Crisis Communications Plan

Hilton Hotels

Prepared by:
S.O.U.L. Public Relations
Amanda Trent
Chris Henrriquez
Hayley O’Keeffe
Table of Contents

I. Introduction…………………………………………………..………………………2
II. Key Messages………………………………………………………………..………..2
III. Positioning Statement………………………………………………………………..2
IV. Crisis Communications Team………………………………………………..….......2
V. Designated Spokesperson………………………………………………………........2
VI. Basic Emergency Plan…………………………………………………………..……3
VII. Top Company Risks………………………………………………………………….5
VIII. Prepared Statements……………………………………………………………........5
a. Fire…………………………………………………………………………….......5
b. Bomb Threat……………………………………………………………………….7
c. Technological Emergency…………………………………………………………9
IX. Collateral Materials…………………………………………………………..….....11
a. Executive Bios……………….…………………………………………………..11
b. Crisis Training Dates……………………………………………………………..13
c. Key Publics………………………………………………………………………13
d. Contact Log………………………………………………………………………13

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 I. Introduction
The crisis communication plan provides the tools, guidelines and resources necessary to handle
a crisis situation. This plan will act as a guide to help maintain control of the situation and to help
Hilton quickly recover from a potential crisis. During a crisis, it is crucial to respond quickly and
efficiently, or the Hilton brand could suffer if the crisis is not handled properly.

II. Key Messages

• Hilton provides an authentic and contemporary experience for our guests worldwide.
• Our Team Members are always ready to provide friendly, individualized service to our
guests.
• We are a business serving people, and our Team Members extend their passion for
hospitality beyond our hotel walls every day.
• Hilton is dedicated to fulfilling its mission to be the world’s most hospitable company by
delivering exceptional experiences – every hotel, every guest, every time.

III. Positioning Statement

Hilton Worldwide is dedicated to fulfilling its mission and maintaining our guests’ confidence
and trust. Hilton Worldwide will do everything possible to ensure the safety of our guests and staff
and promise to act quickly in the event of crisis. Hilton Worldwide recommends conciliation in
the event of any crisis to maintain the values of integrity, teamwork, and ownership for which our
company strives.

IV. Crisis Communications Team

• Christopher J. Nassetta: President & Chief Executive Officer
• Joe Berger: Executive Vice President & President, Americas
• Kristin Campbell: Executive Vice President and General Counsel (head of legal)
• Jacqueline Toppings: Director of Brand Public Relations

V. Designated Spokesperson(s)
• Christopher J. Nassetta: President and Chief Executive Officer for Hilton. He joined the
company in 2007. Previously, Mr. Nassetta was President and Chief Executive Officer of
Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc., a position he held since 2000. He joined Host Hotels &
Resorts, Inc. in 1995 as Executive Vice President and was elected Chief Operating Officer
in 1997. Before joining Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc., Mr. Nassetta co-founded Bailey
Capital Corporation in 1991, where he was responsible for the operations of the real estate
investment and advisory firm. Prior to founding Bailey Capital Corporation, he spent seven
years at The Oliver Carr Company, ultimately serving as Chief Development Officer. In
this role, he was responsible for all development and related activities for one of the largest
commercial real estate companies in the mid-Atlantic region. Mr. Nassetta graduated from
the University of Virginia McIntire School of Commerce with a degree in finance. He
currently serves on the McIntire School of Commerce Advisory Board.

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• Kristin Campbell: Executive Vice President and General Counsel for Hilton. She joined
the company in June 2011 and is responsible for leading Hilton’s global legal and
compliance functions. Prior to Hilton, Ms. Campbell was Senior Vice President, General
Counsel and Corporate Secretary of Staples, Inc., a $25 billion international office products
company. While in this role she gained experience in board work and corporate
governance, regulatory compliance, M&A, commercial transactions, litigation, real estate,
labor and employment, in both the U.S. domestic and international arenas. Prior to joining
Staples, Inc. in 1993, Ms. Campbell worked at law firms Goodwin Proctor and Rackemann,
Sawyer & Brewster. Ms. Campbell is a member of the Board of Directors of Office Depot,
Inc., a U.S. publicly traded business supply and technology services company. She has also
served on the boards of various trade and non-profit organizations, and currently is a
member of the Board of Directors of Vital Voices Global Partnership and the Advisory
Board of New Perimeter. She is a member of the Massachusetts and Virginia bars.

