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Phil Cordell promoted to Global Head of Focused Service Brands and
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William Fortier promoted to SVP Development, Americas
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Company appoints Richard M. Lucas as EVP and General Counsel
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and Kevin Jacobs as SVP Corporate Strategy
Beverly Hills, CA � June 2, 2008 � Hilton Hotels Corporation (�Hilton�)
today announced that Ross Klein and Amar Lalvani will join the company
as Global Head of Luxury & Lifestyle Brands and Global Head of Luxury
& Lifestyle Brand Development, respectively.
These new hires will help advance Hilton�s strategic goal of further
developing its presence in the luxury and lifestyle sectors. Both
executives join Hilton from Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, where
Mr. Klein was President of the Luxury Brand Group and Mr. Lalvani was SVP
Development, Luxury Brands Group and Global Head of W Development.
While at Starwood, Mr. Klein was also the concept and creative lead
which introduced aloft, a division of W hotels, into the international
marketplace to great success, while Mr. Lalvani spearheaded the expansion
of the W Hotels brand in several new markets globally. At Hilton,
Mr. Klein will oversee the company�s global luxury and lifestyle brand
portfolio, including Waldorf=Astoria, the Waldorf=Astoria Collection and
Conrad, and will spearhead the company�s entry into the lifestyle segment.
Mr. Lalvani will lead the global development of Hilton�s luxury and lifestyle
segments.
The company also announced the promotion of two senior Hilton executives,
Phil Cordell and William Fortier. Mr. Cordell, a nine-year veteran
with Hilton and currently SVP Brand Management - Hampton, will assume additional
responsibilities in the newly created position of Global Head of Focused
Service Brands. In addition to continuing to lead the Hampton brand,
Mr. Cordell will oversee the global focused service brand portfolio, including
Homewood Suites and Hilton Garden Inn.
Mr. Fortier, currently SVP Franchise Development, Americas, will assume
the role of SVP Development, Americas, with responsibility for developing
both the managed and franchised businesses in the region.
Christopher J. Nassetta, Hilton�s President and Chief Executive Officer,
commented: �As the new Hilton senior team comes together, I am delighted
that we have been able to attract best-in-class talent from outside the
company, and promote incredibly talented individuals from within.
One of Hilton�s key priorities is to strengthen our presence in the luxury
and lifestyle sector. Ross is known in our industry for his creative
vision and Amar is similarly respected for his international expertise
in the luxury space. I believe that their experience will be invaluable
as we work to fulfill our growth ambitions.�
Steven Goldman, President, Global Development and Real Estate added:
�Expanding the Hilton global platform is a major strategic imperative for
Hilton and today�s announcement represents a significant step toward achieving
that goal. In particular, Bill�s intimate knowledge and experience
of the North American market, combined with Amar�s global luxury brand
expertise, will be a powerful combination in maintaining the company�s
momentum in the United States and accelerating our growth around the world.�
Separately, Hilton announced the appointment of Richard M. Lucas as
EVP and General Counsel, and Kevin J. Jacobs as SVP Corporate Strategy.
Mr. Lucas comes to Hilton from Arnold & Porter LLP, where he was a
partner in the real estate and bankruptcy practice groups. At Hilton,
he will lead a team of 100 employees, who provide global legal support
to the Development and Real Estate Team, the Operations Team, and the Brands
Team, as well as providing company-wide legal support. Mr. Jacobs
will lead the corporate strategy efforts and help manage the ongoing reorganization
of the global business. He joins the company from Fairmont Raffles
Hotels International, where he was SVP Mergers & Acquisitions and Treasurer,
and led the company�s corporate strategic and business planning efforts.
About Ross Klein
Ross Klein joins Hilton from Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide
where he served as President of Starwood�s Luxury Brands Group responsible
for 69 Luxury Collection properties, 21 W Hotels and 14 St. Regis hotels,
spanning more than 25 countries and six continents. Mr. Klein joined Starwood
in March of 2003, as Chief Marketing Officer for W Hotels where he brought
his visionary retail and marketing expertise to the W brand. He previously
served as SVP, Corporate Marketing for Ralph Lauren and the Polo Jeans
Company. In this capacity, he was responsible for all aspects of
marketing for Polo Jeans Company, Ralph by Ralph Lauren and Lauren by Ralph
Lauren, including the development of strategic marketing plans and creative
communication programs for all three lifestyle brands. Mr. Klein
holds a B.S. in Advertising & Marketing from the University of Florida.
