Hilton Creates Two Executive Management Posts

Support of Global Brand Management and Operations Integration

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. October 14, 2008

BEVERLY HILLS, CA, February 21, 2007. Hilton Hotels Corporation (NYSE:HLT) has announced the creation of two new executive management positions and the promotions of two distinguished executives to fill these roles. Kenneth Smith has been appointed executive vice president - Americas Operations, Sales & Revenue Management, and Ernest Wooden has been appointed executive vice president - Brand Management. Kenneth Smith is based in Dallas, Texas, and Ernest Wooden is based in the Hilton Hotels Corporation World Headquarters in Beverly Hills. Both report to Tom Keltner, executive vice president - Hilton Hotels Corporation and chief executive officer - Americas & Global Brands.

'As proven executives with world-class leadership ability and a thorough working knowledge of our business and our brands, Ken Smith and Ernie Wooden are ideally suited to excel in these positions which are designed to effectively manage our operations and our brands,' said Keltner.

In his new role, Smith, a 38-year veteran of Hilton, will oversee the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, Central and South America to ensure optimal alignment between hotel operations and the sales and revenue management functions for the company's owned and managed properties of all brands. Prior to being promoted to his current position, he served as senior vice president of Operations, where he oversaw the full-service properties in the Central U.S., Caribbean, Mexico & Latin America as well as limited service properties in the United States. Smith first joined Hilton in 1969 as a busboy while working his way through college. Since then Smith served in a number of property-level management positions, including general manager roles at the DeSoto Hilton in Savannah, the Brown Hilton Hotel in Louisville, the Hilton Chicago O'Hare, and Hilton Chicago. Smith is a graduate of the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota, the Cambridge International Program in Cambridge, UK and received his MBA from Lake Forest Graduate School of Management in Chicago.

As Hilton Hotels Corporation continues to develop and expand its brand offerings around the globe, the company's brand managers, Hilton's best in class Hilton Honors(R) organization as well as the Customer, Quality and Performance Metrics group will now report to Wooden. A 35-year veteran of the hospitality industry, Wooden most recently served as senior vice president of Hotel Operations - Western Region, where he was responsible for the company's hotel operations in the Western United States and the Hawaiian Islands. Wooden is uniquely qualified in his role, having risen through the ranks of Sheraton, Doubletree, Omni and Hilton Hotels with hands-on operating experience spanning single, multi-property and mixed-use hotel developments. Wooden holds a Bachelor of Science degree and is a candidate for Master of Science in Management (MSM) from Thomas Edison State College (spring '07).