Throughout his nearly 30 years with Hilton and his previous 10 years with Marriott International, Bill Fortier has focused on hotel development, and he has certainly made his mark on that area of the business. As Hilton’s senior vice president, development, Americas, Fortier leads a team that adds around 400-500 new hotels annually to the company’s pipeline and has introduced 14 successful brands since 2009. But Fortier has also excelled in the development of human capital, from cultivating strong teams that persist through crises to fostering more ownership opportunities for those aspiring to join the hotel industry.
Fortier recently discussed with LODGING his longstanding passion for elevating the people who drive the hospitality business, while praising several individuals who influenced his career and leadership style. He also shared his career beginnings, achievements, insights on brand strategy, and development potential for Hilton and the industry going forward.
Finding His Path in Hospitality
Growing up in the small agricultural town of Lodi, California, Fortier spent much of his youth water skiing and snow skiing, and had little career direction initially, he recalled. His father, a doctor, had a conversation with a professor at the University of Houston’s Conrad N. Hilton College of Global Hospitality Leadership at a medical convention and then suggested a career in hospitality to his son, who did a bit of library research on the field and eventually applied to the school. While enrolled, Fortier worked at a Sheraton hotel in downtown Houston, an experience that “was also a good education for me because I realized that operations didn’t feel right for me,” he said. “So, while I was in school, I really focused more of my time on the finance and management side of the industry.”
Graduating with a bachelor’s in Hotel/Restaurant Management from Hilton College in 1983, Fortier began graduate studies in hospitality. One day, a professor brought an entry-level consulting opportunity at Pannell Kerr Forster (PKF) in Denver to his attention. “I did the interview, and they hired me pretty much on the spot,” he recalled. “I worked for Pannell Kerr Forster for three years, and that’s where I got my development side. We were doing feasibility studies for the hospitality industry, so I really got to know the ins and outs of supply and demand and performance.” What attracted him to development was the “opportunity to go out and work with many different owners, trying to get them to do our products, versus some of the competition,” he explained.
Following his years at PKF, Fortier joined Marriott International in 1986 and eventually rose to the position of vice president of development. “I started in feasibility and then moved over to development, because that’s where I really wanted to be,” he said.
Proving Himself With Promus Hotels Corporation
Fortier continued his focus on development when he joined Hilton in 1996 as vice president, franchise development, working with Hilton and Hilton Garden Inn franchisees in the western United States. The Garden Inn brand was just getting off the ground that year, and it was a fast-moving environment in his department, Fortier recalled. But an even greater challenge would emerge three years later, when Hilton acquired Promus Hotels Corporation. Fortier reported to Tom Keltner, previously CEO, Hilton’s Americas & Global Brands, who led the acquisition and ultimately extended an opportunity to Fortier that became a career milestone. “One day, Tom came into my office and said, ‘Bill, I’d like to have you lead the [merged development] team going forward.’ And I said, ‘Tom, I’d love to, but why me? I’m the newest kid on the block.’ And he said, ‘Look, I’ve talked to your prior boss [and other colleagues], and basically, they’re all saying you can trust Bill to do the right thing.’ So that’s when things really changed for me, and it’s been a rocket ship ever since.”
Fortier was tasked with a challenging initiative because “Hilton and Promus were two very different companies—the culture was different; the people were different; the environment was very different,” he explained. For example, some Hilton representatives did not want to sell Promus Hotels Corporation’s economy Hampton Inn product, while some Promus Hotel Corporation representatives were intimidated by the prospect of selling Hilton products. But Fortier would not accept such divides and structured the team to foster unity. “We merged our development teams into four regions, led by a VP in each of those regions and directors who shared the bonuses for that specific region, and that means they had to work together,” he explained. “So, there was no one superstar that was going to be outshining everybody else. It gave them a big incentive to help each other learn the brands and foster the relationships with owners from both companies. The idea was to get the right deals done, not just a deal to check the box. And I think that that model is still unique in the industry right now.”
With that successful restructuring under his belt, Fortier went on to lead the development team for the Americas, beginning in May 2000 as senior vice president, franchise development, of Hilton’s brand performance and development group. Following Blackstone’s 2007 acquisition of Hilton, he was named senior vice president, development, Americas, in June 2008.
Proactive Response to Adversity
Top-tier executives like Fortier not only capitalize on opportunities, but they also manage adversity with an eye toward the future. The 2008 financial crisis, 9/11, and the COVID-19 pandemic were among the most severe challenges the industry has ever faced, and Fortier admires leaders who responded proactively during those times to help ensure hospitality’s resurgence. One example is Stephen Bollenbach, who was Hilton’s chairman and CEO at the time of 9/11. Fortier recalled, “He basically got the team together—the whole company—and said, ‘Look, this is a challenging time, but we’ve got plenty of cash on hand. We’re going to be fine. And we’re also not just going to sit around—we’re going to go reinvest in our hotels right now, because there’s an opportunity. Prices are going to be down. The hotels are empty. It’s a perfect time to go back and do the renovations. So, when we come out of this, we’re going to be the strongest brand in the industry with our big-box properties.’ That got the team motivated to do the right thing.”