VI. Basic Emergency Plan

• Preferred method for reporting fires and other emergencies:
o During an emergency, an employee or manager must call 911 and contact the local
emergency personnel, if the automatic alarms have not already notified them.
o Once emergency personnel have been notified, the manager should call CEO,
Christopher J. Nassetta. If the CEO cannot be reached, the manager will call Joe
Berger, the executive vice president.
o The CEO will contact the crisis communication team via telephone, email and/or
fax.
o Jacqueline Toppings: Director of Brand Public Relations will get in contact with
local media to make them aware of the situation and to release a holding statement.
The media will be notified via telephone, wire service, press conference, press
conference, email, and/or news release.
o Key publics should be notified via telegram, personal visits, and meetings.
• An evacuation policy and procedure:
o In case of an emergency, the staff should direct guests to exit the hotels
o If it is unsafe to evacuate, direct all guests to e predetermined safe area or shelter,
for example, a ballroom.
o Each hotel should have designated assembly areas for the guests and staff to gather
outside or inside the hotel.
o After an evacuation takes place, a manager should take a headcount using the
rooming list. If the manager is unavailable, the head count responsibility will fall
down the chain of command. All employees must be accounted for.
• Emergency escape procedures and route assignments:
o Every hotel must have a prepared escape route and have employees trained to direct
guests safely to the designated safe areas.
o All guests must be directed to evacuate, following employees, and then managers
will evacuate.

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 o Every room and hallway in the hotel should have clear evacuation routes and floor
plans posted on the walls.
• Duties and responsibilities under the emergency plan:
o Each hotel should have the local contact information of these contacts in case of an
emergency.
o Example of emergency contacts of the Hilton headquarters in McLean:
§ Fairfax County Office of Emergency Management: 571-350-1000,
oem@fairfaxcounty.gov
§ Police: 703-556-7750
§ Fire Officials: 703-356-6671
§ Hospital:
• Tysons Corner Medical Center Kaiser Permanente
844-549-0597
§ The Health Department:
• Fairfax County Health Department 703-246-2411
§ Utilities:
§ Paramedics:
§ Government Officials: (in case of a threat to people)
§ Contact info for the mayor, governor, city council members, county
officials, state legislators, U.S. senators and representatives
• Procedures for employees who remain to perform or shut down critical plant operations,
operate fire extinguishers, or perform other essential services that cannot be shut down for
every emergency alarm before evacuating;
o In the case of an emergency of a fire, flood, bomb, or any emergency that may
affect hotel equipment from working properly, the maintenance employee on duty
is responsible for turning on the backup equipment.
o If emergency equipment, such as fire alarms fail to work, employees are responsible
for calling each room, or going door-to-door, to make sure guests evacuate the
building or go to the designated safe area of the hotel.
• Rescue and medical duties for any workers designated to perform them
o It is strongly recommended that all managers and shift lead at every hotel is CPR
certified. In the event of an emergency, they should tend to any victims until
emergency personnel arrive on the scene.
• List of Key Media:
o Key media according to the Hilton headquarters in McLean, VA:
§ Fairfax Times - weekly newspaper servicing McLean and the rest of
Fairfax County. Contact: Gregg MacDonald, 571-323-6224,
gmacdonald@fairfaxtimes.com
§ McLean Connection - Online news source servicing Northern Virginia.
Contact: Mary Kimm, 703-778-9431
mkimm@connectionnewspapers.com
§ Washington Post - Major daily newspaper based out of DC

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 § Contact: News tip hotline 202-580-5265, lockbox@washpost.com
§ The Virginian Pilot - Daily newspaper. Contact: Steve Gunn, editor,
steve.gunn@pilotonline.com, 757-446-2321
§ The Richmond Times Dispatch - daily newspaper based out of Richmond.
Contact: 804-649-6990
§ WWBT NBC 12, contact: Kym Grinnage, General Manager,
804-230-1212
§ WJLA ABC 7 contact: 703-236-9480, newsdesk@wjla.com
§ WTTG Fox 5 contact: 202-895-3000, fox5tips@foxtv.com
§ WTVR CBS 6 contact: 804-254-3684, license@tribunemedia.com
§ Radio WAMU 88.5 NPR news station: (202) 885-1200

