Hilton Hotels Corporation has signed a franchise agreement with DIMATOUR to open the new Hilton Garden Inn Bologna/San Lazzaro in Italy.

The 152-room property which is expected to open in September 2008 is set to increase the mid-price hotel brand’s growing presence in Italy, joining the Hilton Garden Inn® Florence Novoli, the Hilton Garden Inn® Rome Airport and the Hilton Garden Inn® Matera.  Two additional Hilton Garden Inn properties are scheduled to open in the cities of Bari in May 2008 and Lecce in 2009.

Welcoming the announcement, Wolfgang Neumann, president of Hilton Hotels - Europe, said: “With 11 existing Hilton Family properties located in key Italian destinations and regional centres as well as agreements in place to open six more, the addition of this new Hilton Garden Inn® hotel in Bologna reaffirms our commitment to providing our world-class portfolio of quality hotels across Italy and throughout Europe.”

 

“Travellers looking for a new kind of lodging option has provided Hilton Garden Inn with a wonderful opportunity to introduce our mid-priced brand to new markets like Bologna, ” said Adrian Kurre, senior vice president - brand management, Hilton Garden Inn. “Our hotels offer an ideal combination of quality and affordability for both corporate and leisure guests.”

 

Located in northern Italy, Bologna is famed for its Renaissance architecture and perhaps best known as the home of Ducati and Lamborghini. The city is well served by air, rail and road transport links and is host to numerous international and national exhibitions and trade fairs. The newly built Hilton Garden Inn Bologna/San Lazzaro will be situated in the San Lazzaro area, a short drove from the city centre and will offer guests a fitness area, as well as a restaurant, bar and spacious meeting facilities

 

The Hilton Garden Inn Bologna/San Lazzaro announcement reflects the Hilton Garden Inn brand’s fast moving expansion across region, with plans to introduce new properties in four more European countries in the next 24 months, including Rzeszow, Poland; Frankfurt, Germany; Diyarbakir, Turkey; as well as Perm, Russia.
——-