From Bucket List to Booked: Hilton Hotels & Resorts Empowers Guests to Make Travel Dreams a Reality

MCLEAN, Va. - Hilton Worldwide (NYSE: HLT) recently launched its "Stop Clicking Around" marketing campaign, the largest in the company's 97-year history, which lays out the many benefits to travelers of booking hotel stays directly on the company's website. Now, Hilton Hotels & Resorts is introducing a new way for travelers to turn "someday" travel dreams into "let's go!" experiences with its Our Stage. Your Story. platform. Through a partnership with motivational bestselling author and Emmy Award-winning choreographer Derek Hough, the flagship brand is encouraging people to move from dreaming to doing, and ultimately book their next great travel story, using tools provided on the online hub www.OurStageYourStory.com. 

Tapping the Power of Visualization
Hilton has found in a recent study¹ that 86 percent of travelers set goals for themselves - including places to see and things to do - and for those travelers, visualization is key to achieving their travel goals. To bridge the gap between visualizing and doing, Hilton and Hough are encouragingwww.OurStageYourStory.com visitors to create their own digital vision boards. The site offers a selection of templates and a library of bucket-list-worthy destination images to enable aspiring travelers to build their dream experience, find inspiration from fellow travelers and share it through social media.

Best known for his leading role on "Dancing with the Stars" and soon to star in Broadway's"Singin' in the Rain," Hough explains how motivational tools can help anyone achieve goals. "In my career as a performer and coach, I am passionate about helping people reach their full potential - both on stage and in everyday life. Visualization is an important method for me to channel my creativity in pursuit of my personal and professional goals," said Hough. "For me, whether on the road for work or taking time for myself, exploring a new place has always been a great way to gain new perspective and soak up inspiration. I'm thrilled to be partnering with Hilton this year to share my tools for success and help others realize their dreams."

Live Your Next Travel Story with Hilton
Throughout the year, Hilton will refresh the site with new content, and provide travel inspiration to people on and offline. 

• Today, the brand takes to the streets of New York City to delight consumers with Hilton "StoryFinders." Disguised as normal city viewfinders, passersby in Union Square and Midtown East will find themselves transported to an exotic beach destination - and may even be surprised by Hough with a free two-night stay at a Hilton Hotels & Resorts property of their choice.
• Starting March 18, users who create their vision board atwww.OurStageYourStory.com will be invited to share it on Hilton's social channels for the chance to get one step closer to making their dream vacation a reality. 

"Whether it's a beachside escape, safari expedition or local weekend getaway, the dream to travel is nearly universal - and Hilton has been enabling memorable travel stories around the world for nearly 100 years," said Mary Beth Parks, senior vice president, global brand marketing, Hilton Worldwide. "Through Our Stage. Your Story., we want to inspire travelers to not just imagine a great experience, but to actually live it. Once dreamers are ready to embark on their next travel story, they can get the best rates, instant benefits and access to unforgettable, exclusive experiences by joining Hilton HHonors and booking directly with us."  

Also debuting throughout the year will be print and digital marketing creative that showcases the brand through new dimensions and inspires consumers to book their dream travel, including a richly immersive experience launching today via The New York Times Virtual Reality app. 

For more information, visit www.ourstageyourstory.com or follow Hilton Hotels & Resorts on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/hilton), Instagram (@hiltonhotels), Twitter (@hiltonhotels) and YouTube 
(https://www.youtube.com/hilton).

References 

1. Research is based on an online survey commissioned by Hilton Hotels & Resorts of n=5,033 travelers ages 18+ in the U.S., UK, Germany, China, and Japan (approximately n=1,000 per country).