Hilton Hotels & Resorts®

A Blue Paper published today by Hilton Hotels & Resorts indicates 42 percent of upscale travelers in the United States will book within three months of departure. Titled Blue Paper: Resort Trends Summer 2011, the study provides an outlook of 2011 summer resort travel and global trends related to the leisure segment. Hilton Hotels & Resorts uses proprietary qualitative and quantitative global research, third-party data and its own global expertise to offer a view of the resort segment of the hotel industry, citing valuable global traveler preferences and current guest booking patterns.

In addition to confirming the trend of shorter booking cycles, even at resorts, the study outlines emerging global trends in the resort space and consumer expectations. The comprehensive research conducted throughout the past year includes findings from 2,500 online interviews in four countries (United States, United Kingdom, Germany and Russia), specifically targeting travelers who have stayed at a resort for leisure in the past two years. Hilton Hotels & Resorts also conducted resort-specific focus groups in five cities (Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, London and Berlin) to gain deeper insights into the resort market. Most recently the flagship brand of Hilton Worldwide completed a supplementary survey, specifically related to summer 2011 resort travel among U.S. adults who regularly stay in full-service and luxury hotels and resorts. Media can download the Blue Paper at www.hiltonglobalmediacenter.com/resorts. "Leisure travel remains a key area of focus for us on a global scale. In listening to our guests and travelers around the world, we identified clear expectations among customers in multiple global markets that are defining what the contemporary resort experience should be. This information will be helpful to travel agents, industry professionals and our partners as we begin the 2011 summer season," said Andrew Flack, vice president, global brand marketing, Hilton Hotels & Resorts.

Hilton Resorts, a specific collection of premier properties within the Hilton Hotels & Resorts portfolio, includes more than 70 resorts located throughout 26 countries. Earlier this month Hilton launched www.hilton.com/resorts, a new portal for travelers seeking resort experiences. The site includes special tools to allow guests to search for a resort by activity desired, or by geographic location, creating an enhanced user experience.

Additionally, Hilton Resorts offers a new pre-arrival planning service intended to help guests get the most out of their resort vacations. The service helps Hilton Resorts guests learn about their destination; book spa appointments, tee times and other leisure activities; and answer pre-departure questions.

About Hilton

Hilton (NYSE: HLT) is a leading global hospitality company with a portfolio of 18 world-class brands comprising more than 6,800 properties and more than 1 million rooms, in 122 countries and territories. Dedicated to fulfilling its founding vision to fill the earth with the light and warmth of hospitality, Hilton has welcomed more than 3 billion guests in its more than 100-year history, earned a top spot on the 2021 World's Best Workplaces list and been recognized as a global leader on the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices for five consecutive years. In 2021, in addition to opening more than one hotel a day, Hilton introduced several industry-leading technology enhancements to improve the guest experience, including Digital Key Share, automated complimentary room upgrades and the ability to book confirmed connecting rooms. Through the award-winning guest loyalty program Hilton Honors, the nearly 128 million members who book directly with Hilton can earn Points for hotel stays and experiences money can't buy. With the free Hilton Honors app, guests can book their stay, select their room, check in, unlock their door with a Digital Key and check out, all from their smartphone. Visit newsroom.hilton.com for more information, and connect with Hilton on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube.