The Maldives, 18 January 2007 - Hilton Maldives Resort & Spa has won the "Best Luxury (4 and 5 star) in the World" in tripadvisor.com's 2006 Traveler's Choice Awards as well as "Best Luxury (4 and 5 star) in Asia". "We're very proud to have won these awards because tripadvisor.com reflects the opinions of genuine travellers from around the world who have visited the Hilton Maldives and experienced the resort in person," said General Manager Carsten Schieck, "Our team works hard to provide our guests with the best service possible so we are delighted to be chosen the best luxury hotel in the world". The six-star Hilton Maldives Resort & Spa is no stranger to international accolades. Previous awards include "Best Hotel in the World 2005" by the Sunday Times, "Leading Resort in the Indian Ocean 2006" by the World Travel Awards and "Most Exclusive Hotel in the World 2006" by VIP Traveller Magazine. A stunning, romantic resort offering sophisticated barefoot luxury on two tropical islands, the Hilton Maldives offers a sybaritic combination of three distinct resort experiences, surrounded by a vibrant coral reef and lagoon. The resort is home to the world's only all-glass undersea restaurant and the Maldives' only destination spa. About the awards: Unlike any other hotel awards programs that survey perhaps thousands of people, the TripAdvisor� Travelers' Choice winners are uniquely "selected" by the millions of travellers from around the world who provide their real and unbiased reviews or opinions about hotels on tripadvisor.com(TM) and across the web. Visit http://www.tripadvisor.com/travelerschoice for more information on the winners in this year's awards. -ENDS- NOTES TO EDITORS: 300dpi resolution pictures can be downloaded free of charge from our media-only website (no registration required): www.hiltonmaldivesresort.com Our website for the general public is: www.hilton.com/worldwideresorts Maldives: Katherine Anthony PR Manager Tel: [+960] 6680 105 Fax: [+960] 6680 619 katherine.anthony@hilton.com UK: Gail Palmer KTA PR Tel: [+44] 207 7352 1088 Fax: [+44] 207 352 2103 gail@ktapr.com Switzerland: Simone Wasserfallen Gretz Communications AG Tel: [+41] 31 300 3070 Tax: [+41] 31 300 3077 s.wasserfallen@gretzcom.ch Germany: Annette Zierer ZiererCommunications Tel: [+49] 89 35 61 24 88 Fax: [+49] 89 35 61 24 85 annette.zierer@zierercom.com France: Bernadette Py Casa Del Sol RP Tel: [+33] 1 40 41 67 00 Fax: [+33] 1 40 41 67 01 bernadette@casadelsol-rp.com Japan: Yoshihiro Fujii Youth Planning Centre Tel: [+81] 3 3406 3411 Fax: [+81] 3 3499 0958 y-fujii@ypcpr.com Hilton Worldwide ResortsT is an upscale, global resort network with a collection of 59 resorts located in exotic places, making up the world's largest global choice. Hilton Hotels Corporation operates 18 resorts in the US, 39 are operated outside the US by Hilton International, including four all-inclusive Coral by Hilton resorts, and two are operated by Conrad. The network spans 24 countries and eight regions including the Americas, Arabian Peninsula, Asia-Pacific, the Caribbean, Egypt, Europe, Israel and the Indian Ocean. New resort openings are planned in America, Italy and Portugal. 32 resorts are home to world-class spas 50 resorts are ideal for romantic holidays 35 resorts specialise in diving 23 resorts feature championship golf courses (with a choice of over 290 courses!) 53 resorts cater specifically for families 7 resorts offer all-inclusive holidays, 4 of which are Coral by Hilton resorts in the Caribbean 2 resorts specialise in skiing 41 resorts offer dream weddings For more information, bookings, virtual walks or to order a brochure: Visit www.hiltoncom/worldwideresorts.com, telephone Hilton Reservations Worldwide toll free: 00 800 44 45 86 68, in the U.S. call Hilton Resorts toll free at 1-800-HILTONS or speak to your local travel agent. For Further Media Information and Photography: Visit Hilton Worldwide ResortsT Media Centre at www.hilton.com/worldwideresorts Stephanie Lee PR Coordinator - Middle East & Asia Pacific HILTON HOTELS 163 Penang Road #08-01/04 Singapore 238463 Direct Tel: +65 6833 9763 / Fax: +65 6833 9841 Website: www.hilton.com