Homewood Suites by Hilton Launches Homewood Connections Program to Help ``Business Families'' Stay in Touch.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Program Helps Remove the Stress of Business Travel and Enables Families to Stay Connected With Complimentary Wireless 2-Way Messaging Device(a)

According to the Travel Industry Association, more than 16.5 million business trips were taken last year with kids. With business travel escalating for the first time since September 11, 2001 -- showing a four percent increase over 2003 -- this trend is projected to grow at a rapid pace.

As business travel increases and work schedules become more demanding, families with a business traveler -- the "Business Family" -- suffer from a lack of quality time together. Therefore, Homewood Suites by Hilton(R), with 140 residential-style, upscale all-suite hotels throughout the U.S. and Canada, launches the multifaceted Homewood Connections(TM) program. The program helps business families stay in touch -- and even provides tips for bringing kids along on business trips.

Components of Homewood Connections include:

--complimentary wireless 2-way messaging device

--Homewood Connections(TM) Cyber-Speak Guide

--complimentary family grocery-shopping service(b)

--online tips from family travel expert Eileen Ogintz on how to connect with home while on a business trip, as well as the "do's and don'ts" of taking kids on business trips

Addressing the continuing blur between business and leisure time, the goal of the Homewood Connections program is two-fold: to keep the "Business Family" connected when they're apart and to help make business trips with family easier.

"We recognize some of our amenities like high-speed Internet access are there to help our guests stay connected with business, but those features have also become integral for parents and kids to stay connected when separated by business travel," said Jim Holthouser, senior vice president of brand management, Homewood Suites by Hilton. "As a brand where our extended stay guests stay an average of 14 consecutive nights, Homewood Suites hotels have a special insight into the traveler's need to stay connected with home."

The current components of the Homewood Connections program is the first phase of a long term program beyond the standard services and amenities of a traditional hotel to help guests stay connected, according to Holthouser.

Complimentary Wireless 2-Way Messaging Device Helps Families Stay in Touch

To help business travelers stay in touch with their families while away, Homewood Suites is offering travelers a complimentary(a) PerComm E80 wireless 2-way messaging device when they sign up and pay for one-year of SkyTel nationwide service. No room booking is necessary. Business travelers can take their wireless messenger with them on the road to send and receive e-mail and instant text messages to and from their kids, friends or co-workers while they are apart. The PerComm E80 is a $140 value. The offer is available at homewoodsuites.com.

In recent focus groups conducted with kids of business travelers by Homewood Suites, kids revealed they "talk more" with their parents via their keyboard, rather than telephone. To help parents learn their child's "language," Homewood Suites provides the "Homewood Connections(TM) Cyber-Speak Guide." Sample shorthand codes include MUSM (Miss You So Much), LU (Love You) and TLK2UL8R (Talk To You Later). The guide is available online at homewoodsuites.com, click on specials & promotions.

For business travelers communicating with co-workers, Homewood Suites developed new e-mail codes such as: OTR CLL U L8R (On The Road Call You Later) and LMK TME V MTG (Let Me Know The Time of The Meeting). The "Homewood Connections Cyber-Speak Guide" will be available in the business center or other public area of Homewood Suites hotels starting December 13th.

"Hotel guests today are very tech-savvy and rely on e-mail as a primary communication outlet," said Calvin Stovall, vice president of brand marketing, Homewood Suites by Hilton. "We created this offer to add a little enjoyment to business travel and make it easier to connect with the kids back home."

Complimentary Grocery-Shopping Service(b) for Families Introduced

To free up time for business travelers and help ease the strain of traveling with kids on business trips, Homewood Suites has tailored its grocery-shopping service for the family, offering a comprehensive list of kid-friendly snacks, drinks, and convenient meal options. Guests simply print out the list online at homewoodsuites.com, fill in their requests, and present it to the front desk of any Homewood Suites by Hilton hotel upon check-in. The hotel will take care of the shopping and deliver the groceries to the family's suite, with no charge for the service (guest pays for groceries), allowing the family to spend more quality time together.

Expert Tips and Ideas for Keeping Connected While Traveling

"As technology advances and the line between business and leisure travel continues to blur, savvy parents are on the lookout for solutions to making travel easy and stress-free, both when they're apart and when traveling together," said family travel expert Eileen Ogintz, author of the award-winning syndicated column "Taking the Kids." As a consultant to the Homewood Connections program, Ogintz offers the following tips for connecting with the kids while on business:

Before you leave...Tips from Eileen Ogintz on Connecting with Your Kids

--Make a date to go to your child's favorite restaurant or playground, take a bike ride or see a movie when you return. Let it be their choice.