About Amar Lalvani
Amar Lalvani joins Hilton from Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide
where he was Senior Vice President responsible for the development of Starwood�s
Luxury Brands, which include W Hotels Worldwide, St. Regis Hotels &
Resorts and The Luxury Collection. Mr. Lalvani also served as Global
Head of W Development, leading the expansion of W Hotels worldwide, including
successfully launching W Hotels in the Europe, Africa & Middle East
regions. Prior to Starwood, Mr. Lalvani worked as an Associate in The Blackstone
Group�s Mergers & Acquisitions practice. He has also held positions
at Starwood Capital Group LLC and Jefferies & Company. Mr. Lalvani
holds a B.S. in Economics with a Concentration in Finance from the University
of Pennsylvania�s Wharton School and earned his M.B.A. degree from Harvard
Business School.
About Richard M. Lucas
Prior to joining Hilton earlier this month, Richard Lucas was a partner
in the law firm of Arnold & Porter LLP in Washington, DC, where he
had worked for 18 years. His practice was focused on real estate
transactions and litigation, primarily in the hospitality and senior living
areas. For the past three years, Mr. Lucas has been an Adjunct Faculty
member at The George Washington University Law School, where he taught
a course on real estate transactions. Last year, he was named one
of the top real estate litigators in Washington, DC by The Washington Business
Journal. Mr. Lucas received his B.S. in Business Administration from
Georgetown University�s McDonough School of Business, and received his
J.D. from Yale Law School.
About Kevin J. Jacobs
Kevin Jacobs joins Hilton from Fairmont Raffles Hotels International
where he was Senior Vice President, Mergers & Acquisitions and Treasurer.
In that capacity, he was responsible for sourcing, evaluating and executing
on potential mergers, acquisitions or other strategic corporate transactions,
and leading the company�s corporate strategic and business planning efforts.
As Treasurer, he oversaw the company�s corporate finance, capital markets,
and treasury and cash management activities globally. Prior to joining
Fairmont Raffles, Mr. Jacobs spent seven years with Host Hotels & Resorts,
Inc., most recently as Vice President, Corporate Finance & Investor
Relations, in which capacity he led the company�s strategic planning and
investor relations functions. Prior to joining Host, Mr. Jacobs held
various roles in the Hospitality Consulting practice of PricewaterhouseCoopers
LLP. Mr. Jacobs is a graduate of the Cornell University School of
Hotel Administration.
About Phil Cordell
Phil Cordell is a veteran of the hospitality industry with a career
spanning 25 years. Mr. Cordell held various positions with Promus
Hotel Corporation, both at the hotel and brand levels, with a variety of
brands within the Promus portfolio. Mr. Cordell assumes his new role
as Global Head of Focused Service Brands / SVP Brand Management - Hampton
after serving for nine years as SVP for Hampton Hotels, following the Hilton
acquisition of Promus in late 1999. During that time, he was instrumental
in helping grow the brand to its current portfolio of more than 1600 hotels,
partially the result of overseeing the Make it Hampton initiative in the
mid 2000s, the single largest brand revitalization in the hotel industry.
About William Fortier
William Fortier has been an integral part of Hilton Hotels Corporation
since joining the company in 1996. He has been instrumental in overseeing
a franchise development team that has contributed significantly to the
current Hilton development pipeline of more than 1,000 hotels and 139,000
rooms, among the highest in the industry. He most recently served
as SVP-Franchise Development, a position he held from 2001, and first joined
Hilton as VP Franchise Development, where he worked with owners to develop
Hilton and Hilton Garden Inn franchised hotels in the Western Region.
Prior to Hilton, Mr. Fortier spent 10 years at Marriott International where
he was Vice President of Development. Fortier earned a Bachelor of
Science degree in Hotel/Restaurant Management from the University of Houston�s
Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management.
About Hilton Hotels Corporation
Hilton Hotels Corporation is the leading global hospitality
company with more than 3,000 hotels and 500,000 rooms in 74 countries and
territories including 135,000 team members worldwide.
The company owns, manages or franchises a hotel portfolio
of some of the best known and highly regarded 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® and The Waldorf=Astoria
Collection®.
The Hilton Family of Hotels adheres to founder Conrad
Hilton's philosophy that, �It has been, and continues to be, our responsibility
to fill the earth with the light and warmth of hospitality.� The
company put a name to its unique brand of service that has made it the
best known and most highly regarded hotel company: be hospitable®.
The philosophy is shared by all brands in the Hilton Family of Hotels,
and is the inspiration for its overarching message of kindness and generosity. |
