MEDIA KIT CONTENTS ABOUT 2 EXPERIENCE 3 DEVELOPMENT 4 LOYALTY 5 BRAND LEADERS 6
ABOUT Say hello to a brand-new hotel experience from Hilton that s vibrant, affordable and young-at-heart. It s energetic, but it s relaxing and comfortable. It s familiar, and it s also unexpected. It s completely reimagined, it s uniquely Tru. Tru is a category disruptor, breaking through the sea of sameness to offer a great stay that is fun and engaging. While other brands talk, we sing with a personality that s full of life and defined by three key pillars: Simplified Purposefully designed spaces and tech savvy with digital check-in, digital keys and USB ports in every outlet, plus free, fast Wi-Fi and wireless printing throughout the hotel. Spirited Vibrant and fresh interior design with 2,800 sq.ft. of lobby space to play, eat, relax and work in sound-dampening work pods. Grounded in Value Complimentary Wi-Fi and build-your-own breakfast bar with 30 different breakfast toppings, 24/7 market place, comfortable mattresses, 55" TVs and a fitness room with modern equipment all at an affordable price. ABOUT 2
EXPERIENCE Designed to be a place that will make guests stop and smile and stay awhile, Tru s fresh and functional mindset applies to all aspects of the guest experience, including: Reimagined, enlarged lobby with 2,880 square feet of public space with areas to work, play games, eat or lounge Rooms are modern and designed to make every sq.ft. count, with natural light from oversized windows, 55" TVs, and bright all-shower bathrooms with premium bath amenities Breakfast is reinvented with the build-your-own Top It breakfast bar that has 30 sweet and savory toppings so guests can create their own healthy or indulgent morning masterpieces Tech savvy hotel with mobile check-in, Digital Key, free super-fast Wi-Fi, remote printing, social media wall, lobby and market ipads, and accessibility to outlets everywhere National and local brand gourmet snacks and drinks including single-serve beer and wine are available 24/7 in the Eat. & Sip. market located in the heart of the lobby EXPERIENCE 3
DEVELOPMENT Catch the Spirit Tru by Hilton has more than 470 hotels in various stages of the development process, including nearly 300 in the pipeline. Tru by Hilton is a franchise-only brand that is easy to construct, operate and maintain, while delivering a strong owner return. Designed for success in a variety of markets, the brand will develop in primary and secondary urban, suburban and highway locations in North America, with potential for further international expansion in the future. Developers of Tru receive the full support of the Hilton Performance Advantage, an integrated system of operational and marketing services that work together to create an unrivaled competitive advantage, including the award-winning guest loyalty program, Hilton Honors. To learn more about franchising opportunities http://partner.trubyhilton.com DEVELOPMENT 4
LOYALTY About Hilton Honors Hilton Honors is the award-winning guest loyalty program for Hilton s 14 world-class brands comprising more than 5,200 properties with more than 856,000 rooms, in 105 countries and territories. Hilton Honors members who book directly through preferred Hilton channels have access to instant benefits, including a flexible payment slider that allows members to choose nearly any combination of Points and money to book a stay, an exclusive member discount that can t be found anywhere else, and free standard Wi-Fi. Members also enjoy popular digital tools available exclusively through the industryleading Hilton Honors mobile app, where Hilton Honors members can check-in, choose their room, and access their room using a Digital Key. With more than 71 million members, Hilton Honors offers hundreds of ways to earn and redeem Points. Members can redeem their Points for free nights, premium merchandise, items on Amazon Shop with Points; make charitable contributions; or gain access to unique events through the Hilton Honors auction platform, such as exclusive artist experiences and hotel concert events with Live Nation, and race experiences with the McLaren-Honda Formula 1 team. The program is free to join, and travelers may enroll online by visiting www.hiltonhonors.com. Connect with Hilton Honors at news.hiltonhonors.com. Awards 2017 o Silver HSMAI Adrian Award PR New Opening/Launch, Tru by Hilton Making a Tru Debut o Bronze PRSA Anvil Award of Commendation, Media Relations, Consumer Services, Travel and Tourism/ Hospitality, Tru by Hilton Disrupts the Industry 2016 o Stevie Awards: Bronze, Best New Product or Service of the Year, Consumer Services o Boutique Design s Gold Key Awards: Judges So Cool o Innovation by Design Awards Finalist, Fast Company LOYALTY 5