Another leader whom Fortier admires for his level-headed crisis management is Jonathan Gray, president and COO of Blackstone, Inc. and chairman of the Hilton’s board of directors, who also had the vision to hire Hilton’s current CEO, Chris Nassetta. Although Blackstone’s acquisition of Hilton went smoothly, the following year saw the global recession cause a major demand and occupancy decline in the hotel industry. Gray’s response was exemplary, Fortier felt: “Jon said, ‘We’re going to be fine. We need to be careful about our cash, but this is going to be a great opportunity for us to continue to grow.’ We added team members to our development team that we needed to be ready for when we came out of the crisis. And when we did come out of it in 2009, that was probably the greatest development run in the history of the industry, from 2009 all the way up to 2018/2019, when the only thing that stopped it was COVID.”
Fortier himself exemplified a proactive approach during COVID by working with owners facing financial difficulties. “Even before folks were out traveling a lot, I encouraged the team to start talking to the owners,” he recalled. “Because there were some owners that were going to be distressed, and we needed to help them find buyers for their hotels. And there’s going to be number of owners out there with cash who want to go buy properties, and there were a lot of really good deals. So, we did a ton of conversions and new approvals in 2022/2023. We definitely led the pack for a couple of years because we were out knocking on doors and staying connected to our owners right out of the gate.”
Trends in the Brand Landscape
As the leader of the development team during a period that was highly successful with the exception of the COVID years, Fortier noted that two segments in particular were becoming popular in the industry, and introducing brands in those segments was advantageous. “One, I think it’s all about uniqueness. So, lifestyle hotels are flourishing greatly,” he observed. “But the other half of that was extended stay, which took off because of COVID and hasn’t died down. And with our new brand LivSmart Studios, we’re going after that even greater extended stay—10 nights plus—and there’s some housing shortage issues that make that work.” Fortier noted that longer-term extended stay is also seeing demand from seniors who want to reside near their families but who are not yet ready for assisted living facilities. Luxury and branded residential are also strong segments, and he added that Hilton is focused on continuing to expand residential offerings primarily within its luxury brands.
Having brands that answer to demand trends is only one key to success in development, and Fortier provided insights into the overall formula. “Like we tell the development team—as well as others in the company that don’t work with development all the time—it’s really a simple game. It’s the right owner, the right location, and the right brand, at the right time. If you get all four of those correct, this game is a lot easier. And that’s what we try to do, because we turn down a whole bunch of deals that don’t have all of those characteristics.”
With thriving demand in certain global markets, there are more opportunities to find the right location internationally. “When you take a look at what’s happening across Asia, the growth opportunities there are gargantuan,” he noted. “And as we grow out there, there are going to be new brands specific to those markets. The Latin American and European markets are also going to be huge.”
Retirement Plans
After many successful decades as a leader in the hotel development world, Fortier looks forward to recreation and relaxation in retirement, but also looking after his family’s estate and taking care of his mother, who turns 90 in February and still lives in Lodi. He also hopes to stay involved in the industry on a more casual basis through the numerous connections he has made over the years. “I’ve talked to the folks that run the different programs—The Lodging Conference, ALIS, and others—and they say, ‘Hey, just give us a call. We’ll get you in. The people would love to see you.’ So, I might do that for a while, just keeping up with the industry, because after being in it for almost 46 years, you just can’t completely walk away.”
Unlocking Doors for New Owners: Bill Fortier Champions Inclusion and Entrepreneurship in Hospitality
Hilton’s Bill Fortier has had diversity in his “DNA for a very long time,” as he put it, and he has a history of supporting organizations devoted to advancing new owners in the hotel industry. He recalled inspirational conversations with Peggy Berg, chair of The Castell Project, and Tracy Prigmore, founder of SHaD (She Has a Deal), regarding their plans to launch their respective nonprofits in support of women professionals in hospitality. “I was listening to their stories and said, ‘This is fantastic. This is what we need.’ And I was one of the first people to raise my hand and invest in those organizations,” he said. “I’m also really proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish on the emerging owner side of diversity.”
The National Association of Black Hotel Owners, Operators & Developers (NABHOOD) has been a major driver of ownership within the black community, and Fortier has been “involved with NABHOOD from the very beginning.” He added that Andy Ingraham, president/CEO/founder of NABHOOD, “has had such a great influence on the industry.” In recognition of his two decades of partnership with NABHOOD, Hilton and the association created the Bill Fortier Hilton/NABHOOD Hospitality Scholarship during Hilton’s Unlocking Doors: Creating Pathways to Hotel Ownership workshop in November 2024.
Hilton’s Unlocking Doors program has also been a catalyst for increasing ownership opportunities for new and aspiring entrepreneurs, helping them find the right location and the right brand for their first hotel through educational programs and networking opportunities, and in some cases, connecting them with funding. “What really made Unlocking Doors work is when we did this partnership with Bridge by Foro, because the hardest thing for first-time owners is the capital piece. How do you get financing? How is a bank going to trust you? The program has been a huge success for us, and for first-time owners that are getting financed for their deals,” Fortier said.
Going forward, Fortier still sees opportunities for brands to enhance new ownership opportunities, especially “on the financing side with our new partnership with Bridge Foro. I think all the brands, for the most part, are doing what they can to help, and we’ve all jumped in together because we know it’s the right thing to do,” he noted. “The Hispanic and African American markets are huge, so we need to get into those markets. We need to grab new owners and hopefully nurture them in our brands, because in the end, most of our owners also own a Marriott, an IHG product, etc. So, we’re all in it together. We just need to make sure this pie gets bigger and bigger.”
