Hilton Announces 2024 Thrive Sabbatical and Thrive Reset Winners 

Today, Hilton announced the recipients of its Thrive Sabbatical and Thrive Reset programs, continuing its investment in initiatives and benefits that support its team members’ professional, physical and mental well-being. Now in its eighth year, Hilton team members from around the world can apply for the time and resources to live a dream, give a dream or recharge by taking care of themselves or others, or to pursue a passion that helps them grow personally or professionally.

The Thrive Sabbatical program, available to team members working in corporate offices or at Hilton’s managed hotel properties, provides one month of paid time off along with a $5,000 grant. The Thrive Reset program, accessible to all team members including those at franchised properties, offers one week of paid time off and a $2,000 grant.  

“Each and every day, our team members deliver extraordinary experiences for our guests, and we are equally as committed to investing in them by creating a workplace that is caring, flexible, and enables them to thrive,” said Laura Fuentes, chief human resources officer, Hilton. “Our Thrive Sabbatical and Thrive Reset programs provide our team members with the time and space to rest and recharge however they need, whether it’s by pursuing their passion, taking care of themselves or loved ones, or honing their skills to deliver even better stays for our guests.”  

Team members are encouraged to nominate themselves for one of the Thrive programs by sharing how they would spend the time and grants provided by the Thrive Sabbatical or Thrive Reset to pursue a passion, improve their professional skills, or recharge their personal batteries. This year, more than 1,200 team members from around the world applied. A selection committee named 20 winners, chosen based on compelling stories that demonstrated how the team member’s sabbatical and reset requests aligned with Hilton’s core values and had a clear vision and impact. Throughout the rest of 2024, team members will embark on adventures that will take them around the globe including:  

Thrive Sabbatical  

• Eduardo Luiz Teixeira de Almeida, garde manager, Hilton Rio de Janeiro Copacabana, Brazil, will pursue one of his passions by participating in an ice sculpture event in Northern Brazil, which will also allow him to expand his creativity in serving guests.  
• James Colson, senior manager, key partner support, corporate, remote, U.S., will complete training to become a volunteer pilot for “Angel Flight Soars,” an organization that provides free aviation transportation for those in need.  
• Arawwalage Don Eranjith, income auditor, Hilton Niseko Village, Japan, will return to his native country, Sri Lanka, to support the facilities at a local school.  
• Tee-Jay Hill, bartender, DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Hotel Austin, Texas, U.S., will travel to Hollywood with his brother with Down syndrome whose passion is movies, films, and television.  
• Alice Mangalea, cluster revenue manager, RMCC Watford, U.K., will return to Romania to volunteer with a nonprofit that supports mental health and provides resources to those in need.  
• Noubia Morillon, assistant to general manager, Canopy by Hilton Paris Trocadero, France, will take a humanitarian visit to Senegal where she will volunteer with local children and help bring health education to young mothers.  
• Becki Najm, development coach, HRCC Dallas, Texas, U.S., will foster and bottle feed cats, and volunteer at a clinic to help provide further support to animals in need.  
• Nicholaus Pambudi, human resources coordinator, DoubleTree by Hilton Surabaya, Indonesia, will help improve the lives of those living on Papan Island by contributing supplies to the local school and helping rebuild a bridge that will allow children to travel to school more easily.  
• Alleinne Joy Porras, people operations manager, Hampton by Hilton Dubai Al Barsha, U.A.E., will take and host sign language courses so she and her hotel can create more inclusivity and better communicate with team members and guests.  
• Dave Wilkinson, senior analyst, digital accessibility, corporate, remote, U.S., will attempt to be the first tandem bike team with a blind cyclist competing solo in the Race Across America.  

Thrive Reset  

• Laura Berrio, operations manager, Hilton San Jose Sabana, Costa Rica, will run the Long Beach Half Marathon as a tribute to her late sister.  
• Sara Bill, assistant sales director, Grand Wailea, A Waldorf Astoria Resort, Hawaii, U.S., will take time to recharge after the devastating wildfires in Hawaii.
• Cheryl Callaghan, owners desk reservation specialist, HRCC Scotland, U.K., will bring her son back to Türkiye so he can visit his best friend who he hasn’t seen since 2017.  
• Lauretta Caldwell, inquiry support specialist, corporate, Memphis, Tennessee, U.S., will reunite with her son who is serving in the U.S. Military in South Korea.  
• Jaimie Cano, general manager, Hampton Inn Long Island – Brookhaven, New York, U.S., will reset and recover from a very tough year with some mental and physical self-care.  
• Mariela Colon, human resources director, Caribe Hilton, Puerto Rico, will travel to Portugal to connect with the people there and learn about a different culture allowing her to recharge.  
• Kanae Emau, restaurant host, Hilton Port Moresby Hotel & Residences, Papua New Guinea, will travel to his home village to reunite with his family and celebrate the memory of his late son.  
• Pascalino Valda Esther Bevovo, waitress, Hilton Yaoundé, Cameroon, will spend more time at the orphanage where she volunteers, as she continues to pursue her dream of building an orphanage of her own.  
• Lana Murhina, catering sales coordinator, Hilton Garden Inn Calgary Downtown, Alberta, Canada, will visit with her parents in Poland after not seeing them in six years due to studies and the Ukrainian conflict.  
• Yoyo You, senior lead marcom enthusiast, Canopy by Hilton Chengdu City, China, will participate in a five-day immersive study session offered by a local academy.  

Hilton’s Thrive Sabbatical and Thrive Reset programs are part of Thrive at Hilton — an enterprise-wide commitment to creating a great place to work for all through a flexible and adaptive ecosystem of programs that enable growth and development.  

Introduced in 2017, Thrive at Hilton has been creating avenues for personal and professional success while revolutionizing how Hilton team members work, learn and lead within and beyond their roles at Hilton. These efforts are part of Hilton’s larger strategy to drive a fully human experience at work for its 469,000 team members. Learn about our previous Thrive Sabbatical and Reset winners’ experiences, including team members who had a long overdue honeymoon, developed a goat adoption program in Kenya, and lived their dream at Le Cordon Bleu in London.

Hilton is known for its purpose-driven approach and outstanding workplace culture which is shaped by its dedicated team members. Recognized as the No. 1 World’s Best Workplace, No. 1 Great Place to Work in the U.S. as well as a Great Place to Work in more than 60 countries around the world, the company is committed to prioritizing its team members' needs both at work and in their personal lives. By offering flexibility for growth and success in their roles, as well as opportunities to prioritize mental well-being, Hilton ensures that everyone has the chance to thrive.

Hilton is actively hiring with nearly 5,000 hotel job openings available in the U.S. with levels spanning across entry-level through general manager at each of its 23 brands. For more information on Hilton’s expansive team member benefits, its award-winning workplace culture and the many jobs available, please visit jobs.hilton.com.