Hilton Garden Inn® Introduces New Travel Category: "personal Business" And Addresses Duality Of Life On The Road

Launch of New and Interactive Print Campaign Recognizes that Life is About Blending for Today's Travelers

(Thursday, May 04, 2006) - Propelled by extensive consumer research, and in direct response to America's changing travel landscape, Hilton Garden Inn® today launched its new advertising campaign, titled "Where are you going?" The interactive print campaign visually depicts how life on the road no longer is about finding "balance" between the demands of work and personal life – it's about "blending" the two worlds and effectively addressing both needs at the same time. With that in mind, the "Where are you going?" campaign focuses its message on guest achievement and the fact that Hilton Garden Inn is the right brand to help today's blended travelers succeed.

Hilton Garden Inn, the fastest growing brand within the Hilton Family of hotels, believes the trend toward "blending" and the idea that travel no longer is just about business or just about leisure is giving life to a whole new category of travel. The brand refers to this new category as "personal business" as more and more travelers on the road find themselves traveling for both personal and business reasons. The latest advertising campaign focuses on this new demographic of "personal business" travelers and links it to the hotel offerings that touches both sides.

"At Hilton Garden Inn, we consciously provide guests with a hotel experience that gives ‘personal business' travelers everything they need to ensure a great stay regardless of their reason for traveling," said Mark Nogal, vice president of marketing and sales for Hilton Garden Inn. "Whether they're on the road to nail an important presentation, make a big sale, run a marathon, attend a family function – or all of the above – we have everything travelers need to be successful."

To effectively illustrate the idea of "personal business," the new ad campaign, which comprises three ads, shows there are many sides to every person. By arranging halves of people in interesting and whimsical ways, the images convey that Hilton Garden Inn is equipped to help the "personal business" traveler with both their business and personal ambitions. Moreover, the campaign creatively illustrates how today's traveler wears many different hats, speaking directly to the duality of life on the road. For example, one ad features the image of a man who is divided into two halves – one showing him dressed in work attire to represent his business side, and the other showing him in hockey attire to represent his leisure side. To further the idea that our business is not just work business, the final ad shows a marathoner and bride. The text accompanying each ad lets readers know that no matter what hat a guest is wearing, Hilton Garden Inn ensures that travelers have a place to help them reach their goals successfully.

To capture the reader's attention, Hilton Garden Inn is using a technique it calls, "Interactive Print." Each ad is designed to force the reader to go beyond just scanning. In one execution, the guest is split in half on facing pages, so the reader can join the two sides, reminiscent of magazine games of years gone by. Additionally, unlike most hotel advertising today where the actual hotel is featured as the main focal point, the new Hilton Garden Inn ads put the guest – the hotel's most important asset – at the center.

"This is a huge departure from our previous ad campaigns, which focused heavily on the Hilton Garden Inn brand's long list of great amenities," said Nogal. "And it's a reflection of where our brand is going, and where the travel industry is going. The campaign is sure to connect with consumers because the reality is that our worlds truly are blending."

The "Where are you going?" campaign and corresponding "personal business" concept were the result of extensive research Hilton Garden Inn conducted to identify how guests combine work and leisure activities while traveling. As part of this research, Hilton Garden Inn commissioned an Opinion Research survey to help gauge the travel habits and needs of business travelers. Overall, the findings prove that travelers today feel the need to juggle many personal and professional priorities while on the road. More and more, travelers are bringing work with them and staying connected to the office while at home, hitting the greens on the golf course or on their leisure vacations – at the same time, they are finding ways to add some fun and relaxation while on the road for business.

