Embassy Suites Hotels(R) Soars to New Heights with Launch of New Hotel Restaurant...

Embassy Suites Hotels(R) Soars to New Heights with Launch of New Hotel Restaurant Concept - Flying Spoons

Upscale Hotel Brand Creates New Hotel Restaurant Segment -"Hip
Casual"
MEMPHIS, Tenn.--(Business Wire)--Embassy Suites Hotels, the upscale, all-suite brand of 190 hotels,
is exceeding expectations in the hospitality industry with the launch
of a new innovative restaurant concept, Flying Spoons.

Part European-style cafe and part American coffeehouse, this new
concept in hotel food & beverage expands upon the "fast casual"
concept made popular by Panera Bread and other bakery-cafes and
creates a new segment: "Hip Casual." Embassy Suites is accommodating
the changing needs of guests by providing a range of convenient, fresh
dishes and beverages to fit a variety of schedules: from eating on the
go to eating smaller, more frequent meals.

"For three years we've been studying guests' changing eating
habits: guests who eat on-the-run, guests who replace meals with a
specialty coffee drink and even those who eat at non-traditional times
of the day," remarked Jim Holthouser, senior vice president, brand
management, Embassy Suites Hotels. "We've taken these habits into
consideration and have beta-tested a variety of new layouts, dishes
and restaurant concepts in a sampling of hotels throughout the brand.
Flying Spoons is the evolution of that research and we think we've
created exactly what guests have been requesting."

This new concept was first introduced as "Marketplace" in 2006 as
a part of the brand's new Design Option III prototype. Flying Spoons
is the evolution of that concept and is designed to meet the needs of
developers and owners looking to give business and leisure guests a
complete food & beverage solution for every situation and hotel
location, from airport to suburban and urban/city center hotels. The
new concept offers hotel developers flexibility and cost efficiencies
not afforded with a traditional hotel restaurant.

Flying Spoons will be strategically located in the hotel lobby and
shares space with the brand's complimentary cooked-to-order breakfast
and Manager's Reception, a reduced labor model and reduced square
footage. The restaurant will cost an estimated 30 percent less to
develop than a traditional atrium restaurant. The brand's first Flying
Spoons will debut in late 2008 at the Embassy Suites
Jackson-North/Ridgeland, Miss., which will also be the brand's first
Design Option III prototype to open.

"We worked very carefully to make sure this restaurant offered
developers flexible options and cost efficiencies by sharing the
hotel's back-of-house facilities and equipment and a reduced labor
model," added Holthouser. "From a development standpoint, this is
definitely a more viable F & B alternative for markets where guests
have a plethora of dining options right outside the hotel's door or is
a part of a mixed use project."

Design Elements and Menu Offerings

The new hip casual restaurant segment created by Flying Spoons
offers guests a social environment in the hotel lobby where guests can
check e-mail, connect with others or just "be." Signature design
elements include:

-- Display of Fornasetti dinner plates: Piero Fornasetti
(1913-1988) was known for decorating everyday objects with
fanciful motifs. The most famous is the 19th-century
black-and-white magazine image of a woman's face, which he
adapted for a series of dinner plates.

-- Comfortable, casual furniture: Custom-made pieces include an
access lamp with power ports and other free-standing elements,
rather than built-in pieces, portraying a more residential
feel.

-- Variety of Seating Styles: Bar-height /transactional seating
for people on the go; traditional restaurant seating with
tables and chairs; wing-back chairs and ottomans with custom
lamp and power ports for people who want to settle in for a
relaxing dining experience.

-- Inviting decor: The interior design of Flying Spoons
encompasses a warm color palette of dark gray, light gray,
chocolate brown, burnt orange and robin's egg blue. The
ottomans featured in each hotel showcase the famous verse from
the Declaration of Independence: "We hold these truths to be
self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are
endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that
among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

-- Flexible packages for developers: Hotel developers can choose
from three design levels to meet their hotel's specific needs,
from complete turnkey package to a smaller-scaled version.

Innovative menu items being offered at Flying Spoons feature
lighter fare such as fresh soups, salads and gourmet sandwiches, to
more sophisticated dinner options like salmon, scallops and lobster
enchiladas. The menu will also feature a rotating selection of
pastries and desserts, along with specialty coffee drinks, teas and
boutique soft drinks.

Flying Spoons will offer convenient hours of operation for guests,
no matter the travel schedule. The restaurant will be open from 5 a.m.
until 1 a.m.

About Embassy Suites Hotels

Founded in 1984, Embassy Suites Hotels defines the upscale,
all-suite segment and today has 190 hotels, with an additional 50 in
the pipeline. With spacious two-room suites, engaging team members and
an inviting atrium environment, guests are allowed to put their feet
up and feel right at home. To learn more, visit www.embassysuites.com.

Hilton Hotels Corporation is the leading global hospitality
company, with more than 2,900 hotels and 490,000 rooms in 76 countries
and territories, including 100,000 team members worldwide. The company
owns, manages or franchises a hotel portfolio of some of the best
known and highly regarded brands, including Hilton(R), Conrad(R)
Hotels & Resorts, Doubletree(R), Embassy Suites Hotels(R), Hampton
Inn(R), Hampton Inn & Suites(R), Hilton Garden Inn(R), Hilton Grand
Vacations(TM), Homewood Suites by Hilton(R) and The Waldorf=Astoria
Collection(R).

Embassy Suites Hotels
Dawn Ray, 901-374-5954
dawn.ray@hilton.com
http://www.hiltonworldwide.com
or
Ruder Finn, Inc.
Alicia Rainbolt, 212-593-5863
rainbolta@ruderfinn.com

Copyright Business Wire 2008