Hilton to extend its UK brands

Hilton will introduce three of its US brands into the UK this year, the hotel group has revealed.

Doubletree by Hilton, Hilton Garden Inn and Hampton by Hilton will all debut on this side of the pond in 2007, according to Nick Smart, Hilton's vice-president of development for the UK and Ireland.

"That Hilton now wants to develop these brands outside of the USA is well understood," he told Caterer. "We have a pretty impressive portfolio of brands at our disposal and only [the standalone brand] Hilton is really known as yet in the UK."

Doubletree, a full-service upmarket brand, will target existing buildings of both hotel and non-hotel background. The midmarket Garden Inn will focus on new builds in city-centre and suburban locations near retail parks, sporting venues and university campuses, while the budget brand Hampton will extend its US franchise model in the UK, Smart said.

"We don't have a set target. It's about doing the right deals, not just any deal, but we will also aim for a critical mass in as short a time as possible," he added.

All new properties will be run under franchise or management agreements.

• Millennium & Copthorne Hotels (M&C) has named Peter Papadimitropoulos, known as "Mr Papas", as its new group chief executive. He takes over from Tony Potter, who left M&C last year. He joins the board on 1 March, after relocating to London from South Africa.

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