Embassy Suites Hotels®, the national brand of upscale all-suite hotels, announced its 21 award-winning hotels at the recent Hilton Hotels Corporation Full-Service Conference in Chicago, March 2-4, 2004. Sixteen hotels were recognized for highest quality scores and five were acknowledged for most improved loyalty scores from 2002 to 2003 among the 174 participating properties for the year 2003.
The scores are part of an intensive Balanced Scorecard program to measure quality assurance and customer satisfaction at Embassy Suites Hotels. The #1 hotel in the system, Embassy Suites Hotel Portland Downtown, owned by CNL Companies, received the honorary Connie Award, named after company founder Conrad N. Hilton. This hotel ranked in the top-five Embassy Suites Hotels since 1998 and was #1 in 1999 in guest satisfaction.

“We are delighted to recognize these 21 Embassy Suites Hotels for achieving outstanding performance among their peers for the year 2003,” said David Greydanus, senior vice president - brand management for Embassy Suites Hotels. “These top-performing Embassy Suites Hotels serve as stellar examples for all of our hotels, as they continually set sizeable goals for themselves and never settle for less, striving to provide excellent service and product and exceeding our guests’ expectations on a consistent basis.”

The 16 top-performing Embassy Suites Hotels and their owners (O) and management companies (M) are:

1. Portland-Downtown, Ore. (Owner: CNL Hospitality & PH Tenant Corp./Management company: Hilton*)

2. Dallas-DFW International Airport North - Outdoor World, Texas (O: John Q. Hammons Hotels, L.P.; M: John Q. Hammons)

3. Lincoln, Neb. (O: John Q. Hammons Revocable Trust; M: John Q. Hammons)

4. Airport/Convention Center-North Charleston, S.C. (O: John Q. Hammons Hotels, L.P.; M: John Q. Hammons)

5. Salt Lake City, Utah (O: Zion Suites; M: Suite Thinking, Inc.)

6. Greenville Golf Resort & Conference Center, S.C. (O: John Q. Hammons Hotels, L.P.; M: John Q. Hammons)

7. Portland-Airport, Ore. (O: John Q. Hammons Hotels Two, L.P.; M: John Q. Hammons)

8. Phoenix-Scottsdale, Ariz. (O & M: UP Stonecreek Inc.)

9. Dallas Near the Galleria, Texas (O: Ashford Dallas, L.P.; M: Remington Lodging & Hospitality, L.P.)

10. Nashville-South/Cool Springs, Tenn. (O: John Q. Hammons Revocable Trust; M: John Q. Hammons)

11. Nashville at Vanderbilt, Tenn. (O & M: Music City Hotel, L.P.; M: Hilton)

12. Tysons Corner, Va. (O: Connecticut General Life Insurance Company; M: Hilton)

13. Raleigh-Durham/Research Triangle East, S.C. (O: John Q. Hammons Hotels Two, L.P.; M: John Q. Hammons)

14. Austin-Arboretum, Texas (O: Ashford Austin, L.P.; M: Remington Lodging & Hospitality, L.P.)

15. Destin-Miramar Beach, Fla. (O: Miramar Beach Hotel Company, Ltd.; M: Southern Ventures Corporation)

16. Dulles Airport, Va. (O: Ashford Dulles, L.P.; M: Remington Lodging & Hospitality, L.P.)

The five Embassy Suites Hotels and their owners (O) and management companies (M) that achieved the greatest improvement in loyalty scores are:

1. Kansas City-Overland Park, Kansas (O: DJONT/EPT Leasing, L.L.C./Hilton-Managed)

2. Detroit North/Troy (Auburn Hills), Mich. (O: DJONT/JPM Troy & FCH/DT Leasing, L.L.C./DT Management, Inc.; Hilton-managed)

3. Flagstaff, Ariz. (O: Ashford Flagstaff, L.P.; M: Remington Lodging & Hospitality, L.P.)

4. Los Angeles-International Airport-North, Calif. (O & M: Sunstone LAX Airport, L.L.C.)

5. El Paso, Texas (O: El Paso Hotel Associates; M: Windsor Capital Group, L.L.C.)

Each hotel received a trophy and recognition at the Hilton Hotels Corporation Full-Service Conference held in Chicago last week.

“The Balanced Scorecard program, with its quality assurance and guest satisfaction components, is a highly motivating tool for hotel managers and team members,” said Greydanus.

Two key areas that are graded for the Balanced Scorecard rating system within Embassy Suites Hotels are quality assurance and customer satisfaction ratings.

Quality Assurance

To assess quality assurance, the internal Quality Assurance Team for the Embassy Suites Hotels’ brand evaluated the hotels on unannounced visits. Every area of the hotel was graded, including guest rooms, public areas, “back-of-the-house” kitchens and parking lots. The overall score for each property’s Balanced Scorecard measurement was derived from an average of the property’s ratings for the year. These ratings are: Outstanding (100), Acceptable (50) and Unacceptable (0).

Customer Satisfaction

Product and Service Satisfaction scores were derived from a Guest Satisfaction Rating System (GSRS) in the form of surveys that are sent out to customers from an independent third-party survey company. The company randomly selected past Embassy Suites Hotel customers shortly following their stays. The past guests were asked to rate various aspects of their experience at the hotel, from reservations to checkout, breakfast to dinner, and overall service and product.

Background

Embassy Suites Hotels, in 1984, was the first all-suite upscale hotel brand to enter the industry and today has more than 170 hotels. With more space in which to work and play than the average hotel, each Embassy Suites Hotel offers two-room suites that include a separate living area with a sofa bed, private bedroom and bath, televisions in each room, a wet bar, refrigerator, microwave oven, work desk, voice mail, and high-speed Internet access at many hotels.

Empowering guests to utilize hotel services at their convenience, all Embassy Suites Hotels offer a complimentary, cooked-to-order breakfast each morning and a two-hour nightly Manager’s Reception**. Other standard amenities include an indoor swimming pool, exercise facilities and on-site restaurant.

Representing its fifth consecutive year ranking highest in the J.D. Power and Associates North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index StudySM, Embassy Suites Hotels received the “Highest Guest Satisfaction Among Upscale Hotel Chains” award in 2003. The award also marks the first time that a hotel brand has received the highest award in the upscale category for three consecutive years (in the first two years, the brand achieved highest ranking in the all-suite segment).

For information and reservations, please visit the Embassy Suites Hotels Web site at www.embassysuites.com, call 1-800-EMBASSY or contact your professional travel agent. Embassy Suites Hotels participates in the Hilton HHonors guest reward program that allows its members to DoubleDip by simultaneously earning both hotel points and airline miles with each qualifying stay.

Embassy Suites Hotels is a part of Hilton Hotels Corporation, an internationally recognized, preeminent hospitality company. The company develops, owns, manages, and franchises more than 2,100 hotels, resorts and vacation ownership properties. Its portfolio includes many of the world’s best known and most highly regarded hotel brands, including Hilton®, Conrad®, Doubletree®, Embassy Suites Hotels®, Hampton Inn®, Hampton Inn & Suites®, Hilton Garden Inn®, Hilton Grand Vacations Club® and Homewood Suites by Hilton®.
——-