Hilton to increase its Central/Latin American portfolio

07-Oct-08 Alyson Cook

Hilton Hotels Corporation has announced expansion plans to quadruple its presence in the Caribbean and Latin America by adding 150 new hotels to the portfolio over the next five years.

The company also revealed a new development structure, made up of six dedicated staff, to lead the efforts in achieving this objective.

This news underscores the company's stated goal to add 1,000 hotels to its international portfolio in ten years.
 
Steve Goldman, president, global development & real estate, for Hilton Hotels Corporation, explained: "Expanding our global platform is a strategic priority for Hilton.  We are focusing on accelerating the growth of our international management and franchise business by securing strategic development agreements and employing resources in international markets. 

"This is the most exciting time in the company's history and there are tremendous opportunities which we are acting on to accomplish our ambitious plans."
 
Hilton Hotels Corporation currently has 42 properties in the Caribbean and Latin America development pipeline and has identified a number of strategic markets in gateway cities and resort destinations for further growth of selected Hilton Family brands.  With an existing portfolio of 51 hotels throughout the Caribbean and Latin America, this expansion will bring the company's total presence in the regions to more than 200 properties.

The goal of Hilton's development efforts in the Caribbean will be to add focused-service hotels, such as Hilton Garden Inn and Hampton Inn, to commercial centres such as San Juan, Trinidad, and Nassau.  Another area of growth will be developing luxury branded hotels and residences in high-end mixed-use developments in markets such as Turks & Caicos, the Lesser Antilles, and The Bahamas. 
 
Hilton Hotels Corporation has already announced eight properties under development in the Caribbean:  Conrad Bimini Bay Resort & Casino in The Bahamas; Hilton Bonaire; Hilton St. Maarten; Doubletree by Hilton San Juan in Puerto Rico; Hampton Inn & Suites by Hilton Providenciales; and the planned conversion of three existing LXR resorts in Puerto Rico.

The company has 20 hotels in the Mexico pipeline including Homewood Suites by Hilton hotels in Puebla and Monterrey, as well as Hampton by Hilton properties in Guadalajara, Ciudad Victoria, Centro Historico Ciudad de Mexico, Toluca, Querétaro, Los Cabos, Cancun, Guadalajara, and Tulum.

The company's growth in Central America is expected in all of the region's capitals, as well as secondary markets such as Liberia, Costa Rica; David, Panama; and Leon, Nicaragua, as well as a pursuit of opportunities in the principal resort destinations of Guanacaste, Costa Rica; Antigua, Guatemala; Atlantic coast of Honduras and Belize; and Pacific coast of El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Panama.
 
Hilton Hotels Corporation recently debuted three hotels and resorts in Costa Rica and has six approved deals in the Central America pipeline.  Opened in January 2008, the company welcomed three hotels to Costa Rica:  Hilton Papagayo Costa Rica Resort & Spa; Doubletree Resort by Hilton Costa Rica - Puntarenas; and Doubletree Cariari by Hilton San Jose.  Six recently approved transactions include: Conrad Los Micos in Tela Bay, Honduras; Hilton San Jose, Costa Rica; Hilton Panama; Doubletree by Hilton Panama; Embassy Suites by Hilton San Jose, Costa Rica; Embassy Suites by Hilton Panama City, Panama; and Hilton Garden Inn Liberia Airport, Costa Rica which opens later this year.

Brazil will be a key focus of Hilton's development activities in the South American region.  Hilton's growth plans include not only Brazil's largest cities, São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, but also a number of secondary cities such as Brasilia, Belo Horizonte, Porto Alegre, Manaus, Recife, and Goiania, among others. Additionally, Hilton will focus on developing properties in gateway and strategic markets such as Buenos Aires, Argentina; Santiago, Chile; Lima, Peru; Caracas, Venezuela; and Bogota, Colombia.
 
The company currently has seven signed projects in South America: Hilton Bariloche, Hilton Iguazu Resort and Hilton Ushuaia in Argentina; Hilton Salvador da Bahia, Brazil; Hilton Bogota, Colombia; Doubletree Guest Suites by Hilton, Paracas, Peru; and Embassy Suites by Hilton Valencia, Venezuela.
 To add 150 hotels to
www.hiltonworldwide.com