9 Nov, 2012

Hilton Worldwide To Undertake First “Annual Global Week of Service”

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MCLEAN, Va.–(BUSINESS WIRE)-November 08, 2012 – Between November 11 – 18, Hilton Worldwide team members across 90 countries and territories will celebrate the company’s first Global Week of Service. This event will feature hundreds of projects around the globe and unite the company’s approximately 300,000 team members in more than 3,900 locations in their passion for hospitality and service by participating in hands-on volunteer projects and events in their local communities.

Hilton Worldwide’s Global Week of Service is a celebration of the company’s year-round commitment to volunteer service and is an expression of the company’s vision “to fill the earth with the light and warmth of hospitality,” building on founder Conrad N. Hilton’s legacy of service and responsibility to others. The company’s largest annual volunteer service event brings together team members from across Hilton Worldwide’s corporate offices and owned, managed and franchised properties to address many pressing societal needs.

“Every day, Hilton Worldwide team members dedicate their time, talents and energy to provide hospitality to millions of hotel guests around the world, and our Global Week of Service and other volunteer activities allow us to extend the same spirit of hospitality to the individuals and communities beyond our hotel walls,” said Christopher J. Nassetta, president and chief executive officer, Hilton Worldwide. “Just as exceptional service is fundamental to creating memorable and lasting guest experiences, volunteerism is critical to building a strong corporate culture, strengthening our communities and supporting our global growth.”

The official kick-off starts in McLean, Virginia where more than 120 team members from Hilton Worldwide’s global headquarters and the Hilton McLean Tyson’s Corner will volunteer alongside Nassetta, other executives and family members of students at the ACCA Child Development Center — a center preparing youth through age five for entry into kindergarten. Volunteers will develop a hanging system for showcasing youth art, beautify classrooms and clean up the center’s playground.

The week’s network of partners includes the Arbor Day Foundation, Feeding America, Global FoodBanking Network, Global Soap Project, Hilton in the Community Foundation, International Youth Foundation, Points of Light and Room to Read as well as local organizations such as soup kitchens and schools. Team members will participate in a variety of service activities ranging from rebuilding community centers to mentoring young people to restoring natural habitats to helping military veterans in need.

Additional projects throughout the week include:

• Memphis – In honor of Veteran’s Day, more than 100 volunteers will help build a community center for veterans and their families and serve lunch at the Alpha Omega Veterans Services, an organization which has provided care and support to more than 5,000 homeless veterans since its inception.

• Watford, U.K. – Nearly 100 volunteers, including President and CEO Chris Nassetta and Area President Simon Vincent, will refurbish, beautify and create new play and learning spaces at the Watford Mencap Children’s Centre, home to children and young adults with a learning disability.

• Singapore –  50 team members will deliver hospitality through in-kind and food donations at Peace Connect – a service provider for the elderly and home to more than 2,000 seniors of Kampong Glam

• New York – Nearly 100 team members across 10 Hilton-branded properties will volunteer at a Bronx’s PS57X, Crescent Elementary school to revitalize the classrooms with paint and participate in educational and craft projects with the students

• Shanghai – 50 volunteers will build an outdoor gazebo at the Shanghai Healing Home for the children to play outdoors and a garden space to grow fresh vegetables. The Shanghai Healing Home’s mission is to assist the local Chinese Children’s Welfare Institute by providing pre- and post-surgical care to abandoned babies suffering from surgically correctable deformities.

• Orlando – More than 150 volunteers, will plant a victory garden, create outdoor gathering spaces and enhance facilities at the William Just Center for Drug-Free Living.

• Dallas – More than 100 volunteers will help transform the local Family Gateway shelter by revitalizing apartments, creating outdoor gardening, building shelves for the food pantry and working in the Children’s library

• Chicago – More than 100 volunteers to work with Dewey Elementary Academy to create a career fair, install additional seating and shelving for facility, create diversity murals and planter boxes.

• Dubai – Volunteers will convene at Al Noor Training Centre for Children with Special Needs in support of children working at the four vocational training units including carpentry, screen printing, sewing and in the bakery.

The first annual Global Week of Service is just one example of how Hilton Worldwide engages team members to meet societal challenges. Launched in 2011, Travel with Purpose is Hilton Worldwide’s corporate responsibility commitment to providing shared value to its business and communities in four areas – creating opportunities for individuals to reach their full potential; strengthening communities where Hilton Worldwide operates; celebrating cultures and the power of travel; and living sustainably through the measurement, analysis and improvement of the company’s use of natural resources.

During the Week, team members will be encouraged to share their personal stories of service and hospitality through a variety of channels. Photos and stories from the events will be posted at www.hiltonworldwide.com/serve, on the Hilton Worldwide Facebook page and on the @HiltonWorldwide Twitter account throughout the week.