The survey results revealed that nearly half of business travelers (51 percent) are not able to disconnect from the office while on a leisure vacation. This is up 10 percent from 2005 when 41 percent said they were not able to unplug and unwind. The survey also showed that business travelers are finding more ways to enjoy leisure activities while traveling for work. Four-out-of-five business travelers are taking advantage of at least one leisure activity while away on business. According to the Opinion Research survey, the top leisure activities executives are engaging in while on the road are:

Sightseeing or other local entertainment (50 percent)
Visiting friends/family in the area (41 percent)
Golfing or using workout equipment (20 percent)
Bringing a spouse or significant other along (36 percent)
Extending their stay for leisure purposes (24 percent)
Survey respondents also provided valuable insight into the types of amenities they need and want, to make their travel more productive and enjoyable. Comfortable beds and bedding topped the list as the most important amenity a hotel can offer to guarantee a relaxing stay. Other key amenities requested most often by guests were on-site restaurants with full-service breakfast (22 percent), a friendly staff (16 percent), complimentary high-speed Internet in every guestroom (10 percent) and workout facilities (10 percent). These are just some of the many amenities provided by each Hilton Garden Inn property.

Specific elements of the campaign include:

Print Advertising. The ad campaign breaks in May in print titles including The Wall Street Journal, Business 2.0, Fast Company, Golf Digest, Inc., LIFE, Real Simple, Weekend Living, Wired and Passport.
Online Advertising and Promotions. Recognizing that Americans are increasingly turning to the Internet to reserve and book travel, the campaign is being heavily supported online through media buys on AOL, Mapquest.com, Yahoo! and Weather.com, among others. Additionally, the campaign includes a "Where are you going?" online sweepstakes being conducted on the Hilton Garden Inn Web site – http://www.stayhgi.com – that consists of a "Spin to Win" game with thousands of instant prizes, including Magellan GPS handheld navigation devices, Palm Treos, HHonors points and more. The collect and win game also allows users to collect game pieces to gain entry for a chance to win the grand prize – $50,000 cash!
Hotel Signage and Décor. At the hotel level, Hilton Garden Inn is supporting the campaign with "Where are you going?" guest room door hangers, telephone cards and inspirational garden stones that further the idea that Hilton Garden Inn is there to help people get where they're going in life. Wherever guests turn, they are reminded that Hilton Garden Inn is the brand helping them to achieve.
Internal Communication. Hilton Garden Inn is proud to employ the best and brightest in the industry. The "Where are you going?" platform is helping bring employee success stories to the forefront. Throughout the coming year, Hilton Garden Inn executives are inviting hotel general managers to share stories of exemplary employees who are going places within their hotel or in their personal lives. The corporate office will in turn share the best stories with other Hilton Garden Inn locations and their guests. The "Where Are You Going?" campaign was created by Orange County-based ad agency DGWB, an independent, award-winning advertising and communications agency that has partnered with a variety of local and national clients for 18 years. DGWB has been Hilton Garden Inn's agency-of-record for the past two years.

About Hilton Garden Inn
Hilton Garden Inn is the award-winning, mid-priced brand that continually strives to ensure today's busy travelers have everything they need to be most productive on the road — from complimentary high-speed Internet access in all guestrooms and secure remote printing to the hotel's complimentary 24-hour business center to getting the perfect night's sleep. So whether on the road for personal or business reasons, Hilton Garden Inn offers the amenities and services for travelers to be their best, regardless of their "personal business."

Hilton Garden Inn represents one of the cornerstones of the Hilton franchise growth strategy and currently has more than 400 hotels open or in development. The Hilton Garden Inn brand is part of Hilton Hotels Corporation; recognized internationally as a preeminent hospitality company. The company develops, owns, manages or franchises more than 2,800 hotels, resorts and vacation ownership properties. Its portfolio includes many of the world's 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 VacationsTM, Homewood Suites by Hilton®, Scandic and The Waldorf=Astoria CollectionTM.

For more information about Hilton Garden Inn hotels in the U.S., Canada or Mexico, or to find your next getaway, please visit http://www.stayhgi.com or call 1-877-STAY-HGI.

CONTACT:
Agnes Sibal
Hilton Garden Inn Brand Communications
(310) 205-4545

Heather Wilkins
PainePR for Hilton Garden Inn
(949) 809-6766

View all Hilton Garden Inn Press Releases

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