AH&MA Presents Industry Veteran Barron Hilton With Second Annual Hospitality Heritage Award

The award will be presented at a black-tie-optional dinner on April 12 at the Phoenix Civic Plaza. The Dinner Tribute - which will donate its proceeds to benefit the educational and research missions of the American Hotel Foundation (AHF), a subsidiary of AH&MA - is receiving special support by VISA U.S.A., Philip Morris, and On Command Corporation.

The son of company founder Conrad N. Hilton, Barron Hilton first joined his family's legacy in 1951 as an elevator operator. He subsequently held numerous positions and was named president and chief executive officer in 1966, a position he held until February 1996. In his role as president, Hilton was instrumental in expanding the company's role in several areas including originating the universal Carte Blanche credit card system; developing the Hilton Inns franchise program - the prototype for what is today a significant component of the worldwide hospitality industry; and led the way to Hilton Hotels Corporation becoming the first New York Stock Exchange company to enter the casino gaming industry in 1971.

"Barron Hilton is one of our industry's luminaries, and we are pleased to honor him as the second recipient of this distinguished award," says Douglas Viehland, AHF president. "Hilton is noted for his successful leadership of making the Hilton hotels brand a primary source of new trends in the hospitality industry. We are looking forward to honoring his legacy and nearly five decades of dedicated service."

Hilton also is active in numerous civic organizations and has participated in several hospitality- and travel-related initiatives including the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, The Southern California Visitors Council, the Executive Council on Foreign Diplomats, the Boy Scouts of America, and the Great Western Council. He also has received dozens of honors and awards highlighting his many accomplishments throughout his career.

In addition, Hilton has a Honorary Degree of Doctor of Humane Letters from the University of Houston and a Honorary Degree of Doctor of Law from Loyola Marymount University.

To receive additional information or an invitation to the Hilton Dinner Tribute ($175 per ticket), call (202) 289-3116 or e-mail ahf@ahma.com. To receive additional information on the AH&MA Annual Conference & Leadership Forum/The Lodging Expo, call (914) 421-3290, e-mail to christine_gammel@glmshows.com, or visit AH&MA's Web site, www.ahma.com.

The Hyatt Regency Phoenix and Crowne Plaza are extending a special rate of $175 and $165 occupancy, respectively, if booked by March 20. Continental (call 800/468-7022, refer to code ZGWU, reference code IDGJNL) and Southwest (call 800/433-5368, meeting identifier K6269) are offering a 10 percent discount off the lowest available fares.

Editor's note: Mr. Hilton's complete biography and photograph are available upon request.

AHF is a not-for-profit affiliate of AH&MA. Currently, it is the only educational dollar-dispensing organization of AH&MA. Over the last 40 years, it has provided funding for industry research, granted scholarships to hospitality management students, and assisted in enhancing public awareness of the lodging industry.

AH&MA, founded in 1910, is a federation of state lodging associations throughout the United States with some 11,000 members worldwide, representing more than 1.4 million rooms. AH&MA provides operations, technical, educational, marketing, and communications services plus governmental affairs representation to the lodging industry.