VII. Top Company Risks

1. Fire
2. Bomb threat
3. Technological emergency (data breach, power is out, system crash)
4. Drowning at hotel pool
5. Bed bugs/bugs
6. Death/suicide

VIII. Prepared Statements

a. Fire
i. Initial procedure:
1. The first person to be notified of a fire should contact the hotel
manager and call 9-1-1 to get a hold of the fire department. As soon
as the fire department is notified, emergency evacuation protocol
should be immediately initiated to assure all of the guests and staff
are safely out of harm’s way. A holding statement should be drafted
and released once the fire department is contacted.
ii. Holding statement:
1. Hilton Hotels is confirming a report of a fire at a Hilton-owned hotel.
According to the information gathered at this time, the fire occurred
at time at Hotel Name in City, State. Local fire and police authorities
are en route to the scene to fight the fire, investigate the incident,
and ensure that hotel guests and staff are safely removed from
potential harm. We will be providing more information as it
becomes available. An emergency call line has been established for
further information regarding guests and staff. Please call (XXX)
XXX-XXXX.

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iii. Media statement:
1. At time on date, hotel name in City, State reported a fire to local
authorities. Fire and police forces were sent to the scene to fight the
fire, investigate the incident, and ensure that hotel guests and staff
are safely removed from potential harm. Information about the state
of the fire. Hotel guests and staff are information about safety of
people. The source of the fire has been determined to be location. At
this moment, the integrity of the building is being assessed and will
determine when guests and staff can safely re-enter.
Accommodations can be made with hotel management for guests to
be transferred to the nearest Hilton hotel at address. For more
information about guest accommodations and impacts of the fire,
please call (XXX) XXX-XXXX.
iv. Twitter
1. A fire has been reported at a Hilton Hotel in City, State. Fire and
police force are on the scene to ensure that hotel guests and staff are
safely removed from potential harm. The integrity of the building is
being assessed and will determine when guests and staff can safely
re-enter. For more information about guest accommodations and
impacts of the fire, please call (XXX) XXX-XXXX.
v. Facebook
1. A fire has been reported at a Hilton Hotel in City, State. Information
about the state of the fire. Fire and police force are on the scene to
ensure that hotel guests and staff are safely removed from potential
harm. Information about safety of people. The integrity of the
building is being assessed and will determine when guests and staff
can safely re-enter. For more information about guest
accommodations and impacts of the fire, please call (XXX) XXX-
XXXX.
vi. Q&As
1. How was the fire started?
a. The source of the fire is currently being investigated. As
soon as any information is available it will be released.
2. There are rumors that this was started by a hotel employee. Is this a
result of any employee unhappiness with the company?
a. We believe in treating every employee with the utmost
respect and are consistently checking in with employees to
ensure that they are happy with their work environment. At
the moment we are unaware of any employee unrest, but we
will stand with our employees to get through this situation
and come out stronger.

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 3. How will you make sure that fires to not negatively impact your
guests?
a. Guest satisfaction and safety is our top priority. We update
our emergency plan every 6 month and train every hotel
employee to be able to deal with high-pressure situations like
a fire. We have plans in every hotel that ensure the highest
level of safety for every guest.
4. What is happening to the guests in the rooms affected by the fire?
a. Any guest who feels unsafe to return to their hotel room
(affected by the fire or not) is be offered a room at our closest
Hilton-owned hotel.
5. Your hotel manager seems suspiciously calm throughout this? Do
you think they had anything to do with the start of the fire?
a. Our management teams are trained to deal with crisis and
how to stay calm in a high-stress environment such as a fire.
We are grateful to see their commitment to the training and
the safety of each guest and employee.

