The Hilton Hotel Corporation has revised the first quarter and full year 2003 guidance it provided in January.

A decline in business and uncertainty over the war in Iraq have been gievn as reasons for a decline in estimated revenue per available room(RevPAR) for the first quarter of the year of about 4 per cent at its comparable owned hotels.

Guidance issued in January this year which accompanied the company's full year figures for 2002, estimated first quarter 2003 RevPAR as approximately flat.

For the full year, Hilton now expects a RevPAR fall of between 1 and 2 per cent at its comparable owned hotels, compared with approximately flat in its original estimate.

The group notes that the new estimates are subject to change and could be further affected by world events.

Hilton will report its 2003 first quarter results on 23 April. Details: www.hiltonworldwide.com