A day after selling five Canadian hotels, Hilton Hotels Corp said on Thursday that it will begin managing two hotels in Ireland.

The new hotels, being built in Limerick and Dublin, should be completed in early 2007 and should employ about 250 workers, the Beverly Hills-based hotel owner and operator said.

The properties will be owned by Dublin-based development company Lalco, increasing the number of Hilton hotels in Ireland to nine.

Shares of Hilton were flat at $28.22 in early Thursday trading.