Hilton Worldwide has unveiled Curio, a global collection of four to five-star hotels – each of which maintain its own individual brand while offering the benefits of Hilton, such as the HHonors loyalty programme.

Properties expected to join this collection include SLS Las Vegas Hotel & Casino; The Sam Houston Hotel in Houston, Texas; Hotel Alex Johnson in Rapid City, South Dakota; The Franklin Hotel in Chapel Hill, North Carolina; and a soon-to-be-named hotel development in downtown Portland, Oregon.

Curio is one of two unique concepts that Hilton Worldwide plans to introduce this year.

“Curio expands our portfolio to a total of eleven exceptional brands and creates additional opportunities to serve our existing customers even better, attract new customers and grow our pipeline,” said Jim Holthouser, executive vice president, global brands Hilton Worldwide. “With Curio, we can help owners leverage our scale, scope and expertise, while keeping each hotel’s individual character intact.”

The first property to receive a letter of intent from Hilton Worldwide – the SLS Las Vegas – is located on the northern end of the Las Vegas Strip at the site of the former Sahara Hotel & Resort and will be operated by SBE.

The hotel and casino will open in September following a three-year US$415m (€305m, £248m) renovation, which includes the total redevelopment of three existing Sahara towers – the Lux Tower, Story Tower and World Tower.

Along with 1,620 guest rooms and suites plus 30,000sq ft of meeting space, the resort also features a 6,970sq ft Ciel Spa which has 10 treatment rooms. Designed by Philippe Starck, it will comprise herbal steamrooms, experience showers, a relaxation lounge with music therapy technology and will be located on the second floor of the Lux Tower.