Hilton and Food Network Create the Perfect Pairing

Hotel Broadens its Partnership Strategy

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. October 14, 2008

BEVERLY HILLS< CA, November 14, 2006. Hilton Hotels and Food Network have joined forces to create an exclusive offering - the 'Food Network Travel Package' - which will be available at 11 Hilton Hotels throughout the country beginning this week.

At the participating properties, guests can experience a customized regionally inspired, four-course tasting menu specially created by the hotel's Executive Chef. Guests of legal drinking age can enjoy wine pairings chosen by the wine steward or sommelier. Upon check-in, guests will receive a Food Network welcome package including a Food Network tote, cookbook, restaurant guide, and a Food Network DVD of their travel shows.

As a result of the new partnership, guests will enjoy complimentary in-room programming created by Food Network, highlighting its popular shows "Road Tasted," with Jamie and Bobby Deen, "Rachael Ray's Tasty Travels," and "$40 A Day," which include dining recommendations in the cities where the package is offered. The shows included represent Food Network's positioning as 'Way More Than Cooking' as they take viewers out of the kitchen on an exciting food exploration. As guests explore the city, they can refer to those recommendations using a Food Network Travel Guide that also has been created for this package.

'The popularity of Food Network has extended to our guests who have sophisticated palates, and possess an impressive knowledge of food styles, ingredients, and preparation,' said Jeff Diskin, senior vice president of Brand Marketing, Hilton Hotels. 'Our goal is to anticipate the needs of our guests and to offer amenities and packages that reflect their interests and passions; this special package is one example of how we are doing that.'

'We view food as a new genre of entertainment and our viewers consistently embrace our brand through many different categories - travel, competition, pop culture and more," said Susie Fogelson, Vice President, Marketing for Food Network. 'We are thrilled to bring the strength of Food Network into this new area with Hilton Hotels and believe that our relationship will extend our brand into the marketplace in an exciting new way.'

The 'Food Network Travel Package' is available at the following Hilton Hotel properties: New York - The New York Hilton; Los Angeles - The Beverly Hilton and Hilton Costa Mesa; Chicago - Hilton Chicago; San Francisco - Hilton San Francisco; Honolulu - Hilton Hawaiian Village (Oahu); New Orleans - Hilton New Orleans Riverside; Austin - Hilton Austin; Atlanta - Hilton Atlanta; Boston - Hilton Back Bay; and in Arizona - Hilton Sedona.

This new partnership is part of an on-going marketing strategy by Hilton to align with organizations and companies that share values consistent with those of the Hilton brand. For Food Network, this represents the network's strategy to partner with valued advertisers such as Hilton, to call attention to primetime programs that highlight lifestyle categories and bring in new viewers looking for more than cooking shows.

'Over the past year we have worked to develop partnerships that reflect our Hilton values and support the brand,' said Diskin. 'Like the new Food Network partnership, these partnerships are designed to reflect and appeal to the sensibilities of our guests and add value to their Hilton experience.'

This year alone, strategic partnerships have included the Grammy Awards, and the U.S. Olympic Team. Backstage at this year's 48th Annual Grammy Awards, Hilton kicked off a charitable initiative to keep music education alive in schools. At the awards show, Hilton unveiled its 'Harmony Piano' and pledged to donate $1,000 to the GRAMMY Foundation(R) in support of music education for each artist who signed the piano with the goal of collecting $100,000-worth of signatures. Following the show, during which 75 signatures were collected, the piano embarked on the 'Hilton Harmony Tour,' a year-long, eight-city U.S. tour with stops at select Hilton properties in San Francisco, Austin, Memphis, Chicago, Atlanta, New York and Los Angeles. Hotel guests staying during a tour stop can see the piano and in some cases, even watch top musicians perform on it at the hotel.

And because Hilton understands that travel needs to awaken more than just the minds of the U.S. Olympic Team, the hotel company outfitted the athletes' dorm rooms at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, CO. The items selected for the renovation included the Hilton Serenity Bed, the world's 'easiest-to-set' alarm clock and other products designed for hotel guests to create the optimal sleep environment - something essential to an athlete not only prior to competition but throughout the course of their training.