BEVERLY HILLS, Calif.
March 19, 2004 � Hilton, Doubletree® and Embassy Suites Hotels®
brands recognized the top hotel development projects of 2003 during the
Hilton Hotels Corporation Full-Service Conference held March 2-4 in Chicago.
Hotel development awards across the three brands were presented in three
distinct categories: Developer of the Year, Deal of the Year, and
Outstanding Achievement. In addition, a Multi-brand Developer of the Year
also was recognized.
�We are delighted to present our Full-Service
Hotel Development Awards as a way to recognize owner commitment to maintaining
and building top-quality hotels for our Hilton Family of Hotels,� said
Bill Fortier, senior vice president � franchise development, Hilton Hotels
Corporation. �Each of our three full-service brands is thrilled to
recognize their respective award recipients as a way to express appreciation
for the owners� brand loyalty and overall dedication to excellence, from
the design stage to post-opening.�
MULTI-BRAND DEVELOPER OF THE YEAR:
Buccini/Pollin Group
The full-service brands collectively awarded
the Buccini/Pollin Group as the Hilton Family full-service Multi-Brand
Developer of the Year for that developer�s commitment to developing cross-brand.
Their leadership, commitment to excellence and their ability to overcome
obstacles have resulted in a portfolio of hotels that perform at the top
of their markets. The Buccini/Pollin Group currently has three Hilton
Family hotels under construction: the Homewood Suites by Hilton® Newark,
Del.; the Homewood Suites by Hilton Dulles Airport, Va.; and the Embassy
Suites Hotel Dulles Airport, Va. The group also recently received
approval for a full-service Hilton BWI Airport, Md. Existing hotels
in the Hilton Family include: the Embassy Suites Hotel Boston at Logan
Airport, Mass. and Embassy Suites Hotel Newark, Del.
DEVELOPER OF THE YEAR
Each brand recognized a Developer of the Year
for the owner who developed one or more unique hotels that helped enhance
a brand�s image in 2003. To be considered, all hotels in the candidates�
Hilton Family portfolio had to be rated high-quality and in good status,
and could represent a combination of new projects, renovations and conversions.
The recipients of the Developer of the Year award
were:
HILTON � The Pueblo of Pojoaque
The Pueblo of Pojoaque and Hilton Hotels Corporation
broke ground this week in Northern New Mexico on a $250 million mixed-use
destination resort development that will feature the luxurious, 387-room
Hilton Santa Fe/North, as well as an 84-room Homewood Suites by Hilton®
property. Target date for the opening of the Hilton and a variety
of additional lodging and resort offerings is projected to occur in several
phases between late 2004 and 2006. The Hilton Santa Fe/North will
be comprised of 386 rooms and a 2-level Presidential Suite with a private
outdoor "observatory". Every guestroom features Native American adobe
style architecture, artwork and interior designs and includes a fireplace,
balcony, a flat-screen plasma television and wireless high-speed Internet
access. Additional facilities include 50,000 sq. ft of meeting space
for exhibits and special events; a 20,000 sq. ft full-service spa; a 6,000
sq. ft children�s recreation area; an 18-hole, professional golf course
designed by Hale Irwin and clubhouse; and a full-service tennis club.
DOUBLETREE � MeriStar Hospitality Corporation
The Doubletree Hotel Dallas North, which just
joined the Doubletree family this week, is conveniently located within
a 15-mile radius of all major business centers in the Dallas area as well
as such attractions as Texas Stadium, American Airlines Center, The Ballpark
in Arlington, Six Flags Over Texas and Grapevine Lake. The hotel is fully
equipped to meet the needs of today�s sophisticated traveler with 289 elegantly
appointed guest rooms; high-speed Internet access; a full-service business
center; two restaurants and much more. The Doubletree Hotel Dallas
North�s 25,000 square feet of expansive meeting and event space includes
a spacious 7,300 square foot grand ballroom, which provides the perfect
Dallas gathering place for groups up to 1,000 people.
Another MeriStar property will be joining the
Doubletree family in April. Currently the Radisson Hotel Orlando,
the 742-room Doubletree Hotel at the Entrance to Universal Orlando, is
one of Orlando's largest meeting venues, with a convention center that
features 60,000 square feet of meeting space, including a 23,000-square-foot
exhibit hall and a 15,000-square-foot ballroom. The hotel will soon
begin work on a $14 million exterior and interior renovation that should
be completed by the end of 2006. The hotel plans to remodel guest rooms,
upgrade meeting facilities and develop a full-service spa. Located across
the street from Universal Studios®, CityWalk® and Islands of Adventure®,
the Doubletree Hotel at the Entrance to Universal Orlando is a favorite
destination for meetings and conventions, business travelers and vacationers,
especially families and groups touring nearby attractions.
EMBASSY SUITES HOTELS -- John Q. Hammons
Hotels & Resorts
With nearly 20 Embassy Suites Hotels currently
open, John Q. Hammons (JQH) is constructing its latest hotel the Embassy
Suites Hotel St. Charles in Missouri. Featuring 300 suites and 6,000
square feet of meeting space, the hotel is being built in conjunction with
the City of St. Charles new Convention Center, which will feature 130,000
square feet of meeting and convention space. The hotel is scheduled
to open in the first quarter of 2005.
DEAL OF THE YEAR
Three Hilton, Doubletree and Embassy Suites Hotels
owners were presented awards for the Deal of the Year which recognizes
the tremendous commitment of time and effort many owners devoted to building
a hotel.