b. Bomb Threat
i. Initial Procedure:
1. If an operator or front desk receptionist should receive a call
indicating a bomb threat, the operator should remain calm and
initiate recording of the phone call. The operator should write down
exact wording of caller, their attitude, gender, age, and accent of
caller. The operator should also ask where the bomb is located, what
kind of bomb it is, and when it will go off. The caller should also be
asked if they represent an organization, and why it was placed.
Background noise should be listened to and listed in writing by the
receiver of the call.
2. The operator should then notify the on-site manager through
company text message of an immediate emergency and then notify
the police.
3. The Hilton Hotel has adopted a simple code system to be used in
case of emergency evacuation situations between staff to keep panic
and hysteria from taking over the situation.
ii. Holding Statement:
1. Today at time, Hilton Hotel located in the city of city, received a call
from an unknown person claiming to have planted a bomb on site.
The police were notified, and they are currently investigating the
hotel and surrounding premises. We are in full cooperation with the
police and plan to update our information within the next hour, call
(XXX) XXX-XXXX for support, resources, and updated
information.

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iii. Media statement:
1. Today at time, Hilton Hotel located in the city of city, received a call
from an unidentified person claiming to have planted a bomb on site.
The police were notified and promptly conducted a thorough
investigation of the hotel and surrounding premises. After safely
evacuating our hotel, a small bomb was located and disarmed in the
basement of the hotel. Because of the swift action taken by our staff
and the police force, tragedy was avoided. The guests staying at that
particular location were refunded their stay and offered vouchers for
a stay at any Hilton owned hotel. The suspect is being investigated
by the police and it has been advised not to release any information
about the suspect. We plan to update information within the next 6
hours, call (XXX) XXX-XXXX for support, resources, and updated
information.
iv. Twitter Post:
1. A bomb was disarmed, and tragedy was avoided today at the city
Hilton hotel at time. Thank you to the police and staff of Hilton’s
city location for taking swift action and sparing the lives of hundreds
of people today! <link to website press page>
v. Facebook:
1. Today at time, Hilton Hotel located in the city of city, received a call
from an unidentified person claiming to have planted a bomb on site.
Because of the swift action taken by our staff and the police force,
tragedy was avoided. Thank you to everyone involved in keeping
our guests and surrounding community safe! Visit our website or
call (XXX) XXX-XXXX for support, resources, and updated
information. <link to website press page>
vi. Potential Q&A’s to prepare for:
1. Who is responsible for the bomb threat?
a. Because the police are investigating the incident and the
person responsible at this very moment, we cannot currently
comment on anything we know about the person who called
and/or placed the bomb in our hotel’s basement.
2. Does your team have a plan in place for such emergencies?
a. We do, and that is why our staff was able to respond and
diffuse the situation in such an effective and efficient
manner.
3. What are you doing for the guests who had to evacuate?
a. We are refunding their stay and also giving them vouchers
to stay at any Hilton affiliate in any location for any weekend
of their choice. We appreciate their cooperation and would
like to maintain their trust in our company.

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 4. What are you doing for your staff?
a. Because we are so proud of the way they handled the
situation we are also giving them the same weekend
vouchers as our guests and hosting a champagne brunch for
the entire staff of our city location. We are also offering
support through counseling for staff affected negatively by
the situation.
5. What will you do to improve your emergency plan further?
a. We have implemented a quarterly meeting between a group
committed to handling emergencies within the company to
further prepare ourselves for every emergency that can
potentially be thrown our way.

c. Technological Emergency
i. Initial procedure for a technological emergency:
1. Once a technological emergency has been detected regarding
equipment or system failure the manager of the hotel should call the
crisis hotline immediately. The hotline will then contact the CEO to
implement the crisis communication plan and contact key media.
2. If it is a data breach, the company system must be immediately
frozen to prevent any more information from being stolen. Hilton
must investigate the incident immediately and try to recover any
information that was taken. When it is determined whose
information has been taken, they should be contacted via email to
notify them of the situation and should be told the next steps to take
to secure their accounts.
ii. Holding Statement:
1. Today, at time, Hilton became aware of a potential security incident
involving personal information. We have opened an investigation
into the situation and will provide more information as soon as new
details emerge. For more information call (XXX) XXX-XXXX or
visit our website for regular updates on the investigation.
iii. Media Statement:
1. Today, on date, the Hilton became a target of a cyber security
incident. Our guest’s payment card data, which includes payment
card account numbers, card expiration dates, security codes, and
cardholder names have been collected by the hacker(s). Hilton has
launched an investigation into this incident and we are cooperating
fully with law enforcement. At this time, it is unknown how many
individuals have been affected but we are working around the clock
to notify and assist anyone who has been affected. We sincerely
apologize to our guests at Hilton and anyone affected by this data
breach. Hilton is made to serve people and give everyone
individualized service and we apologize for losing the trust of our
guests and failing to protect their information. If you believe you

