- Gregory Solman

LOS ANGELES Hilton brand Doubletree has chosen WPP Group's Y&R North America as the creative shop for its $15 million business following a review, the agency said.
 
The creative will be concentrated in Y&R's Chicago office, under ecd Ken Erke, with the account personnel in Irvine, Calif. Interpublic Group's DraftFCB, San Francisco, is the incumbent. Media duties, by Omnicom's OMD, were not in play.
 
The scope of the work is expected to include broadcast as well as in-room and promotional communications.
 
Tom Sebok, CEO of Y&R North America, New York, called the win "an exciting and important assignment for us. Doubletree has an aggressive strategy for growth and they are wonderful creative partners." Other review contenders were not disclosed.
 
The Irvine office has handled creative duties for the Hilton brand since 2005. "Obviously we've enjoyed a great relationship, it's been important to us," Sebok said. "In fact, we established the collaborative relationship between Irvine and Chicago in service to Hilton and found it very productive. It has worked very well."
 
Hilton is also reviewing its Embassy Suites brand, per sources. Contenders in that review include Omnicom's TBWA\Chiat\Day, New York; GSD&M Idea City, Austin, Texas; and BBDO, Atlanta, as well as DraftFCB, San Francisco; Publicis Groupe's Saatchi & Saatchi, New York; and independent Amalgamated, New York.
 
Beverly Hills, Calif.-based Doubletree spent $15 million in measured media in 2007, per Nielsen Monitor-Plus.