BRAND LEADERS Bill Duncan Global Head Focused Service and All Suites Brands Hilton Bill Duncan serves as the global head of Focused Service and All Suites categories leading the following brands: Hilton Garden Inn, Hampton by Hilton, Tru by Hilton, Embassy Suites by Hilton, Homewood Suites by Hilton and Home2 Suites by Hilton. In this role, Duncan oversees the integration of core management functions, and development of long-term shared operational, and performance and growth strategies, including brand culture, owner relations and hotel operations support. This segment of brands collectively have a global footprint of more than 3,900 properties and growing. Duncan is a hospitality industry veteran with more than 25 years devoted to all suites hotels. He began his career at Embassy Suites, where he spent more than a decade serving in various management, hotel performance support and sales roles. Prior to his current position, Duncan served as global head of Homewood Suites and Home2 Suites. During this time, Duncan established Homewood Suites as the leader in the upscale extended-stay segment, growing it into a global brand with a footprint of more than 400 hotels. As a result, the brand achieved award-winning customer satisfaction, including leading the brand to six consecutive Top Extended Stay Hotel honors from J.D. Power & Associates. He is also responsible for the introduction of Home2 Suites, which has been one of the fastest growing brands in Hilton s history. Home2 Suites celebrated its 100th hotel opening in 2016, just five years after the brand s debut. Deeply engaged in both professional and civic organizations, Duncan has been recognized for several industry and community awards throughout his distinguished career, including receiving the Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association s Top 25 Extraordinary Minds in Sales & Marketing, and the Memphis Corporate Volunteer Council Executive Leadership Award. In addition to his involvement with a variety of Memphis charities, Duncan is also the executive sponsor of Hilton s Memphis Community Outreach Program, for which he leads the strategic deployment of social responsibility programs. BRAND LEADERS 6
BRAND LEADERS Alexandra Jaritz Senior Vice President, Global Head Hilton Alexandra Jaritz serves as the global head of, a brand that is reinventing the midscale segment by providing guests with a consistent and vibrant experience at a great value. Notably, Tru by Hilton has achieved the fastest growing development pipeline in the history of the hotel industry, with more than 470 deals in various stages of development, including nearly 300 in the pipeline. A brand strategist and marketing expert with more than a decade of leadership experience in the hospitality industry, Jaritz and her team brought Tru by Hilton to market in record time. The concept was revealed at the 2016 America s Lodging Investment Summit in January 2016, and the first Tru by Hilton property opened to the public in April 2017 in Oklahoma City. In recognition of her leadership and success with the launch of Tru by Hilton, in December 2017 Jaritz was named Lodging magazine s Person of the Year. Prior to joining Hilton, Jaritz held key executive positions with Choice Hotels International, serving most recently as a corporate officer and senior vice president of Brand Strategy and Marketing. In that role, she was responsible for a portfolio of nine hotel brands across the midscale, economy and extended stay segments, representing 5,000 hotels and gross room revenue in excess of $5 billion. In addition to spearheading brand strategy, marketing and public relations, Jaritz directed product innovation, franchisee relations/portfolio management, and procurement services. During her tenure at Choice, she led the development of successful brand refresh strategies for Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites and Sleep Inn, driving significant increases in consumer satisfaction and ROI for developers. Additionally, Jaritz brings a unique financial perspective to Tru by Hilton, having worked as a real estate consultant at Ernst & Young, LLP in the Hospitality Services Group and a financial analyst in the Investment Banking Division at Lehman Brothers Inc. Jaritz received her Bachelor of Science degree in Hotel Administration from Cornell University, a Master of Business Administration degree from Duke s Fuqua School of Business, and completed Harvard University s Executive Education Course in Strategic Marketing Management. Originally from Germany, Jaritz began cultivating her deep understanding of the hospitality industry at an early age as she traveled the world with her family and held operations-focused roles at several leading hotel brands throughout her travels. Jaritz now resides in Alexandria, Virginia, with her husband, young daughter and three dogs. She is based in Hilton s corporate office in McLean, Virginia. BRAND LEADERS 7
