Empresas y finanzas

Hilton Hotels Corporation Appoints Christopher Nassetta as President and CEO



    Hilton Hotels Corporation ("Hilton") and The Blackstone Group
    (NYSE:BX) ("Blackstone") today announced the appointment of
    Christopher J. Nassetta as President and Chief Executive Officer of
    Hilton. Mr. Nassetta currently leads Host Hotels and Resorts, the
    largest owner of luxury and upscale hotels in the world. Mr. Nassetta
    joins Hilton as the company moves into an exciting new phase of
    growth, both in the U.S. and abroad.

    The Blackstone Group´s real estate and corporate private equity
    funds completed the acquisition of Hilton on October 24, 2007.
    Blackstone views Hilton as an important strategic investment and
    intends to invest in its properties and brands to enhance the
    Company´s growth. As stated at the time of the initial announcement in
    July, Blackstone has no intention of selling any brands or major
    assets as a result of the transaction.

    Jonathan Gray, Senior Managing Director, Blackstone said, "Our
    goal with Hilton is to build the premier global hospitality company.
    We are confident that Chris will be a superb addition to the already
    strong Hilton team. Given his background overseeing the world´s
    largest hotel ownership company, Chris understands the needs of hotel
    owners and is uniquely qualified to lead Hilton. I´ve known Chris
    personally for 15 years and have worked successfully side-by-side with
    him in the past. He´s a man of the absolute highest integrity, who
    cares deeply about people. He has the energy, enthusiasm and
    experience to lead Hilton, and it´s with great pleasure that we
    welcome him to the team."

    Blackstone´s strategy includes maintaining strong unit growth in
    the U.S., where more than 20% of all hotel rooms currently under
    construction carry a Hilton brand. Blackstone will also invest to
    accelerate the company´s international growth, building on recent
    agreements to expand the Hilton family of brands outside of the U.S.
    through a series of strategic partnerships. It was only last year that
    Hilton merged with Hilton International, a transaction which created a
    new set of global opportunities for the company. Additionally,
    Blackstone intends to incorporate a significant portion of its
    existing portfolio of luxury hotels and resorts onto the Hilton
    platform, adding to the luxury offerings available to Hilton
    customers. Blackstone´s holdings include such upscale properties as
    The Boulders Resort and Spa (Arizona), The El Conquistador Resort
    (Puerto Rico), and The Boca Raton Resort and Club (Florida).

    Chris Nassetta commented, "I am excited to join this great company
    and am looking forward to working with Hilton´s franchisees, owners
    and team members to grow this already impressive franchise. Hilton has
    a powerful collection of brands and we now have the opportunity to
    build on the strong foundation that already exists to drive the
    company´s growth, particularly overseas, to create the pre-eminent
    lodging company in the world. I also look forward to working with
    Blackstone, who I know from experience will be a terrific strategic
    partner for Hilton going forward."

    As President and CEO of Hilton, Mr. Nassetta will oversee Hilton´s
    extensive line of quality brands, including: Hilton, Conrad,
    Doubletree, Embassy Suites, Hampton, Hilton Garden Inn, Hilton Grand
    Vacations, Homewood Suites by Hilton, and The Waldorf=Astoria
    Collection. Mr. Nassetta intends to work closely with the existing
    management team, including Thomas Keltner, Chief Executive Officer -
    Americas and Global Brands, and Ian Carter, Chief Executive Officer -
    Hilton International. As previously announced, Stephen F. Bollenbach
    retired from the company last week upon the completion of the
    transaction. Additionally, Matthew J. Hart will step down as president
    and chief operating officer but will serve as a member of Hilton´s
    Board of Directors.

    About Christopher Nassetta

    Christopher J. Nassetta will join Hilton Hotels Corp. from Host
    Hotels & Resorts, where he has been President and Chief Executive
    Officer since 2000. Prior to joining Host, Mr. Nassetta co-founded
    Bailey Capital Corporation in 1991, where he was responsible for the
    operations of the real estate investment and advisory firm. He also
    spent seven years serving as Chief Development Officer and in various
    other positions with The Oliver Carr Company. Mr. Nassetta serves as a
    Director of CoStar Group, Inc., is Second Vice Chair and serves on the
    Board of Governors of National Association of Real Estate Investment
    Trusts, is a member and chairman of The Real Estate Roundtable, and is
    a member of the McIntire School of Commerce Advisory Board for the
    University of Virginia.

    Mr. Nassetta graduated from the University of Virginia McIntire
    School of Commerce with a degree in finance and studied international
    finance at the London School of Economics.

    About Hilton

    Hilton Hotels Corporation is the leading global hospitality
    company, with 2,896 properties totaling approximately 500,000 rooms in
    76 countries and territories.

    The company owns, manages or franchises a hotel portfolio of some
    of the best known and highly regarded brands, including Hilton(R),
    Conrad(R) Hotels & Resorts, Doubletree(R), Embassy Suites Hotels(R),
    Hampton Inn(R), Hampton Inn & Suites(R), Hilton Garden Inn(R), Hilton
    Grand Vacations(TM), Homewood Suites by Hilton(R) and The
    Waldorf=Astoria Collection(R).

    About Blackstone

    The Blackstone Group (NYSE:BX) is a leading global alternative
    asset manager and provider of financial advisory services. Its
    alternative asset management businesses include the management of
    corporate private equity funds, real estate opportunity funds, funds
    of hedge funds, mezzanine funds, senior debt funds, proprietary hedge
    funds and closed-end mutual funds. The Blackstone Group also provides
    various financial advisory services, including mergers and
    acquisitions advisory, restructuring and reorganization advisory and
    fund placement services.

    Forward-Looking Statements

    This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within
    the meaning of federal securities law, including statements concerning
    business strategies and their intended results, and similar statements
    concerning anticipated future events and expectations that are not
    historical facts. The forward-looking statements in this press release
    are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, including the effects
    of economic conditions; supply and demand changes for hotel rooms;
    competitive conditions in the lodging industry, relationships with
    clients and property owners; the impact of government regulations;
    changes in foreign currency exchange rates; and the availability of
    capital to finance growth, which could cause actual results to differ
    materially from those expressed in or implied by the statements
    herein.