Hilton Hotels announced beginning of a global expansion effort for the upscale, full-service Doubletree(R) hotel brand.

Hilton has signed a multi-year agreement with Bangkok-based Destination Properties Ltd., one of Thailand's leading resort real estate developers, to manage a newly built, upscale, 358-room golf resort and spa in Sriracha, Thailand. The Doubletree Golf Resort & Spa Near Sriracha is anticipated to open to the delight of the world's travelers in early 2008.

Located 25 minutes from downtown Pattaya, 40 minutes from the new Suvarnabhumi International Airport and 60 minutes from downtown Bangkok, the Doubletree Golf Resort & Spa will feature 358 rooms and suites which overlook the fairway of the Sriracha Golf Club with spectacular views of the golf course and the Gulf of Thailand. The golf course was designed by renowned architect Gary Player, and was host to the 1993 Thailand Open.

"This Doubletree development project near Sriracha represents the first expansion of the Hilton Family of Hotels in the Asia Pacific. This latest management contract by our team signifies the unique growth potential for the Doubletree brand and other Hilton Family hotel products to grow in this region," commented Koos Klein, president - Middle East and Asia Pacific for Hilton. "As a full service and leisure-focused resort, the Doubletree Golf Resort and Spa, located on the highly esteemed Sriracha Golf Club, is well positioned to attract the rapidly growing golf leisure market in this part of the world."

Hilton currently operates four hotels in Thailand. Doubletree has a fast-growing portfolio of more than 170 Doubletree full-service hotels and resorts in gateway cities, airport locations, suburban markets and leading leisure destinations throughout North America and South America.

"Doubletree Hotels celebrates a passion for providing millions of travelers with a fine collection of full-service hotels across the Western Hemisphere that combine contemporary style and comfort with an attention to detail that ensures guests are well taken care of. We are truly proud and honored to begin expansion of the Doubletree experience around the world with this incredible hotel resort opportunity in Thailand," said Dave Horton, senior vice president - brand management for Doubletree Hotels.

Amenities and services at the Doubletree Golf Resort & Spa Near Sriracha will include an extensive collection of indoor and outdoor meeting space, day and night golfing, squash courts, tennis courts, a sports bar for visiting guests of legal drinking age, a swimming pool, and a traditional Thai spa and Japanese pool spa. Room and suite sizes will range from 35 to 65 square meters, with many including their own private plunge pools.

Destination Properties currently owns the successful Hilton Hua Hin Resort and Spa in Thailand.

Gary Murray, CEO of Destination Properties, added, "The Doubletree Golf Resort & Spa Near Sriracha will represent the first internationally branded golf resort in Thailand in one of the country's most sought-after hotel markets. The Eastern Seaboard is Thailand's heartland for technology and industry. Hilton and Doubletree are the ideal hotel combination to manage our resort, due to their strong presence in Japan and Korea - two of the primary source markets for golf vacationers and corporate business in the Eastern Seaboard."

The Doubletree Golf Resort & Spa Near Sriracha will be developed in two phases, with the first phase of 223 rooms and suites completed during the next 24 months and the remaining 135 rooms developed thereafter.

Horton added, "This is an exciting new chapter for the Doubletree brand, which continues to attract considerable interest from hotel owners and management companies across North America, and now the world, as they discover Doubletree to be one of the most dynamic conversion brands in the upscale, full-service hotel market today."