--Read a story or watch a movie set in the city or place you'll be visiting. (Ask your children's librarian to make suggestions.) That will help younger kids visualize where you'll be.

--Send a daily funny e-mail to older kids. Suggest they send you their latest report via the Internet so you can offer "homework help." Instant Message them when they're online. It may be easier to talk to your kids when they're online.

For more tips, visit homewoodsuites.com.

Taking the Kids on Business Trips

A growing trend among business travelers is taking their kids or families along on business trips. Based on our guest research, 20 percent of Homewood Suites guests on average bring their kids along on business trips, according to Stovall.

"After all, parents' flight, hotel and meals are already covered, and families need to squeeze in quality time whenever they can," said Ogintz. She offers the following tips for taking the kids on business trips, including:

--Bring help! Bring your spouse, nanny or mom to take care of your child while you work. You can focus on the task at hand, confident that your child is being well-supervised and entertained.

--Book a suite rather than a hotel room so that you have a place to work while they play. A two-bedroom suite or one that has a separate bedroom with a door that you can close while you work is ideal. The kids will love having their own separate space complete with TV and video games. Having a kitchen is a plus so you can keep snacks and feed the kids when they're hungry.

--Choose trips wisely. You don't want to bring the kids to a job interview, tense negotiating session, or one that will require 12-hour days. If you are bringing a child to a convention, check to see if there are organized activities for the kids and teens.

For more tips from Eileen about taking the kids on business, visit homewoodsuites.com.

Ideal for families traveling with children, Homewood Suites by Hilton hotels are residential-style, upscale all-suite properties that offer spacious one-bedroom, two-bedroom and/or studio suites with fully equipped kitchens and sleeper sofas. Other features include a daily complimentary Suite Start(TM) hot breakfast, a Welcome Home(R) reception(c) with a complimentary light meal and beverages Monday-Thursday evenings, complimentary high-speed Internet access at all U.S. locations, complimentary grocery shopping service(b) and kids under 18 stay at no charge when sharing a suite with their parents. Also, most locations offer a 24-hour Suite Shop(R) convenience store, exercise room, guest laundry facility and a swimming pool.

To make reservations at any Homewood Suites by Hilton(R) hotel, travelers can visit the Homewood Suites Web site at homewoodsuites.com or call 1-800-CALL-HOME(R). Homewood Suites by Hilton is part of the Hilton HHonors(R) hotel guest reward program. Members of Hilton HHonors can also Double Dip(R) to earn Points & Miles(R) for every qualifying stay at any Homewood Suites by Hilton hotel.

Homewood Suites by Hilton is part of Hilton Hotels Corporation, which is recognized internationally as a preeminent hospitality company. The company develops, owns, manages or franchises more than 2,200 hotels, resorts and vacation ownership properties. Its portfolio includes many of the world's best known and most highly regarded hotel brands, including Hilton(R), Conrad(R), Doubletree(R), Embassy Suites Hotels(R), Hampton Inn(R), Hampton Inn & Suites(R), Hilton Garden Inn(R), Hilton Grand Vacations Club(R) and Homewood Suites by Hilton(R).

(a) A one year service commitment is required to get the PerComm 2-way messenger. You must first sign a contract with Skytel for one year(a) at the following rate: $29.95 per month for the first 6 months; $19.95 for the second 6 months. The first 6 months fees must be prepaid on a credit card. Thereafter, charges for each six-month service period will be debited biannually automatically in advance on customer's credit card. You must also pay shipping and handling, a one-time activation fee of $25.00, and any applicable FCC fees and sales tax. Rates include 1,000 total messages each month. Each additional message will be charged to customer's account at $.05 per message. Early Termination Fee applies. Offer expires on December 31, 2004. Offer valid only where SkyTel 2-way paging coverage is available. Purchase and use subject to standard terms and conditions of SkyTel. Sponsor may send occasional promotional messages. Offer valid in U.S. only. Void where prohibited. Offer available while supply lasts. SkyTel coverage is not available in all areas. Must be at least 18 years of age with a valid credit card.

(b) Guest pays for groceries. Other restrictions apply.

(c) Subject to state and local laws. Must be of legal drinking age.

HHonors(R), Double Dip(R) and Double Dipping(R) are trademarks owned by Hilton HHonors Worldwide, L.L.C. Hilton HHonors membership, earning of Points & Miles(R), and redemption of points are subject to HHonors Terms and Conditions.