BRAND LEADERS Amy Martin Ziegenfuss Vice President Global Marketing, Focused Service Brands Hilton As vice president of marketing for focused service brands at Hilton, Amy Martin Ziegenfuss is responsible for leading the marketing of Hampton by Hilton, Hilton Garden Inn and Tru by Hilton. In her role, she is responsible for the development and execution of brand positioning, driving digital commerce, traditional advertising, promotions and public relations. Martin Ziegenfuss is a seasoned marketer, with 20 years of experience building global brands and driving digital commerce through high-impact advertising and marketing across broadcast, print, digital and social media. She has experience leading teams and campaigns across North America and EMEA in public companies and franchise organizations. Prior to joining Hilton, Martin Ziegenfuss oversaw the advertising, creative and social media strategy for Choice Hotels, where she led the brand s relaunch, oversaw the national advertising strategy and campaign implementation, and led the brand s multicultural marketing initiatives across African-American, Hispanic and LGBT segments. Martin Ziegenfuss also spent time in Europe, where she led pan-european efforts for Choice Hotels, including strategic planning, creative development, and campaign management of offline and online advertising and marketing for the company s family of brands. Prior to her time at Choice, Martin Ziegenfuss held marketing roles at a variety of organizations across financial, health care, and nonprofit sectors, as well as a stint at an agency. She earned a bachelor s degree in communications from Hood College in Frederick, Maryland, and a Master of Business Administration degree from George Washington University. She spent seven years living and working in London, and is a keen traveler, reader, diver, horse rider and cook. BRAND LEADERS 8
BRAND LEADERS Gina Valenti Vice President Focused Service Brand Hospitality Hilton As the vice president of brand hospitality for focused service brands for Hilton, Gina Valenti is a 27-year veteran of the travel and hospitality industries. She is passionate about inspiring team members to shine by joyfully engaging their hearts and minds with a brand s culture and values. Her success in developing team members led Hilton to tap Valenti in 2010 to lead the company s first owner services team. The goal: To engage the hearts and minds of franchise owners in each of Hilton s 14 brands. Valenti created the first comprehensive, international owners recognition club, new communication channels, numerous national and international events, and the first global database of key owner metrics. In her current position, Valenti focuses on igniting team members with a brand s hospitality to deliver the very best in customer service. She makes sure that Hamptonality, Bright Hearted and Tru Spirit help fulfill Hilton s vision: To fill the earth with the light and warmth of hospitality by delivering exceptional experiences every hotel, every guest, every time. Valenti entered the hotel business working at the Embassy Suites in Arcadia, California, where she began each day checking out guests and flipping pancakes. In 1994, she was promoted to her first corporate position with Promus Hotel Corporation, which was later acquired by Hilton Hotels Corporation. She has since developed training programs for Hampton by Hilton, Homewood Suites by Hilton, Embassy Suites by Hilton, Hilton, Hilton Garden Inn and DoubleTree by Hilton hotels, as well as launched reward and recognition programs that are still in place today. Valenti is a graduate of California State University Northridge and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration, human resource management/labor relations. BRAND LEADERS 9
BRAND LEADERS Craig Dezern Vice President Brand Communications Hilton Craig Dezern is Vice President of Brand Communications at Hilton. In his role, Dezern leads global communications across Hilton s 14 industry-leading brands as well as for the award-winning Hilton Honors loyalty program. One of his responsibilities is to focus on reaching consumer audiences around the world through brand storytelling and marketing communications, including the more than 160 million guests Hilton welcomes every year. Prior to joining Hilton, Dezern spent more than 20 years as a communications leader at the Walt Disney Company. Most recently, Dezern led a team of more than 100 professionals driving earned, owned, social and promotional media campaigns for Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, a family vacation business that spans three continents and includes six world-class vacation destinations and a top-rated family cruise line. Before joining Disney, Craig was an award-winning journalist for The Orlando Sentinel, earning national accolades for feature writing, environmental reporting and public service. A native of Louisville, Ky., Dezern earned his B.A. from Western Kentucky University, with a double major in journalism and English. In 1992, Craig was a journalism fellow at the Yale Law School, earning a Master of Studies in Law. Craig is the professional advisor for the University of Florida Bateman Competition, serves on the board of Historic St. Augustine and recently joined the WKU Department of Communications Advisory Council. BRAND LEADERS 10
CONTACTS FOR ALL MEDIA INQUIRIES, PLEASE CONTACT: Jennifer Hughes Director, Public Relations Focused Service Brands 901.374.6518 jennifer.hughes@hilton.com Tiffany Wilson Manager, Brand Public Relations Focused Service Brands 901.374.6235 tiffany.wilson@hilton.com 11