THE Scot who heads Hilton Hotels’ global marketing operation has underlined the hospitality giant’s commitment to continue investing in Scotland, while emphasising the importance of developing digital technology to enhance the experience for guests worldwide.

Glasgow-born Geraldine Calpin, who has worked in senior roles at Hilton for more than a decade, said the company’s expansion plans for Scotland have not been derailed by the challenging economic backdrop.

Hilton has already launched three hotels in Scotland this year, including two in Glasgow. Its most recent opening was the £11 million Double Tree by Hilton on Glasgow’s Cambridge Street, which followed a Hampton by Hilton on the city’s West Campbell Street earlier in the year.

The firm has also opened the Hilton Edinburgh Carlton in August, while Dundee is set to welcome a Hampton by Hilton before 2016 comes to a close. A further four hotels are on the slates for Scotland, including a Hilton at the Aberdeen Exhibition & Conference Centre.

Hilton is effectively a management organisation, running hotels under its 13 brands for property owners, which include private investors and pension funds.

Asked to sum up appetite for investing in the current climate, Ms Calpin declared that Hilton has the “largest pipeline” of hotels under development in the industry. The company has 4,800 hotels worldwide and is actively looking to add to its current 138 hotels in the UK and Ireland.

“There is, across the board, a general positive outlook, and our pipeline is expanding, it is not slowing down,” Ms Calpin said. “Our pipeline is growing every year. That investment in this industry… we see it as very strong with our owners and our hotels.”

Mulling the effects of the Brexit vote, Ms Calpin noted that the collapse in the value of sterling since the EU referendum on June 23 may lead to more overseas coming to the UK.

She also said it may encourage locals take part in “staycations”. However she expects any benefit from the currency depreciation to be short-lived.

Speaking during a recent visit to Glasgow, Ms Calpin, who is based in Hilton’s global headquarters in McLean, Virginia, outlined the company's commitment to using the latest digital technology to enhance the guest experience.

Hilton is presently introducing a “digital key” system across its global estate, which allows travellers to check in and access their room using iPhone or Android mobile devices.

The company’s UK hotels are next in line to be upgraded after the roll-out is completed across the Atlantic, where the roll-out is progressing at a rate of 20 hotels a week. So far 550 Hilton hotels have been equipped with the system, which forms part of the $17 million investment Hilton has made in technology in the last five years.

The digital key push comes after the hospitality giant introduced a popular booking app, which can be used by guests to book specific rooms in Hilton hotels.

Hilton has mapped the floor plans of its global estate for the app using Google maps, allowing travellers to select, for example, which floor they wish to stay on, or whether they wish to be close to a lift.

It echoes similar technology used by airlines to allow flyers to book their seats on aircraft, with Hilton so far the only hotel company to deploy it for hotel rooms.

The app and room choosing services are only available to members of Hilton’s HHonors scheme.

Ms Calpin, who studied business and managerial economics at the University of Strathclyde, said: “It is something we invested in because check-in is important for guests. We know that travellers use it a lot when they fly and so we decided to invest. We have that in over 4,000 hotels around the world.

“If you look at the app store, customers love it. It is just one of those things that has absolutely caught fire.”

Observing that that travellers’ mobile devices have become their “passports to the world”, she added: “Our app is now the lead app in travel in the app store, in terms of customer ratings.”

Hilton finished rolling out the room-choosing app nearly two years ago, and according to Ms Calpin has yet to be matched in the global industry. She acknowledges the roll-out was a tricky process because, unlike an aeroplane when all passengers disembark after a flight, “not everybody leaves every room. It really was quite a complicated undertaking,” she said.

Meanwhile, Hilton is actively encouraging travellers to book rooms directly with the company rather than via third party agents. The company launched its biggest ever marketing campaign, “Stop Clicking Around” in February to “change the misperception” that the lowest prices can be achieved through online travel agents.

“That’s not actually true. Where you get the best value is directly through Hilton,” Ms Calpin said, noting that Hilton had in February introduced a discount through its HHonors membership scheme. That effectively means a lower rate will be available on Hilton.com than on any other site. “I think it has shaken things up a bit,” Ms Calpin said. “The online travel agents are good partners and important partners and we will continue to work with them, because there are always going to be travellers who want to book through online travel sites.

"But really what we want to do is give customers the best value and the best experience, and the best way for us to do that is if they book direct, if they join through our HHonors programme. That allows us to know who they are before they get there and give them better value and service.”