Hilton International to Open Second Hotel in Barcelona

The 23 storey, 434 guest room hotel, scheduled to open in 2005 will include conference and banqueting suites offering 1,500 sq. metres of floor space, two restaurants and an open air swimming pool. In addition to this a fitness centre and executive lounge will add to the facilities the hotel has to offer.

Theo Kreutzer, Vice President Western Europe & Mediterranean, Hilton International, declared : "Hilton believes in the potential strength of the Barcelona market in the years to come, especially the newly developed "Forum" area Diagonal Mar, with a unique infrastructure for Congresses and leisure in Europe".

The Managing Director of Apex Inmobiliaria, Emilio Sánchez, said after the signing of the agreement: "After a long selection process, we have chosen Hilton as the operator of this flagship property we are developing in Barcelona. We are extremely pleased that an operator of international stature like Hilton has put its trust in our hotel in Diagonal Mar, which is a very important project for Apex Inmobiliaria".

1. Hilton International currently operates one hotel in Barcelona The 287 guest room, Hilton Barcelona.
2. Hilton International will operate the hotel on a 20 year lease.
3. Apex Inmobiliaria began operating in 1993 to consolidate the property companies owned by Iberdrola Group. The company began strengthening its operations in the residential development sector in 1995 and, in 1999, investment was given a considerable boost focusing the activities in three core areas: housing development, rental property development and management, and finally land management and development. Today Apex is a property company with nationwide operations and a high degree of product diversification: first-time housing, residential tourism, offices, industrial buildings, shopping centres, etc. More information available at .
4. Hilton International (HI), an operating division of the UK based Hilton Group plc, owns the rights to the Hilton brand name throughout the world, with the exception of North America. HI operates over 400 hotels, with some 250 branded Hilton, nearly 140 under the mid-market Scandic brand plus 15 luxury Conrad hotels, under a joint venture agreement with Hilton Hotels Corporation (HHC). Hilton International Grand Vacations Club (HIGVC) operates 176 time ownership properties in Egypt and Scotland. Hilton International employs over 65,000 staff in over 70 countries. A global marketing alliance between Hilton International and the North American based Hilton Hotels Corporation, extends the number of hotels operated by both companies worldwide to over 2,400 over 500 of which are branded Hilton.Committed to doing business in a responsible way, Hilton International's aim is to bring a positive benefit to the societies in which it operates through high quality services, economic growth, environmental protection, community involvement and employment.