to complete the journey, from inspiration to enquiry, before handing over a qualified lead directly to the hotel. 

From that point, the real Wedding Diaries experience begins. Our wedding and celebrations experts, often alongside the wedding chef in the very first interaction, engage with the couple, first virtually and then physically, bringing the brand to life. This human, expert-led interaction has become increasingly critical in driving preference, confidence, and eventual conversion.

This integrated, end-to-end approach has not only strengthened wedding conversion across South Asia but also resulted in destination weddings flowing into the Middle East and Europe, reinforcing Hilton’s ability to capture wedding demand across geographies through a single, coherent brand IP.

From curated venue tours to immersive site inspections, many hotels are investing in AR/VR, 360° walkthroughs, and AI-assisted planning. Where does Hilton India stand in using tech in its marketing strategy?  

Hilton globally is a technology-led, digitally enabled hospitality organisation, and we continue to leverage digital experiences extensively across marketing and commerce. In the context of Indian weddings, however, we take a very deliberate and practical view of how technology adds value.

Where technology has worked extremely well for us is in virtual tours and remote site inspections, particularly for destination weddings and NRI-led enquiries. In these cases, virtual walkthroughs, often supported by wedding planners on the ground, have been highly effective in helping families and planners shortlist venues and build early confidence, especially when decision-makers are based outside India.

Beyond this, one area where we believe we are already doing a strong job is in rich, always-on content creation. Our wedding landing pages, the Hilton India website, and individual hotel websites are consistently refreshed with high-quality visuals, storytelling, and venue information. This depth of content plays a critical role in signalling quality, scale, and credibility, allowing couples to clearly understand the concept, positioning, and potential of each venue even before they engage directly.

That said, weddings remain fundamentally different from meetings or corporate events. What has not changed is the need for couples and families to physically walk the hotel, experience the destination, and feel the spaces. 

Digital tools are excellent initiators and accelerators of consideration, but in Indian weddings, final conviction and conversion still happen in person.

So our approach is very intentional: we use technology to inspire, inform, and qualify demand early, but we rely on human interaction, site visits, and expert engagement to complete the journey. In our view, this balance, rather than over-virtualisation, is what delivers the strongest outcomes for weddings in India.

Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities are accelerating wedding demand and destination travel. How is this shaping Hilton’s marketing blueprint? Are you seeing different content behaviours, preferences, or booking patterns outside metros?

The reality today is that the internet has become a powerful equaliser. Access to trends, fashion, weddings, destination inspiration, and experiences now reaches Tier 1, Tier 2, Tier 3, and even Tier 4 markets almost simultaneously. 

Aspiration is no longer metro-led; it is national and deeply democratised.

Where the difference truly lies is not in the richness of content, but in how and where that content is consumed. Our storytelling remains equally premium and aspirational across all markets, but the media mix and delivery channels are carefully tailored to local consumption behaviour.

As a result, Hilton’s marketing blueprint is multimedia by design. Digital continues to be the fastest and most scalable channel across all city tiers. However, in many Tier 2 and Tier 3 markets, we still see strong effectiveness from high-impact, larger-than-life formats, out-of-home, print, and influential local publications, which remain critical in shaping early consideration, particularly among parents.

This becomes even more important when we layer in destination travel. We are seeing a clear and sustained shift in demand originating from Tier 2, Tier 3, and Tier 4 markets, not just for domestic destinations but also for international travel across Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. This trend is giving us strong confidence in expanding our footprint in these markets.

Recent openings such as Hilton Garden Inn Surat and Hilton Garden Inn Jabalpur are good examples. Both hotels have seen strong commercial traction from day one, driven by the fact that while the Hilton brand was previously absent from these markets, brand awareness and aspiration already existed. When a trusted global brand enters these markets, it unlocks pent-up demand very quickly.

From an experience perspective, our focus is on delivering larger-than-life, memory-led experiences. Consumers in Tier 2 and Tier 3 markets often visualize vacations and celebrations differently, placing a premium on scale, storytelling, and moments that feel meaningful and aspirational. That is exactly what we aim to deliver, both within South Asia and across our global portfolio as these travelers venture internationally.

Hospitality marketing has become more experience-led and less inventory-led. What major marketing trends are you seeing in the Indian hospitality sector that are shaping your strategy?

