Hilton is still among the best companies to work for in the U.S., but it’s no longer number one, according to Fortune.
After holding the top spot in 2024 and 2025, the hospitality giant, which has been headquartered in Tysons since 2009, slipped to no. 2 behind Synchrony — a financial services company located in Stamford, Connecticut — in Fortune’s annual ranking of the country’s 100 Best Companies to Work for.
Released on Wednesday (April 1), the list was compiled by Fortune and the research firm Great Place to Work based on anonymous survey responses from more than 7.3 million workers.
“Fortune is proud to collaborate with Great Place To Work for the 29th year to recognize the 100 Best Companies to Work For,” Fortune Editor-in-Chief and Chief Content Officer Alyson Shontell said in a press release. “Amid a fast-evolving workplace landscape, employees said these organizations continue to set the standard for cultures built on trust, innovation, and care for their people.”
After steadily working its way higher on Fortune’s list over the past several years, finishing as the runner-up behind Hilton last year, Synchrony nabbed the no. 1 spot this year due in part to high morale among employees, who reported feeling encouraged by company leaders to bring their unique perspectives and motivations as individuals to their work.
Hilton workers similarly indicated that they felt supported by corporate leaders, according to the rankings.
“Hilton welcomed me as an LGBTQ+ Team Member long before it was socially acceptable. As a result, I was able to learn and become confident in my own skin,” said one worker who added that they hope to stay at Hilton until they retire. “This has been critical in both advancing my career and having an incredible life away from work.”
Hilton has appeared on the Fortune list for 11 consecutive years now, climbing from no. 56 in 2016 to one of the top three slots every year since 2019.
Celebrating its second-place ranking for 2026, Hilton highlighted available training and mentorship programs that it describes as key to ensuring “team members” feel supported and have room to grow.
A LAUNCH program now in its third year gives newcomers to the hospitality industry paid experience with hotel operations, including in the corporate office. In addition, some workers are eligible for tuition-free education options, ranging from English language learning to college-degree certificates.
“At Hilton, we are in the business of people serving people – and our team members are the heart of our hospitality,” Hilton President and CEO Chris Nassetta said in a statement. “It’s because of them that we are both an exceptional place to stay and to build a career.”
Only three other Fairfax County-based organizations were named among the 2026 100 Best Companies to Work for:
- Capital One (no. 33, Tysons)
- Modern Technology Solutions (no. 76, Lincolnia)
- Navy Federal Credit Union (no. 82, Vienna)
