TOKYO, Japan - July 16, 2013 – Hilton Worldwide and Rakuten Travel today announced a new intermediary agreement to provide outbound Japanese customers with greater access to world-class accommodations globally. Through this agreement, guests can enjoy seamless access to room availability, rates and reservation information across Hilton Worldwide’s portfolio of 4,000 hotels across 10 award-winning brands in 90 countries.
“Japan is one of the world’s largest source markets for outbound tourism and represents a key strategic market for Hilton Worldwide. Having operated for 50 years in the country, Hilton Worldwide and our portfolio of award-winning hotel brands are well recognized as being best-in-class when it comes to quality hospitality experiences and innovation. This intermediary agreement with Rakuten Travel is a major step in extending our market leading position in Japan to the rest of the world for Japanese travelers,” said Timothy Soper, vice president, Operations – Japan, Korea and Micronesia, Hilton Worldwide.
The pilot program presently includes 54 Hilton Worldwide properties such as the Conrad Centennial Singapore, Conrad Bangkok, and DoubleTree by Hilton Los Angeles Downtown. In future, the program will expand to include 4,000 Hilton Worldwide hotels.
“This intermediary agreement with Hilton Worldwide is Rakuten Travel’s first direct system connection with an international hotel company outside of Japan. As one of the largest online hotel reservation sites in Japan with over 3 million room nights booked per month, we are delighted to offer our customers an extensive range of quality assured accommodation offered by a leading hotel group like Hilton Worldwide,” said Takanobu Yamamoto, president of Rakuten Travel.
Hilton Worldwide has a global portfolio of 10 distinct hotel brands, including Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts, Conrad Hotels & Resorts, Hilton Hotels & Resorts, DoubleTree by Hilton, Embassy Suites Hotels, Hilton Garden Inn, Hampton Hotels, Homewood Suites by Hilton, Home2 Suites by Hilton and Hilton Grand Vacations.
###
About Hilton Worldwide
Hilton Worldwide is a leading global hospitality company, spanning the lodging sector from luxurious full-service hotels and resorts to extended-stay suites and mid-priced hotels. For 94 years, Hilton Worldwide has offered business and leisure travelers the finest in accommodations, service, amenities and value. The company is dedicated to continuing its tradition of providing exceptional guest experiences across its global brands. Its brands are comprised of more than 4,000 hotels and timeshare properties, with more than 650,000 rooms in 90 countries and territories and include Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts, Conrad Hotels & Resorts, Hilton Hotels & Resorts, DoubleTree by Hilton, Embassy Suites Hotels, Hilton Garden Inn, Hampton Hotels, Homewood Suites by Hilton, Home2 Suites by Hilton and Hilton Grand Vacations. The company also manages the world-class guest reward program Hilton HHonors®. Visit www.hiltonworldwide.com for more information and connect with Hilton Worldwide at www.facebook.com/hiltonworldwide, www.twitter.com/hiltonworldwide, www.youtube.com/hiltonworldwide, www.flickr.com/hiltonworldwide and www.linkedin.com/company/hilton-worldwide.
About Rakuten Travel
Rakuten Travel is Japan’s largest Online Travel Agency and a member of the Rakuten Group. Launched in 2001 and established as a subsidiary in 2002, Rakuten Travel shares a customer base with Rakuten Ichiba, the largest online shopping mall in Japan. In the spirit of Rakuten’s empowerment model, Rakuten Travel provides the platform to support accommodation providers in today’s global market. In the past ten years, Rakuten Travel has established offices in 12 countries and 20 cities. http://travel.rakuten.co.jp/kaigai