Hilton Hotels Named Number One Hotel Brand in the Middle East

By: Hilton Worldwide | 1,014 Shares 110 Reads

Hilton Brand tops BDRC's Middle East Survey as Leading Choice Hotel Brand for Business Travelers

September 21, 2009 // Franchising.com // MCLEAN, Va. and DUBAI, UAE - The Hilton Hotels (Hilton) brand tops the 2009 Business Development Research Consultants' (BDRC) Middle East Hotel Business Guest Survey as the number one hotel brand in the Middle East. The BDRC survey, which tracks the performance of 80 international hotel brands across the Middle East, also named Hilton the 'Leading Choice Hotel Brand' for the business traveler segment.

"Naturally we are delighted to be recognized as the leading hospitality brand in this region. The results are testament to our impeccable service and strong brand standards across all 31 Hilton hotels in the Middle East. We are also honored that business travelers, a key market segment for us, have commended us," said Jean-Paul Herzog, President, Hilton Hotels, Middle East & Africa.

The BDRC Brand Ranking Index (BRI) is a composite measure that compiles overall scores for six brand metrics - prompted awareness, unprompted awareness, usage in the past year, leading choice, advocacy and loyalty ratio. Hilton was the top performing brand in five of the six measured brand metrics and achieved a combined score of 59 on a theoretical maximum BRI of 60.

"Although the Middle East hotel industry's development has slowed down in the last year, it remains one of the most dynamic markets globally in which Hilton manages to hold its leading position," said Esther Reynal de Saint Michel-Richardot, Project Manager and Senior Research Executive, BDRC Ltd.

Hilton achieved high scores in the usage and preference categories, with 28 per cent of those surveyed having stayed at a Hilton for business over the past year, and 33 per cent preferring Hilton over other brands for business purposes.

The survey also identified Hilton as the most recognized hotel brand amongst Middle East business travelers, with 57 per cent of the respondents naming Hilton as one of their top-of-mind brands. Additionally, prompted recognition of Hilton reaches 86 per cent of business travelers, whilst advertising and editorial recall rates in 2009 stand at a high of 67 per cent.

Over three-quarters of surveyed Hilton guests are brand loyal as 78 per cent rated the brand as their first/ second choice or one they are pleased to use, a six point lead over its nearest competitor. Hilton also topped the advocacy category, with 79 per cent of surveyed Hilton business guests being advocates of the brand in the Middle East, with intent to recommend.

With the largest number of rooms in the Middle East, the Hilton brand accounted for 9.3 per cent of the total branded room stock. With booking via hotel websites generally increasing, Hilton's websites registered the highest booking penetration rates amongst Middle East business travelers.

In tandem with the mid-market sector's growth of 37.5 per cent in 2009, Hilton Garden Inn, Hilton's mid-market brand registered increased awareness amongst surveyed business travelers (to 12 per cent) and frequent stayers (to 19 per cent). Other Hilton Family brands including Waldorf Astoria, Conrad and Doubletree by Hilton also showed increased awareness among respondents.

The BDRC survey is a multi-client, syndicated study based on responses from business travelers who have stayed in hotels of at least a 3-star rating or equivalent for business reasons in their own country or abroad in the last 12 months. The 2009 edition surveyed 903 business travelers and tracked the performances of 80 hotel brands across Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

The BDRC accolade follows on from the 2009 Maktoob Research Travel Monitor which voted Hilton the most recognized hotel brand in both the UAE and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

BDRC Survey Highlights:

Hilton leads the BDRC's Brand Ranking Index as No 1 Hotel Brand in the Middle East
Hilton topped the survey in unprompted awareness, usage, preference, advocacy and loyalty
The Hilton brand has the largest number of branded hotel rooms in the Middle East
Hilton's websites have the highest booking penetration rates amongst Middle East business travelers
Hilton registered the highest recall of hotel brand advertising/editorial in 2009

About Hilton Hotels

Hilton Hotels is the stylish, forward-thinking global leader of hospitality that welcomes guests in more countries than any other full-service hotel brand. The Hilton brand currently includes more than 500 hotels and resorts in 76 countries, and plans to serve travelers in 78 countries by the end of 2009. By offering innovative products, services and amenities, Hilton enables travelers to be at their best 24/7, whether travelling for business or leisure.

About Hilton Hotels Corporation

Hilton Hotels Corporation is the leading global hospitality company based in McLean VA, with more than 3,300 hotels and 550,000 rooms in 77 countries and more than 130,000 team members worldwide. The company owns, manages or franchises some of the best known and highly regarded hotel brands including Hilton, Conrad Hotels & Resorts, Doubletree, Embassy Suites Hotels, Hampton Inn, Hampton Inn & Suites, Hilton Garden Inn, Hilton Grand Vacations, Homewood Suites by Hilton, the Waldorf Astoria and the Waldorf Astoria Collection, as well as the recently launched Home2 Suites by Hilton. The company also manages the world-class guest reward program Hilton HHonors.

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