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 have been affected or you want more information, please call (XXX)
XXX-XXXX.
iv. Facebook Post:
1. Today, on date the Hilton experienced a data breach a where
personal information may have been collected by the hacker, but it
is unknown at this time exactly what information was taken. Hilton
is cooperating fully with authorities and we have launched an
investigation into the matter. We sincerely apologize to our guests
at Hilton and anyone affected by this data breach.
v. Tweet:
1. Hilton has launched an investigation into a cybersecurity incident
where personal information may have been taken. We sincerely
apologize to our guests and anyone affected by this security breach.
For more information please visit http://www3.hilton.com.
vi. Potential Q&A’s:
1. How many people have been affected by the data breach?
a. We are currently investigating the incident and we do not
know the number of individuals affected by the crisis at this
this time. Once we get that information we will give it to you
at that time.
2. Why was guest’s personal information not secure?
a. An unknown source was able to gain unauthorized access to
our server and was able to steal information without being
noticed. We are currently investigating exactly how he got
in and how he was able to take information. Once the
investigation is complete, we provide you with all the
information regarding this incident.
3. How is Hilton going to help those affected by the data breach?
a. Hilton will assist anyone affected by the hack by providing
them with free information protection by LifeLock for one
year. We are currently working with law enforcement and
recover any information that has been taken.
4. What preventative measures is Hilton going to take to assure this
doesn’t happen again?
a. We hope to find the hacker and try to sentence him to the
maximum consequence. ? Once we discover how our guests
were affected, we will help each individual recover from any
fraud that may have taken place and help them secure their
private information. We will also pay for security protection
on our guests’ information for one year by LifeLock.

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 5. How was the hacker able to get personal information?
a. We are currently investigating the situation to understand
how the hacker was able to obtain personal information.
Once the investigation is complete we will have that
information and we will change our system to ensure this
never happens again.

IX. Collateral Materials

a. Executive Bios
i. CEO: Christopher J. Nassetta is President and Chief Executive Officer for
Hilton. He joined the company in 2007. Previously, Mr. Nassetta was
President and Chief Executive Officer of Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc., a
position he held since 2000. He joined Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. in 1995
as Executive Vice President and was elected Chief Operating Officer in
1997. Before joining Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc., Mr. Nassetta co-founded
Bailey Capital Corporation in 1991, where he was responsible for the
operations of the real estate investment and advisory firm. Prior to founding
Bailey Capital Corporation, he spent seven years at The Oliver Carr
Company, ultimately serving as Chief Development Officer. In this role, he
was responsible for all development and related activities for one of the
largest commercial real estate companies in the mid-Atlantic region. Mr.
Nassetta graduated from the University of Virginia McIntire School of
Commerce with a degree in finance. He currently serves on the McIntire
School of Commerce Advisory Board.
ii. CFO: Kevin Jacobs is Chief Financial Officer of Hilton. He oversees all of
the company’s finance and real estate functions globally. He joined the
company in 2008 as Senior Vice President, Corporate Strategy; was elected
Treasurer in 2009; was appointed Executive Vice President & Chief of Staff
in 2012; and assumed his current role in 2013. Prior to Hilton, Kevin was
Senior Vice President, Mergers & Acquisitions and Treasurer of Fairmont
Raffles Hotels International. While in this role, he was responsible for
sourcing, evaluating and executing on potential mergers, acquisitions or
other strategic corporate transactions and leading the company’s corporate
strategic and business planning efforts. As Treasurer, he oversaw the
company’s corporate finance and treasury activities globally. Prior to
Fairmont Raffles, Kevin spent seven years with Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc.,
preceded by various roles in the Hospitality Consulting practice of
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP and the Hospitality Valuation Group at
Cushman & Wakefield, Inc. Kevin is a member of the Dean’s Advisory
Board of the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration, a member
of the Hotel Development Council of the Urban Land Institute, a Trustee
and member of the Executive Committee of the Federal City Council, and
serves on the Finance Committee of the Holton-Arms School. He also
serves on the board of directors of Goodwill of Greater Washington and is

