Hilton garden Inn

LONDON & BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. | Hilton Hotels Corporation has today announced that it has entered into a non-exclusive Strategic Development Agreement (SDA) with the Kosifler Group to develop approximately 25 new properties (comprising 3,500 rooms) in key regional locations across Turkey.

Over the next five years, Hilton and Kosifler expect to introduce mainly Hilton Garden Inn hotels across the country, all of which Hilton plans to manage.

“Hilton has enjoyed a longstanding and successful relationship with Turkey, having gained a foothold some 53 years ago when we opened Hilton Istanbul, but even today the country still represents an exciting growth opportunity for us,” said Wolfgang M. Neumann, President of Hilton Hotels - Europe. “We are confident that this alliance with Kosifler will help us accelerate our expansion plans through the introduction of additional brands from the Hilton Family of Hotels to enable us to meet rising demands for quality accommodation, as well as providing a hotel product to suit all sectors and budgets.”

Welcoming this announcement, Hasan Kosif, President of the Kosifler Group, commented, “We are delighted to be working with Hilton in our first major hotel venture in Turkey. As a leading hospitality company, their global presence and experience give us the confidence to be sure that this alliance will be a huge success.”

In addition to this agreement, both companies have also signed a management agreement for the development of their first property - a 121-room Hilton Garden Inn which is expected to open in the city of Kutahya in October 2010.

“This announcement further demonstrates the global interest to grow the Hilton Garden Inn brand,” said Adrian Kurre, senior vice president – brand management, Hilton Garden Inn. “We look forward to introducing our award-winning brand that offers exceptional product consistency and value to both business and leisure travellers in Turkey.”

This hotel is the fourth Turkish Hilton Garden Inn management contract to be signed in the past six months and continues to strengthen the company’s plans to expand rapidly in the country. Under another non-exclusive Strategic Development Agreement signed last December, Hilton has already inked deals with another Turkish company to manage new properties in Bursa, Manisa and Diyarbakir.

Hilton has named Turkey as one of its key development regions, joining Russia, the UK & Ireland, Italy, the Iberian Peninsula, Germany and Poland as core strategic areas for the introduction of the Hilton Family of hotels in Europe. Today’s announcement further consolidates Hilton’s plans to concentrate on multi-unit deals in key emerging markets and is the company’s second major Turkish hotel development announcement with a leading property partner in the country. In December last year Hilton revealed plans to develop 15 new hotels (2,500 rooms) over the next five years.

“The scale of this multi-unit agreement is indicative of the significant potential that exists to develop the hotel sector further across Turkey,” added Neumann. “Through this partnership we hope to be able to triple our presence in Turkey in just five years, and at the same time fulfil the demand for quality mid-market hotels through the introduction of our Hilton Garden Inn hotel brand.”

Today’s news reflects the dynamic growth of the innovative Hilton Garden Inn brand across continental Europe, with plans to open properties in nine other new locations (Bari, Lecce and Bologna in Italy; Rzeszow in Poland; Frankfurt in Germany; Perm in Russia; Bursa, Manisa and Diyarbakir in Turkey) over the next 24 months.

Hilton currently operates eight properties - seven Hilton® hotels and one Conrad® hotel - across six locations in Turkey. Over the next five years, the company anticipates it will introduce more than 40 Hilton Family hotels across the country and has recently appointed a dedicated development manager, Pogda Demircan for the region to spearhead this growth. The company has also just opened a development office in Ankara.

About Kosifler Group | Kosifler Group was established in 1945 and operates in a wide range of sectors extending from domestic trade and imports to manufacture and construction. The company first entered the automotive sector with the founding of Kosifler Oto in 1985. Pioneering a brand new level of service in automobile sales and aftersales in keeping with the Group's commitment to excellence in all its endeavors, Kosifler Oto has built its success and steady growth on a basis of quality and reliability. The Group has an annual turnover of US$100m (2006) and total employees of 300.

About Hilton Garden Inn | Hilton Garden Inn is the award-winning, mid-priced brand that continually strives to ensure today’s busy travelers have everything they need to be most productive on the road — from complimentary wired and Wi-Fi Internet access in all guestrooms and PrintSpotsTM mobile printing to the hotel’s complimentary 24-hour business centre to one of the most comfortable beds with the Garden Sleep System®. So whether on the road for personal or business reasons, Hilton Garden Inn offers the amenities and services for travellers to sleep deep, stay fit, eat well and work smart while on the road. To find out more about Hilton Garden Inn locations throughout Europe and North America, visit .

About Hilton Hotels Corporation | Hilton Hotels Corporation is the leading global hospitality company, with more than 3,000 hotels and 500,000 rooms in more than 80 countries, including 100,000 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 nine brands in the Hilton Family of Hotels, and is the inspiration for its overarching message of kindness and generosity. For more information about our company, please visit , and to learn more about our be hospitable philosophy, please visit .

Agnes Sibal
Hilton Garden Inn Brand Communications
(310) 205-4545
Hilton