BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., Feb. 24, 2003 - Hilton Hotels Corporation is proud to announce its Hotel of the Year award winners for Hampton Inn®, Hampton Inn & Suite®, Hilton Garden Inn® and Homewood Suites by Hilton® which were presented during the company`s recent Focused Service Conference held in Las Vegas.
The top hotel awards are the most prestigious honor given to a property among each of the three brands. Award-winning hotels were determined through key areas within the company`s Balanced Scorecard rating system: quality assurance and customer satisfaction ratings. Each hotel will be honored in a special ceremony in early May 2003 in Anaheim, Calif.
“The Hotel of the Year award represents the continued pledge to guest service and satisfaction that each of our Hampton Inn, Hampton Inn & Suites, Hilton Garden Inn and Homewood Suites by Hilton hotels strive to provide our guests,” said Tom Keltner, president - brand performance and franchise group development group, Hilton Hotels Corporation. “Each of our award recipients personify the dedication and excellent performance that are integral to the success of our business.”
HAMPTON INN:  Hampton awarded its “Hotel of the Year” among the entire Hampton to first place Pride Award winner the Hampton Inn & Suites Peabody Place-Memphis, owned by Peabody Place Hotel Co., LP of Memphis, Tenn. This hotel, which is a previous Hampton Pride Award winner, received the highest ranking among all Hampton Inn & Suites hotels and all 1,200 hotels in the Hampton system in 2002 for guest satisfaction measured through customer feedback surveys as well as product quality and service scores measured quarterly by the brand. The Pride Award among all Hampton Inn properties (more than 1,000) was awarded to the Jonesville/Elkin Hampton Inn in North Carolina, owned by Riverview Enterprises Inc., for their outstanding service and product quality scores in 2002.
HILTON GARDEN INN:  The Hotel of the Year award was presented to the Hilton Garden Inn Wichita in Kansas, owned and operated by TMH Hotels, Inc., of Wichita, Kan. The hotel was presented with the accolade as a result of their overall 2002 results on the Balanced Scorecard, from the more than 161 Hilton Garden Inn properties open across the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Walter Brosch, hotel general manager, accepted the award on behalf of the hotel.
HOMEWOOD SUITES BY HILTON: Among its more than 120 hotels open, the Homewood Suites by Hilton brand presented its top Pride Award to the Homewood Suites by Hilton Colorado Springs, Colo., which is company owned and operated. The hotel was singled out for outstanding achievement in the areas of quality and guest satisfaction during 2002. This is the first year the hotel has received this award.
Conference Backgrounder: Themed “Be!,” the conference offered opportunities for participants to learn, network and build relationships through general sessions, brand-specific meetings, workshops and award presentations. Owners also had the chance to attend a private Development Session that included a special presentation by former President George H. W. Bush.
Company Backgrounder: Hilton Hotels Corporation is recognized internationally as a preeminent hospitality company. The company develops, owns, manages or franchises more than 2,000 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 Company® and Homewood Suites by Hilton®. For more information on the Hilton Family of Hotels, visit www.hiltonworldwide.com.

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