Press Release
December 7, 2000
MEMPHIS, TN -- Thanks to the Internet, there are a thousand ways to send Santa a holiday wish list, but one company
promises to personally hand deliver the jolly old figure his letters this year at the North Pole while helping
get Santa ready for the holidays. Hampton, the national brand of more than 1,000 Hampton Inn® and Hampton Inn
& Suites® hotels, announced yesterday it will trek through the arctic cold to refurbish the nostalgic Santa
statue towering 48 feet in North Pole, Alaska.
The restoration effort is part of the company's nationwide ``Explore the Highway with Hampton'' project, developed
to refurbish U.S. landmarks from coast to coast. From the ``world's largest duck'' in New York to the historic
mission bell markers in California, Hampton employees will now venture far north to Alaska to continue their work
of repainting and restoring many of the country's cherished landmarks. The company adopts Santa, one of the most
prominent figures in history, as its fifth, largest and most challenging landmark restoration project yet.
Contractors began preparing the Santa site this week for the job of painting the 48-foot tall, 33-foot wide Santa
statue in below zero temperatures. The work will consist of erecting a large 60-foot high heated tent to cover
Santa to ensure the re-painting is a success. It has been more than a decade since the statue has been painted.
Since then, Santa has endured the harsh arctic wind and weather outside his home, the Santa Claus House. Hampton
will invest tens of thousands of dollars to get Santa looking his best before December 24. To view Santa and the
restoration in progress, visit www.santaclaushouse.com.
The refurbishment work is expected to take seven to 10 days. During that period, Hampton is offering kids a chance
to compose their own personal letter to Santa through the company's Web site at www.hamptoninn.com. Hampton representatives
will personally ensure all wish lists received by midnight (CST) December 10 through its Web site are delivered
to the Santa Claus House in North Pole, Alaska just in time.
``We fielded a survey a few months ago and learned that nine out of 10 Americans think it's important to preserve
landmarks,'' said Phil Cordell, senior vice president, Brand Management, for Hampton. ``One of America's most loved
icons is Santa Claus. We couldn't think of a better way to give back this holiday season than to preserve a Santa
landmark in North Pole, Alaska that symbolizes the giving spirit and goodwill for so many and is admired by hundreds
of thousands of travelers each year,'' Cordell added.
Hampton receives five to 15 landmark restoration recommendations a week. Those interested in submitting landmarks
for consideration in 2001 should write to: ``Explore the Highway With Hampton,'' P.O. Box 15422, Beverly Hills,
Calif., 90210 or visit the company's Web site ``Explore the Highway with Hampton'' page at www.hamptoninn.com.
Hampton Inn is a subsidiary of Hilton Hotels Corporation, an internationally recognized, preeminent hospitality
company. The company develops, owns, manages or franchises more than 1,800 hotels, resorts and vacation ownership
properties. Its portfolio includes many of the world's best known and most highly regarded hotel brands, including
Hilton®, Doubletree®, Embassy Suites Hotels®, Hampton Inn®, Hampton Inn & Suites®, Harrison
Conference Centers®, Hilton Garden Inn®, Hilton Grand Vacations Company®, Homewood Suites® by Hilton,
Red Lion Hotels & Inns®, and Conrad®.
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Contact:
Hilton Brand Communications
Melissa O'Brien, 901/374-5534
Kendra Walker, 310/205-4545
melissa_o'brien@hilton.com
http://www.hilton.com
or
Douglas-Cohn & Wolfe
Melanie Gravdal, 310/967-2957
melanie_gravdal@cohnwolfe.com