The
exit
from
gaming,
the
reunification
of
Hilton's
worldwide
marketing,
and
the
extension
of
the
brand
into
the
middle
market
under
the
Hilton
Garden
Inns
name
were
initiatives
that
followed
the
appointment
in
1997
of
Stephen
F.
Bollenbach
as
pres-
ident
and
chief
executive
officer
of
Hilton.
Bollenbach
had
served
as
chief
financial
officer
of
Marriott
and
most
recently
as
chief
financial
officer
of
Disney,
and
he
brought
to
Hilton
a
passion
for
branding.
To
some
members
of
the
Hilton
management
team,
the
focus
on
brand
development
was
a welcome
one.
"Hilton's
advantage
has
been
a
well-recognized
name,
but
a potentially
limiting
factor
has
been
a
widely
varying
prod-
uct
and
the
challenge
of
managing
customer
expectation
with
such
a variety
of
product
offerings.
Since
Hilton
includes
everything
from
world-renowned
properties
like
The
Waldorf-Astoria
and
Hilton
Hawaiian
Village
to
the
smaller
middle-market
Hilton
Garden
Inns,
it's
important
to
give
consumers
a clear
sense
of
what
to
expect
from
the
various
types
of
hotels,"
observed
one
manager.
In
mid-1999,
the
properties
branded
as
Hilton
hotels
comprised: