The agreement was signed by Kerum and the vice-president of the Hilton hotel chain development in central and eastern Europe, Ulrich Widmer.
The investment in the refurbishing of the Split hotel totals nearly one billion kuna (approx. EUR 135 million), and the hotel will provide work for 400 people.
Hilton Marjan Split, which has around 60,000 square metres in area, will be opened at the end of the summer or early in the autumn, and will include three congress halls.
Widmer said that the franchising would enable Split to be competitive with other congress cities in Europe such as Vienna, Barcelona, Budapest or Munich.
Widmer said that the Hilton corporation was building or refurbishing 50 hotels in Europe, recalling that it had entered the Croatian market a few years ago, when it concluded a licensing agreement with the Imperial hotel in Dubrovnik.
Croatian Tourism Minister Damir Bajs and representatives of Split authorities welcomed the agreement between the Adriatic company and Hilton Hotels Corporation.