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 involved with several other charitable and civic organizations, including the
Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, the Colorectal Cancer Alliance and the
Trust for the National Mall. Kevin is a graduate of the Cornell University
School of Hotel Administration.
iii. Executive VP and General Council: Kristin Campbell is Executive Vice
President and General Counsel for Hilton. She joined the company in June
2011 and is responsible for leading Hilton’s global legal and compliance
functions. Prior to Hilton, Ms. Campbell was Senior Vice President,
General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of Staples, Inc., a $25 billion
international office products company. While in this role she gained
experience in board work and corporate governance, regulatory compliance,
M&A, commercial transactions, litigation, real estate, labor and
employment, in both the U.S. domestic and international arenas. Prior to
joining Staples, Inc. in 1993, Ms. Campbell worked at law firms Goodwin
Proctor and Rackemann, Sawyer & Brewster. Ms. Campbell is a member of
the Board of Directors of Office Depot, Inc., a U.S. publicly traded business
supply and technology services company. She has also served on the boards
of various trade and non-profit organizations, and currently is a member of
the Board of Directors of Vital Voices Global Partnership and the Advisory
Board of New Perimeter. She is a member of the Massachusetts and
Virginia bars.
iv. Executive VP: Joseph (Joe) Berger is Executive Vice President & President,
Americas for Hilton. He is responsible for the operations functions of over
350 corporately managed Hilton hotels and Hilton Grand Vacation resorts
throughout North, Central and South America. Prior to his current position
with Hilton, Mr. Berger served as Co-President of LXR Luxury Resorts and
Hotels where he managed the formation and growth of the enterprise for
over four years. Under his direction, the company repositioned several
iconic properties to create one of the most profitable resort and hotel
operations in the industry. Previously he also served as President of Prime
Hotels, which operated AmeriSuites, Wellsly Inns, and independent full-
service hotels. Earlier in his career Mr. Berger served as Managing Director
of the world-famous St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco and previously held
positions as Area Managing Director North East for Starwood Hotels &
Resorts as well as General Manager of both the Westin William Penn in
Pittsburgh and the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco. He has also worked
internationally both in Hotel Operations and Finance with Marriott in
Vienna, Frankfurt, Munich and Warsaw. A native of Virginia, Mr. Berger
currently resides in Florida with his family.

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 b. Crisis Training Dates
i. Training Dates: June 18-22
1. June 18: General Information
a. Gather crisis communications team
b. Discuss company key messages, positioning statement, and
potential crises
2. June 19: Crisis #1 training- fire
a. Media templates: holding statement, media statement, tweet,
Facebook post
b. Media training: Potential media Q&As, scenarios
3. June 20: Crisis #2 training- technological emergency
a. Potential emergencies
b. Media templates: holding statement, media statement, tweet,
Facebook post
c. Media training: Potential media Q&As, scenarios
4. June 21: Crisis #3 training- Bomb threat
a. Media templates: holding statement, media statement, tweet,
Facebook post
b. Media training: Potential media Q&As, scenarios
5. June 22: Final Training
a. Videotaped media interviews
c. Key Publics
i. Internal
1. Employees, board of directors, shareholders/investors, suppliers,
distributors, retailers/dealers, other business partners
ii. External
1. Consumers/customers, community (where affected hotel is located,
mass media, government, action groups
d. Contact Log
i.
(703) 883-1000 ext. 31010
Christopher J. Nassetta President & CEO
Chris.nassetta@hilton.com
Executive V.P. & President, (972) 770-6099
Joe Berger
Americas Joe.berger@hilton.com
Executive V.P. & General
Kristin Campbell Kristin.campbell@hilton.com
Counsel
Jacqueline Toppings Director of Brand PR Jacqueline.toppings@hilton.com

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