Hilton Garden Inn will debut the mid-priced brand in Poland with the Hilton Garden Inn® Rzeszów property to be located in Rzeszów, Poland, through a franchise agreement with F.H.U Bogi, an investor in the Millennium Hall development.

Scheduled to open in the fourth quarter of 2008, the Hilton Garden Inn Rzeszów will form part of the Millennium Hall retail, entertainment and business complex - the region’s largest facility of its kind - comprising of 180 shops and restaurants, an extensive congress and concert centre, multi-screen cinema complex and generous leisure and fitness facilities.

Welcoming the announcement, Wolfgang Neumann, President of Hilton Hotels - Europe, said: “As the first international hotel chain to debut in Rzeszów, we are confident that this venture will be warmly received by domestic and international travellers alike. Following the successful introduction of our first Hilton hotel in Warsaw earlier this year, it has become clear that there is significant demand in the Polish market for quality, affordable accommodation in many key cities.”

Neumann added: “The city’s historic appeal combined with its economic development and strategic location meant that Rzeszów was a natural choice for Hilton Garden Inn®. This is further enhanced by its excellent air and rail links connecting it to the rest of Poland, the Ukraine, Germany and Western Europe. We are confident that our new development will be the first of many in Poland for our world-class portfolio of the Hilton Family of Hotel brands.”

Located in South Eastern Poland, some 150km from Krakow, Rzeszów is the administrative capital of the Podharpachie Province. The newly built 102-room hotel will be situated within the business centre zone of Millennium Hall and will offer business and leisure travellers a fitness area, restaurant and bar as well as conference and meeting facilities supported by a 24-hour business centre and limited complimentary parking.

“The addition of the Hilton Garden Inn Rzeszów to our growing collection of hotels in Europe shows the demand by corporate and leisure travellers for quality accommodations,” said Adrian Kurre, senior vice president - brand management for Hilton Garden Inn. “We look forward to establishing the focused service lodging option where guests can enjoy consistent service and attributes like the Garden Sleep System bed, Mirra chair by Herman Miller and complimentary Wi-Fi and complimentary 24-hour business centre.”

Bogdan Pawlowski, an investor in Millennium Hall, said “We are proud that such a prestigious hotel chain has signed its first contract in Poland with us, as it is a very important investment that will help us attract business people and tourists to Rzeszów. The Hilton Garden Inn brand brings instant international recognition and we are not only excited about introducing it into the south of Poland, but also confident that the launch of the new Hilton Garden Inn Rzeszów will be a huge success.”

Earlier this year Hilton opened its first property in Poland, the 314-room Hilton Warsaw Hotel & Convention Centre. The company currently operates three Hilton Garden Inn hotels across Europe - Hilton Garden Inn Florence Novoli; Hilton Garden Inn Rome Airport; Hilton Garden Inn Stuttgart - and has recently announced plans to open five more, including Rzeszów, over the coming 24 months. 
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