The recipients of the Deal of the Year award were:
HILTON � RLJ Development, LLC
The 426-room Hilton Cancun is the only beachfront
hotel in Cancun that features its own 18-hole professional-grade golf course
on property. A Hilton since the fall of 1999, the hotel was a franchised
property until May 2003, when RLJ Development took ownership of this luxury
hotel-resort through its hands-on, entrepreneurial approach to hotel acquisitions.
Since that time, RLJ Development has reinvigorated the operations of the
hotel, once again positioning the Hilton Cancun as the leading meetings-oriented
resort on the Yucatan Peninsula.
DOUBLETREE
� Highgate Holdings
Soon to become a Doubletree hotel later this
summer, the Metropolitan Hotel is located at the corner of Lexington Avenue
and 51st Street, in the heart of midtown Manhattan. This central
location, close to Manhattan�s primary business, commercial, cultural and
shopping districts, has made it a popular hotel for visitors to New York
since it opened in 1961. The Metropolitan is distinguished by its art deco,
post-modern architectural style features, its curving façade and
colorful exterior. The 722-room full-service hotel is undergoing
a dramatic aesthetic transformation designed to maintain the hotel�s prominence
among New York guests and expand the Doubletree brand�s presence in Manhattan.
EMBASSY SUITES HOTELS -- Whiteco Industries
& WPM Construction LLC
Whiteco Industries & WPM Construction LLC
are developing the 374-suite, 21-story Embassy Suites Tampa Convention
Center Hotel, connected to the Tampa Convention Center via sky bridge in
downtown Tampa, Fla. Opening during the fourth quarter 2005, the
elegant facade will complement the Tampa skyline and feature 12,000 square
feet of meeting space.
OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT
The brands also recognized developers with |
Hilton Cancun Beach & Golf Resort
Blvd Kukukan Km. 17
Zona Hotel
Cancun, Mexico 77500 Mexico
Metropolitan Hotel
(Formerly Loews New York Hotel)
569 Lexington Ave.
New York, NY
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Opened in 1961 the Metropolitan Hotel � then called
The Summit � was the talk of the town for its ideal midtown location and
tropical deco look. Designed by famed architect Morris Lapidus, the building�s
curving façade coated in seafoam-colored brick was an extreme contrast
to the somber hues and straight lines of the surrounding skyscrapers.
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Outstanding Achievement awards for exceeding standards
in order to achieve excellence and better blend into an environment.
Cooper Companies
Memphis-based Cooper Companies, which has enjoyed
a 20-year relationship with the Hilton Family of Hotels, was an integral
part of a unique multi-unit hotel deal, which led to five Tennessee hotels
becoming members of the Doubletree hotel portfolio and the addition of
another Hilton full-service hotel in the Memphis hotel market. As
part of the agreement, which was signed last Spring, Cooper re-branded
its 265-room Hilton East Memphis to a Doubletree and converted four additional
Tennessee properties in Jackson, Johnson City, Murfreesboro and Oak Ridge
to Doubletree hotels. With this Doubletree move, 11 of the 22 hotels
in the Cooper Hotels portfolio are now affiliated with a Hilton Family
brand.
Los Marlins Suites Hotel, S.A.
Situated on the southeastern coast of the Dominican
Republic and a 45-minute drive from historic Santo Domingo, the 126-suite
Embassy Suites Hotel Los Marlins Golf Resort opened in March 2003.
Located in the secluded Metro Country Club, the resort overlooks the 18-hole,
par 72 Los Marlins Golf Course, member of the Finest Courses of the World.
One mile away is the Guavaberry Golf Course, designed by the legendary
Gary Player, featuring the only �island hole� on the island and representing
one of the top 10 courses in the Caribbean. The resort also sports
two lighted tennis courts, a lagoon-shaped swimming pool with a swim-up
bar, and two whirlpools.
North Point Hospitality Group, Inc.
North Point Hospitality is joining the Doubletree
collection of hotels later this Summer, by converting their award-winning
Radisson Hotel in the heart of the downtown Savannah Historic district.
The hotel is located at the corner of Bay Street and Martin Luther King
Boulevard and adjacent to the popular Market Center entertainment district.
The hotel originally opened in February 2002 and quickly became one of
the top performing hotels in the Historic District. The hotel is
decorated in traditional Savannah fashion with soft pastel colors and deep
mahogany wood accents and furnishings throughout the public areas and guest
rooms. The guest rooms feature tall, four-poster beds and other furnishings
reminiscent of a turn-of-the-century low-country home.
Promotora Paseo de la Reforma
Representing the only Embassy Suites Hotel in
Mexico, the 162-suite Embassy Suites Hotel Mexico City currently is under
construction within an existing building, scheduled to open in the first
quarter of 2005. The hotel is located at Paseo de la Reforma, the
main avenue that crosses Mexico City from east to west and the crossroads
between the historic district and modern downtown. The Embassy Suites
Hotel Mexico City will have 19 floors (original building has 12 floors)
and occupies one entire block at Reforma Avenue and Columbus Circle.
The hotel will represent the only upscale all-suite product in Mexico City
proper.
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Hilton Hotels Corporation is recognized internationally
as a preeminent hospitality company. The company develops, owns,
manages or franchises nearly 2,200 hotels, resorts and vacation ownership
properties.
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