Analysis of the Hilton Hotels

Hilton Hotels is one of the market leaders in the hotel and gaming industry in the United States. Hilton is a well-known and distinguished name in fine hotels across the United States and worldwide. In 1999, Hilton expanded aggressively by acquiring the Promus Hotel Corporation, Hampton Inn and Suites, Doubletree Hotels, Embassy Suites Hotels, and Homewood Suites. Hilton Hotels Corporation has grown to become the world 's most recognized and most successful hotel company (Hilton Innovation, 2007). With the 2006 acquisition of Hilton International, Hilton Hotels Corporation became a global force with more than 2,800 hotels in more than 80 countries throughout the world. In an attempt to become even more aggressive, the Hilton 's decided to change its direction by venturing into the gaming industry.

_Introduction_

The purpose of this case analysis is to address the key marketing issue for the Hilton Hotels. The marketing strategies Hilton should pursue in the hotel and gaming markets will be discussed and recommendations will be made. In addition, the use and implementation of the SWOT analysis will be incorporated throughout the discussion. Information will be provided from the case study and the use of secondary resources for support of the marketing strategies recommended for the Hilton Hotels.

In an attempt to become a more aggressive business operation, Hilton Hotels decided to change its strategic direction by venturing into the gaming industry. With this strategy came not only new opportunities but also large elements of risks and competition. In 1994 the growth in the gaming segment declined with gaming operating income down by 7% from 1993. The Hilton Hotels however had a 3% increase in occupancy from 1993 (Hilton Hotels Corporation, 2007)). In view of this, it is important to understand market needs and develop marketing strategies in tune with creating customer value for long-term performance (Tarasofsky, 2007) . A few of the key issues facing the

References: Hilton Hotels Corporation (2007_). Our people growth and innovation_. Retrieved April 16, 2008 from: http://hiltonworldwide1.hilton.com McDonald, W. J. (1998). Hilton Hotels. _Cases in strategic marketing management_. [University of Phoenix Custom e-text]. Prentice-Hall, Inc. Retrieved April 16, 2008, from University of Phoenix, Resource: https://ecampus.phoenix.edu/secure/resource/resource.asp Tarasofsky, Jerry (2007). The wired hotel: understanding the needs of your most valuable web site visitors. Hotel News Resource. Retrieved March 23, 2007 from: http://www.hotelnewsresource.com/article20136.html