Three shifts are shaping hospitality marketing in India today. Travellers are now purpose-led, which means they evaluate hotels based on how well the stay supports what they’re here to do. Digital discovery has become highly compressed - people arrive with pre-formed expectations shaped by peer content, Instagram reels and make decisions much faster. And above all, Indian consumers are rewarding brands that deliver consistent, reliable experiences across service, food and ease. These trends shape our strategy: we focus on intent-rich moments, clear proof of value and storytelling that shows exactly how a Hilton stay works end-to-end.

With increasing competition from independent boutique hotels, homestays, and luxury villas, how are you differentiating yourself in this crowded market? 

The Indian traveler now has more choice than ever, and we see that as a positive. It raises expectations and pushes every brand to be sharper about the value it delivers. 

Our differentiation comes from two things. First, the strength of our portfolio. With brands that span luxury, lifestyle to focused service, we can meet very different travel purposes across very different markets without diluting the Hilton promise. Second, the consistency of our service. Guests choose us because they know what a Hilton stay feels like: the reliability, the quality, and the sense of being looked after. As the market gets more crowded, that combination of choice plus dependable delivery is what keeps us relevant and top-of-mind for travelers.

In the hospitality sector in 2025, 69% of marketers integrated AI into operations, with AI-powered content generating 37% higher engagement rates than traditional approaches. According to you, did AI actually transform hotel marketing this year? What worked, what flopped, and what's the realistic assessment of AI's impact this year? 

AI has definitely moved from experimentation to real deployment in hospitality this year, across operations, guest experience, and marketing. The transformation, however, has been uneven, and the real gains have come from how AI is used, not simply whether it is used.

AI is now deeply embedded across the hospitality value chain, driving operational efficiency, helping anticipate guest needs, and increasingly shaping how marketing reaches customers. Where we have been very intentional is in how far we let AI go.

In marketing specifically, we have kept AI away from content creation itself. In markets like India, hospitality, and especially categories like weddings, are still driven by emotion, aspiration, and cultural nuance. The richness of storytelling, the craft behind the idea, and the authenticity of execution are not things we believe AI should replace.

Where AI has truly worked for us is in everything that happens after the content is created. AI is fully embedded in distribution, discovery, and precision. Search behaviour itself has evolved; consumers are no longer relying only on traditional search engines; they are increasingly using AI-driven assistants and GPT-based searches to ask very specific, intent-led questions.

What has worked well is AI’s ability to deliver speed, accuracy, and personalisation at scale, allowing us to reach customers in a far more targeted and relevant way than before.

What has flopped (so far), in our view, is the over-reliance on AI to generate content without human insight. That often results in output that is technically correct but emotionally flat, which doesn’t build preference in hospitality.

The realistic assessment for 2025 is this: AI hasn’t replaced marketing; it has amplified it. Brands that pair human creativity with AI-driven distribution and intelligence are seeing real impact. 

What would you say are the next big storytelling opportunities for hospitality brands in India? 

I strongly believe the next big storytelling opportunities for hospitality brands in India will be experience-led, not product-led (not as much). At the centre of this sits three interconnected narratives: wellness and well-being, family-led travel, and the continued blurring of business and leisure.

What’s important is that these are not three different customers. In reality, it’s the same traveller, at different moments in life and intent, sometimes arriving for work, sometimes travelling with family, sometimes seeking restoration and balance. The storytelling opportunity lies in recognising that continuity and showing how a hotel can stay relevant across those moments without changing who it is.

This is where authenticity becomes critical. Travellers are no longer looking for “more”; they are looking for meaningful, well-designed experiences that fit naturally into their time, energy, and mindset. The brands that will win are those that can demonstrate how they understand the rhythm of a guest’s life, not just their booking reason.

A great example of this in India is Conrad’s “The 1/3/5” experience framework. The idea is simple but powerful: whether a guest has one hour, three hours, or five hours, the hotel curates experiences that allow them to connect meaningfully with the destination or the property. It respects the reality that modern travellers are time-compressed, yet experience-hungry.

This kind of storytelling does three things simultaneously:

   •   It makes the experience tangible and accessible,

   •   It reinforces why loyalty matters, beyond points and perks, and

   •   It builds emotional affinity and stickiness with the brand.

The early feedback we’ve received since the launch has been extremely encouraging, because it speaks directly to how guests want to engage today, on their terms, in moments that feel personal and memorable.