Homewood Suites by Hilton Celebrates 20th Anniversary

McLean
, VA | Homewood Suites by Hilton, the international brand of all-suite, residential-style hotels today celebrates its 20th anniversary of providing extended-stay, business and leisure travelers with many of the comforts and conveniences of home. The brand enters its 20th year with three consecutive quarters of steady growth in market share, a development pipeline of more than 120 planned properties and a current footprint of more than 275 hotels – more than 30,000 upscale suites – throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico.

"Throughout our 20-year history we have strived to provide our guests with specialized amenities that make a Homewood Suites by Hilton hotel a place where you actually live, not just stay," said Bill Duncan, Global Head of Homewood Suites brand. "As we celebrate this important milestone, we want to thank all of our loyal guests, dedicated owners and team members who have made Homewood the industry's leading upscale extended-stay brand."

Homewood Suites' most recent innovation included a revamping of its complimentary Suite Start hot breakfast and Welcome Home reception meal programs. Developed with a consulting chef, the brand spent two years crafting and testing exciting new menu items, including many new healthier options. This food & beverage upgrade also included a corresponding video ipod-based training program to familiarize employees with the new offerings.

Homewood Suites opened its first hotel in Omaha, Nebraska on August 23, 1989 and since then, has had many other firsts, including the introduction of a 100% satisfaction guarantee in 1993, making it the first national upscale hotel brand to offer such a promise. Two years later, Homewood Suites was one of the industry pioneers in the use of the Internet; offering online reservation capabilities to guests.

Other key milestones in the brand's recent history include:

• 1999 – Joined the Hilton Family of Brands with Hilton's purchase of Promus Hotels Corp.
• 2000 – Opened 100th property with a hotel in downtown Washington, D.C.
• 2002 – Opened first international hotel in Mont-Tremblat, Quebec, Canada
• 2004 – Introduced brand-wide complimentary high-speed Internet access in all guest suites
• 2006 – Introduced Suite Selection; the hotel industry's first interactive, web-based room selection tool
• 2007 – Became the first hotel brand to utilize video iPods to train team members
• 2007 – Opened first hotel in Mexico with a property in Torreon
• 2008 – Published children's book series explaining business travel through use of brand mascot, Lewis the Duck
• 2009 – Opened 275th hotel with forecast of opening 300th in early 2010

Homewood Suites is a guest favorite among both business and leisure travelers, consistently taking the top spot on key satisfaction studies. Homewood Suites by Hilton has been named "Best Value Hotel Chain" by Zagat Survey for three consecutive years (2007-2009); was awarded Highest Guest Satisfaction Among Extended-Stay Hotel Chains in J.D. Power & Associates 2008 North American Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index StudySM*; and placed number one in the Upscale Extended Stay Hotel category in Business Travel News 2008 hotels rankings by corporate travel buyers.

"Although the current economic climate is challenging, over the past 20 years, Homewood Suites has built a strong foundation for growth," added Duncan. "Our solid development pipeline combined with a commitment to innovation will put us in more places with the services and amenities guests are looking for."

Launched in 1989, the Homewood Suites by Hilton brand today has more than 275 hotels and approximately 120 properties in the development pipeline. The brand offers complimentary high-speed internet access, daily Suite Start hot breakfast, and a Welcome Home reception featuring a light meal and beverages, Monday through Thursday. Beyond its spacious suites and home-like amenities, Homewood Suites guests can find at each hotel an on-site Suite Shop convenience store, exercise facility and guest laundry at most locations. Additional guest services include a complimentary grocery shopping service** and a complete business center at most locations.

To make reservations at a Homewood Suites by Hilton hotel, travelers can visit the Homewood Suites Web site at homewoodsuites.com or call 1-800-CALL-HOME.

Hilton Hotels Corporation is the leading global hospitality company based in McLean, VA, with more than 3,300 hotels and 550,000 rooms in 77 countries and more than 130,000 team members worldwide. The company owns, manages or franchises some of the best known and highly regarded hotel brands including Hilton, Conrad Hotels & Resorts, Doubletree, Embassy Suites Hotels, Hampton Inn, Hampton Inn & Suites, Hilton Garden Inn, Hilton Grand Vacations, Homewood Suites by Hilton, the Waldorf Astoria and the Waldorf Astoria Collection, as well as the recently launched Home2 Suites by Hilton. The company also manages the world-class guest reward program Hilton HHonors.

For more information about the company, please visit www.hiltonfamily.com.

*Homewood Suites by Hilton received the highest numerical score among extended stay hotel chains in the proprietary J.D. Power and Associates 2007-2008 North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index Study. 2008 study based responses from 53,453 guests measuring 11 extended stay hotels and measures opinions of guests who stayed in a hotel May 2007-June 2008. Proprietary study results are based on experiences and perceptions of consumers surveyed June 2007-June 2008. Your experiences may vary. Visit jdpower.com.

**Guest pays for groceries. Other restrictions apply.

Hilton HHonors®, Double Dip® and Double Dipping® are trademarks owned by Hilton HHonors Worldwide, LLC.

Brad Carmony
Director, Public Relations
901-374-6518
Olson Communications