USA Gymnastics and Hilton HHonors extend partnership through 2016

INDIANAPOLIS and MCLEAN, Va., – USA Gymnastics and Hilton HHonors, the loyalty program for Hilton Worldwide’s 10 distinct hotel brands, announced today that Hilton HHonors has extended its partnership with USA Gymnastics as the official hotel partner through 2016. The multi-year partnership will focus on support for top athletes and more than 100,000 members of the organization.

Hilton HHonors will continue its support of Team Hilton HHonors, a program that provides financial support to male gymnasts to help offset their training and living expenses while they pursue their Olympic dreams. Three members of the 2012 U.S. Men’s Olympic Team – Jonathan Horton of Houston/Cypress Academy, Danell Leyva of Miami/Universal Gymnastics, and John Orozco of the Bronx, N.Y./U.S. Olympic Training Center – and the three Olympic alternates (Chris Brooks of Houston/Cypress Academy, Steven Legendre of Port Jefferson, N.Y./University of Oklahoma, and Alexander Naddour of Gilbert, Ariz./USA Youth Fitness Center) were members of Team Hilton HHonors in 2012. The new Team Hilton HHonors will be named in the near future.

"Hilton HHonors was an important part of our athletes’ success in 2012," said Steve Penny, president of USA Gymnastics, "In addition to providing direct financial support for top male gymnasts, HHonors also contributed to our national team’s comfort and rest by financing improvements at the USA Gymnastics National Team Training Center at the Karolyi Ranch. HHonors also delivered benefits to our entire organization through hotel room discounts. We look forward to building upon that foundation through the comprehensive partnership on our road to Rio de Janeiro and the 2016 Olympic Games."

"Hilton HHonors is proud to extend its partnership with USA Gymnastics, continuing our commitment to the U.S. Olympic Movement and Olympic hopefuls," said Jeff Diskin, executive vice president, commercial services, Hilton Worldwide. "We were honored to contribute to valuable initiatives in 2011 and 2012 to assist USA Gymnastics athletes in their pursuit of Olympic gold and we look forward to opportunities over the course of the next three years to continue that effort."

Hilton HHonors offers USA Gymnastics athletes, professional members, families and fans the opportunity to save up to 15 percent on their next stay when booking through HHonors.com/usagym at any of the 3,900 hotels and resorts within the Hilton HHonors portfolio, which includes 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 agreement also includes funds for activating various promotional initiatives, USA Gymnastics member programs, and exclusive USA Gymnastics experiences and benefits for Hilton HHonors members. After joining USA Gymnastics’ corporate family of partners in 2011, Hilton HHonors upgraded the amenities provided at the USA Gymnastics National Training Center at the Karolyi Ranch, a U.S. Olympic Training Site. The upgrades included beds, mattresses, washers and dryers, linens, clocks, coffee makers, ice makers, towels and toiletries. Located in Huntsville, Texas, the USA Gymnastics National Training Center has housing and training facilities for women’s, rhythmic and acrobatic gymnastics, and trampoline and tumbling.

Hilton HHonors is a long-standing partner of the U.S. Olympic Committee as the official hotel partner of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Teams. Support includes refurbishment of all three Olympic Training Centers and providing discounted hotel rates to U.S. Olympians and Paralympians, the USOC and National Governing Bodies.

Background information

· Hilton HHonors: Hilton HHonors, the award-winning guest-loyalty program for Hilton Worldwide’s 10 distinct hotel brands, offers its 34 million members more ways to earn and redeem points than any other guest-loyalty program, enabling them to create experiences worth sharing at more than 3,900 hotels in 90 countries and territories. HHonors members can now redeem points for any room, anywhere, anytime, including the most luxurious suites, using any of four room rewards: Premium Room Rewards, Room Upgrade Rewards, Points & Money Rewards and Standard Room Rewards. In addition, HHonors members can use points to purchase unique experience rewards, merchandise and vacation packages, make charitable contributions and more. HHonors is also the only guest-loyalty program to offer ‘No Blackout Dates’ and ‘Points & Miles’ for the same stay at its properties worldwide, including participating 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. Membership in HHonors is free, and travelers may enroll online by visiting www.HiltonHHonors.com or connect with Hilton HHonors at news.hiltonhhonors.com. Members can now also book reservations, manage their accounts and redeem special offers with the new Hilton HHonors mobile app for iPhone.

· USA Gymnastics. Based in Indianapolis, USA Gymnastics is the national governing body for gymnastics in the United States. Its mission is to encourage participation and the pursuit of excellence in the sport. Its disciplines include men's and women's artistic gymnastics, rhythmic gymnastics, trampoline and tumbling, acrobatic gymnastics, and group gymnastics. For more information, log on to www.usagym.org.

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