Hilton International has developed the franchise business model over the past year with the help of its US partner Hilton Hotels Corporation, which already has nearly 2,000 franchised hotels.
Hilton Group chief executive David Michels said: 'Franchising will allow us to further increase our brand exposure and give franchisees the benefits which flow from our global network and the advantages of being associated with our brands.'
To date, Hilton International has only franchised out a limited number of hotels: four Coral by Hiltons in the Caribbean; nine Trident by Hilton in India and several Scandic properties in Norway.Hilton International is a subsidiary of UK-based Hilton Group and owns the rights to the Hilton brand name throughout the world, with the exception of North America.
USA-based Hilton Hotels Corporation is a separate company and owns the rights to the brand name in North America.The two groups do, however, have a global sales and marketing alliance.
