Hilton International Hotels' new Chief Executive, Ian Carter, has announced a new structure for the business, effective 1 July 2005.

As part of the process of developing his strategy for the global hotel operator, the structure aims to provide the foundation for Hilton International's growth over the next three to five years.

Details of Ian Carter's strategic review will be released later this year. To date, the new Chief Executive of Hilton International has made no secret that he believes that operational and commercial excellence must be at the heart of Hilton International's strategy.

In line with this focus, the changes to Hilton's operating structure, shared with colleagues across Hilton International last week, see the introduction of a new Commercial Operations Group, which will comprise the Sales, Marketing, eCommerce & Distribution and IT functions. This will be led by Jurgen Fischer - currently President, Europe & Africa - who has been appointed President, Commercial Operations Group. All Presidents report directly to Ian Carter.

Jurgen's existing role will be taken up by Wolfgang M. Neumann, after two and a half successful years as President, UK & Ireland. Howard Friedman - currently President, The Americas - in turn takes over the President, UK & Ireland role. The full line-up of regional Presidents will be: �Wolfgang M. Neumann - President, Europe and Africa �Koos Klein - President, Middle East and Asia Pacific �Jean-Paul Herzog - President, Nordics �Simon Barlow - President, The Americas �Howard Friedman - President, UK & Ireland

Talking about the announcement, Ian Carter said "As our customers become more global in their organisation and the Internet becomes increasingly important to our revenues, it is essential that our own structure and priorities adapt to deliver this new reality. It is clear that cost efficiencies and better co-ordination will be achieved through a global approach to brand and distribution management.

"These structural changes give us a major opportunity to improve our performance through more effective co-ordination and prioritisation. The purpose of the Commercial Operations Group is to provide consistent, global leadership and co-ordination of our sales and commercial efforts, all of which should, I believe, benefit both our customers and our shareholders," added Mr Carter.

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Note to editors �Ian Carter commenced his appointment as Chief Executive of Hilton International on 1 February 2005.

�Hilton International (HI), an operating division of the UK based Hilton Group plc, owns the rights to the Hilton brand name throughout the world, with the exception of the USA and Mexico, where the Hilton brand is owned and managed by Hilton Hotels Corporation (HHC). Furthermore, Hilton International and Hilton Hotels Corporation share the Hilton brand within Canada.

�Hilton International operates 403 hotels, with some 261 branded Hilton and 142 under the mid-market Scandic brand. Under a joint venture agreement, Hilton International and the North American based Hilton Hotels Corporation share responsibility for the Conrad brand, which includes 17 hotels in 12 countries. A global marketing alliance between Hilton International and Hilton Hotels Corporation extends the number of hotels operated by both companies worldwide to over 2,700 - over 500 of which are branded Hilton.

�Hilton International employs over 71,000 staff in 80 countries.

�Committed to doing business in a responsible way, Hilton International's aim is to bring a positive benefit to the societies in which it operates through high quality services, economic growth, environmental protection, community involvement and employment.

For further media information:

�Hilton UK & Ireland Press Office Elizabeth Le Coze / Maria Myklebust elizabeth.lecoze@hitlon.com maria.myklebust@hilton.com +44 (0) 20 7856 8471 - tel +44 (0) 20 7856 8665 - fax +44 (0) 7623 973325 - pager (24hrs) press.office@hilton.com

For further information on Hilton International, please visit our corporate website, at www.hiltongroup.com

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