Head to head · Retail / Hardware✓ VERIFIED · 2026-07-12
Ace Hardware vs Hilton: units, growth & AI adoption
Hilton leads on AI adoption (79/100 vs 57/100), while Hilton is the larger system by unit count (7,600+ vs 5,900+). Hilton is growing faster year-over-year (+4.5%). Data verified Q3 2026.
| Metric | Ace Hardware | Hilton |
|---|---|---|
| Sector | Retail / Hardware | Hospitality |
| Headquarters | USA | USA |
| Units (approx.) | 5,900+ | 7,600+ ◂ |
| Unit growth YoY | +2.6% | +4.5% ◂ |
| AI Adoption Score | 57/100 | 79/100 ◂ |
| Operations AI | 60 | 76 ◂ |
| Marketing AI | 54 | 82 ◂ |
| Training AI | 50 | 72 ◂ |
| Data infrastructure | 62 | 84 ◂ |
| Region | North America | North America |
| Index rank | #33 | #6 ◂ |
Ace Hardware
Cooperative retail model with strong APAC licensing; AI in assortment planning and inventory optimization at the wholesale level.
FULL ACE HARDWARE PROFILE →Hilton
Connected Room, AI revenue management, and a mature data stack across a mostly franchised system.
FULL HILTON PROFILE →Franchise Intelligence Index
Compare every tracked system — full benchmarks, updated quarterly.
SOURCE: FRANCHISEPULSE FRANCHISE INTELLIGENCE INDEX, Q3 2026 · FREE TO CITE WITH ATTRIBUTION + LINK