TravelDailyNews: What is your policy to strengthen your company worldwide?

Guy Epsom: Following the completion of the Hilton Hotels Corporation (HHC) acquisition of Hilton International, the new company is the world's largest and most geographically diverse hotel company, with nearly 2,800 hotels 475,000 rooms in 80 countries.

The enlarged company will continue to grow - the current Hilton International development pipeline consists of signed contracts for 58 hotels with 14,000 rooms, while HHC’s development pipeline currently consists of 520 hotels and approximately 64,000 rooms. Hilton customers in the Middle East and worldwide will be able to look forward to enjoying even more options and services as a result of the strengths of the unified businesses.

Hilton is committed to expanding globally, to bringing the world's most powerful hotel brand to first-class hotels, convention centres and serviced apartments in city centre locations, at international airports and in prime resorts identified as key to its customers. Properties are either owned, operated under lease arrangements and under management contact or franchised.

TDN: What are the main obstacles – benefits in expanding your brand?

G.E.: The hospitality industry is expanding and diversifying on a daily basis. This gives us the opportunity to continue to develop the brand through new initiatives and customer offerings, as well as solidify our leading position in the region, and globally (Leading Hotel Chain in the BDRC Brand Ranking Index 2005). The acquisition brings with it more hotels under one umbrella; therefore ensuring Hilton has a stronger foothold on industry sector, making it a true global company and competitor and very importantly, opening expansion opportunities for all the Hilton Family brands in all parts of the world. As a result, we anticipate significant growth opportunity from many of its brands through franchise and management agreements.

The Middle East is a very important market for us; approximately 10% of our global revenue comes from this region. With Dubai emerging as a regional tourism hub attracting visitors all year round, expansion of the brand is paramount as is our focus on the strengthening of corporate relationships, for example our HHonors loyalty club members, regional key accounts, travel agents and tour operators from around the world. Ensuring such elements are looked after will allow us to reap the benefits as we see each developing.

TDN: Which destinations have more dynamic potentials?

G.E.: The region as a whole is developing at great speed and opening up a lot of opportunities for us. We have a prime location in Ras Al Khaimah situated on the creek waterfront, and offering 214 guest rooms, four restaurants, outdoor pool, two tennis courts, a fitness room and a Hilton Beach Club. We are also opening our first Worldwide Resort in RAK towards the end of this year.

As a location, RAK is renowned for its natural beauty and unique environmental biodiversity. It is in a strategic location; new roads link it easily to Dubai and Dubai International Airport, yet it offers a quiet, tranquil, traffic-free alternative to Dubai. The visions of RAK’s government is to place this emirate on the international tourism map. As a leisure destination, it is being positioned as the Riviera of the UAE, and as a business investment alternative it brings value and quality. As a result, it is another city in the UAE that has begun to capitalise on the ever -increasing tourism numbers.

Holidaymakers have the opportunity to enjoy the vast beach and its many leisure activities, and for those that prefer scenery and tranquility, there is the spectacular backdrop of the Musandam peninsula on the east coast of Oman.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia continues to develop with a lot of investment being injected in to different aspects and industry fields supported by its new membership of the World Trade Organization. We have capitalized on this with the soon-to-be-opened 46-suite premier property Qasr Al Sharq or ‘Palace of the Orient’. It is Hilton’s first palace hotel in the world and based in one of the country’s fastest developing cities, Jeddah.

Another destination of note is Doha in Qatar, a city boasting substantial financial investment and attracting the world’s leading businesses. Having many similar business and development features as Dubai when it first started its development plan, Doha is a city Hilton has recognized, and as a result is set to open its doors there next year with the 300-room Hilton Doha.

The UAE’s capital, Abu Dhabi, and Muscat, Oman, are also showing considerable potential. Abu Dhabi is fast growing as important leisure destinations for the Middle East, and with the Etihad airline servicing the capital; they are in turn generating business for the refurbished Hilton property. Muscat is becoming a hot spot, seeing a continued growth in popularity from tourists living within the Middle East and outside of it, wanting to experience the pleasures of the environment and the rich sea life. Elsewhere in Oman, we have Salalah, known as a tropical paradise. This is an emerging holiday destination where visitors can enjoy the only location in the region with cool climates during the hot summer months.

TDN: How did your company expand the previous decade and where are you going to invest in the next decade?

G.E.: Within the region we have expanded relatively quickly over the past 10 years, having established itself as the first hotel chain in the Middle East. We will be building on our 14 established properties in the Arabian Peninsula, continuing its strong surge of hotel property development.

The Arabian Peninsula alone will see the opening of Hilton’s first palace hotel in the world in May this year – in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia - the 46-suite premier property, Qasr Al Sharq or ‘Palace of the Orient’. In addition, there is Hilton Ras Al Khaimah Resort & Spa in the UAE, of which the first phase will open towards the end of this year and the whole project will be completed by the last quarter of 2007. Later this year, the Hilton Jumeirah Beach Club in Dubai, is set to open its doors and its seven food and beverage outlets will cater to the 20 residential tower Dubai Marina complex, neighboring hotels as well as the two existing Hilton properties in Dubai.

Looking in to the near future, we have the spectacular 300-room Hilton Doha in Qatar, and the first Conrad hotel in the Gulf in Dubai, featuring 400 rooms, will open in 2007 and 2008 respectively.