BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., July 11, 2007 � Hilton Garden Inn®, the upscale mid-priced brand known for offering services and attributes that allow guests to work smart, eat well, stay fit and experience �sleep deep� on the road, is proud to announce the appointments of Barbara Bejan to vice president, international brand performance support for Hilton Garden Inn and Maurice Casaus as the new hotel general manager of the Hilton Garden Inn Los Angeles Airport/El Segundo. 

 �I am pleased that Barbara has joined the Hilton Garden Inn brand team bringing more than 24 years of hospitality leadership and experience to our fast growing brand. In her new role, Bejan will be responsible for developing and establishing international brand standards, the refinement of design and construction standards outside North America, as well as spearheading the completion of rollout and established training programs in hotels located in new markets around the world,� said Adrian Kurre, senior vice president � brand management, Hilton Garden Inn. �As Barbara moves into her new position, we are pleased to have Maurice Casaus as the new hotel general manager of the Hilton Garden Inn LAX/El Segundo bringing 13 years of hospitality experience to his new role.� 

Bejan began her hospitality hotel career in 1983 as the assistant manager during the pre-opening of the 1,284-room Hilton Los Angeles Airport and was quickly promoted to the director of guest services/senior assistant manager upon the hotel�s opening. She later joined the Hilton Anaheim in Anaheim, Calif., in 1985 as the senior assistant manager responsible for the supervising, training and scheduling of the Guest Service team. In 1988, she became the assistant general manager of the Hilton Suites Anaheim/Orange in Orange, Calif., and in 1989 was promoted to hotel general manager overseeing the entire operation of the 230-suite three-diamond facility. After 10 years with the Hilton Suites Anaheim/Orange, Bejan was named hotel general manager of the 162-room Hilton Garden Inn LAX/El Segundo in February 2000 and was responsible for all pre-opening aspects of the hotel, from construction to operation. In this role, she defined and implemented all service and product standards for the first solely owned and managed Hilton Garden Inn and streamlined internal operations, improved procedures and achieved the hotel�s maximum profitability through proactive management and sales approaches. In 2005, Bejan received the Lifetime Achievement Award from Hilton Garden Inn and the brand renamed the General Manager of the Year accolade to the Barbara Bejan General Manager of the Year Award to recognize Bejan�s ability to achieve consistent high scores in RevPar, ADR, occupancy, guest loyalty, brand consistency and team member loyalty as a hotel general manager while also being a mentor and inspiration to hotel team members who have moved on to become general managers at other hotels. Bejan holds an Associate Arts degree in fashion merchandising from Woodbury University in Los Angeles. 

A 13-year veteran in the hospitality industry, Casaus will oversee the daily operation of the Hilton Garden Inn LAX/El Segundo as the new hotel general manager of the 162-room property. Casaus started his career in hospitality with American Property Management Corporation (APMC) and held a variety of positions from 1994 through 2001 that included the general manager of the Days Inn East in Albuquerque, NM; front office and bar manager for the Radisson Union City, in Union City, Calif.; food and beverage manager of the Radisson Harbor View in San Diego, Calif.; executive housekeeper of St. Anthony Hotel, in San Antonio, TX; general manager for the Radisson Hotel Santa Fe in Santa Fe, NM and operations manager for Concierge Entertainment Services in which he developed and implemented a sales program for all APMC hotels to provide guests with access to concert and sports events. In November 2001, he became the general manager of the Rio Bravo Tennis Club in Bakersfield, Calif., and helped increase membership by over 20% in just three months and then in 2003, he moved to Scottsdale, Ariz., to be the acting general manager of Ramada, Ltd. In February 2004, Casaus became the general manager of the Hilton Garden Inn Bakersfield. He is a past president of the Active 20/30 Club of Bakersfield and 2nd vice president of the board of directors for the Bakersfield Convention and Visitors Bureau. He is an active member of the Bakersfield Chamber of Commerce and Bakersfield Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

Hilton Garden Inn is the award-winning mid-priced brand that features complimentary WiFi high-speed internet access in guestrooms and public space as well as innovative guestroom offerings like the Garden Sleep SystemTM bed and ergonomic Mirra® chair from Herman Miller. Hilton Garden Inn locations offer a complimentary 24-hour business center; the Pavilion Pantry® where guests can purchase snacks, beverages, microwaveable items as well as various sundries; a full service restaurant serving cooked-to-order breakfast and evening room service; flexible meeting space and a complimentary workout facility. 

Hilton Garden Inn is part of Hilton Hotels Corporation; recognized internationally as a preeminent hospitality company. The company develops, owns, manages or franchises more than 2,800 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 VacationsTM, Homewood Suites by Hilton® and The Waldorf=Astoria Collection®.

For more information about Hilton Garden Inn locations throughout North America and Europe or to find your next getaway, please visit http://www.StayHGI.com or call 1-877-STAY-HGI.

Agnes Sibal
Hilton Garden Inn Brand Communications
(310) 205-4545
[email protected]