Hampton Hotels Wins Presidential Award

(Monday, May 01, 2006) - More than six years, 26 saved landmarks, hundreds of hotel volunteers and nearly $2 million dollars later, Hampton® Hotels has received the Preserve America Presidential Award -- the first hotel chain ever recognized by a U.S. President for its preservation efforts. President George W. Bush presented the prestigious award to Hampton executives during a ceremony in the White House.

Each year, two Preserve America awards are given for activities advancing heritage tourism and two awards are given for privately funded historic preservation projects or programs. Hampton is a winner in the privately funded historic preservation projects or programs category.

"It's quite humbling," said Judy Christa-Cathey, vice-president of Hampton marketing. "We never imagined when we began our Save-A-Landmark program in 2000 that we would someday find ourselves being honored by the president of the United States. What makes this all the more rewarding is knowing that we share this honor with our Hampton team members and the people in the communities who worked together to preserve pieces of America all across the country."

During the course of the Save-a-Landmark® initiative, Hampton has worked to preserve everything from an 80-foot Blue Whale in Catoosa, Okla., National Monument to the Forefathers in Plymouth, Mass., a one-room school house in Northville, Mich. and even the world's tallest Santa Claus in North Pole, Alaska. Most recently, Hampton team members even ventured into New Orleans where they helped repair a 100-year-old carousel damaged by Hurricane Katrina.

"Our national monuments and landmarks are well-funded by Federal endowments," explained Christa-Cathey. "But the smaller roadside attractions survive only through the generosity of the area communities or local owners. That's what makes Hampton's effort so important and essential."

Hampton saves or preserves approximately five landmarks a year, with designated sites being identified through the brand's own research team or local landmark enthusiast who submit their requests on www.hamptonlandmarks.com.

Mrs. Laura Bush is Honorary Chair of the Preserve America initiative. The recipients are chosen through a national competition administered by the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation in partnership with the U.S. Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Housing and Urban Development, Interior, and Transportation; the National Endowment for the Humanities; the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities, and the Council on Environmental Quality; in cooperation with the Executive Office of the President.

Past winners of the Preserve America Award include: Blue Ridge Heritage Initiative, located in North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and Georgia; Bolduc Historic Properties-Operational Enhancement, Missouri; Isaiah Davenport House Museum, Georgia; Historic Beaumont Hotel, Colorado; Historic Raven Natural Resources Learning Center, Kootenai National Forest, Montana; Lackawanna Heritage Valley, Pennsylvania; Restoration of The Mount, Massachusetts; and Texas Heritage Trails Program, Texas.

The Preserve America Presidential Awards are given annually to organizations, businesses, government entities, and individuals for: exemplary accomplishments in the sustainable use and preservation of cultural or natural heritage assets; demonstrated commitment to the protection and interpretation of America's cultural or natural heritage assets; and integration of these assets into contemporary community life, combining innovative, creative, and responsible approaches to showcasing historic local resources.

About Hampton Hotels
Hampton, which includes Hampton Inn and Hampton Inn & Suites hotels, is a mid-priced leader in the lodging segment. Hampton is part of Hilton Hotels Corporation, a leading global hospitality company with nearly 2,800 hotels and 475,000 rooms in more than 80 countries, including 150,000 team members worldwide. The company owns, manages or franchises a hotel portfolio of some of the best known and most highly regarded hotel brands, including Hilton®, Conrad®, Coral by Hilton®, Doubletree®, Embassy Suites Hotels®, Hampton Inn®, Hampton Inn & Suites®, Hilton Garden Inn®, Hilton Grand VacationsT , Homewood Suites by Hilton®, Scandic and The Waldorf=Astoria CollectionT. For more information, please visit www.hiltonworldwide.com.

Contact:
Tori Walsh/Kendra Walker
Hampton Brand Communications
(901) 374-5534/(310) 205-4545

Dawn Verhulst/Meghan Stuyvenberg
Cohn & Wolfe
(310) 967-2904/(310) 967-2908

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