Hilton Hotels

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For the parent company involved in the buy out please see Hilton Hotels Corporation. This hotel chain, a subsidiary of Hilton Hotels Corporation, is not the company being acquired.

The Hilton brand was re-united internationally after more than 40 years in February 2006, when United States-based Hilton Hotels Corporation purchased the lodging arm of United Kingdom-based Hilton Group PLC, which had acquired Hilton's international operations in 1987 (the companies had been severed originally in 1966).

Hilton Hotels became America's first coast-to-coast hotel chain in 1943.^[1] The company places marketing emphasis on business travel, but owns and operates a number of resorts and leisure-oriented hotels as well.

As of April 2007, the chain has 229 Hilton branded hotels across the world and has partnerships with many airlines and car rental companies.

[edit] History

Founded in 1919 by Conrad Hilton. Hilton bought his first hotel, the Mobley Hotel, in 1919 in Cisco, Texas.

In 1930, Conrad Hilton opened his first high-rise Hilton hotel in El Paso, Texas, which is currently called the Plaza Hotel.

In 1954 Hilton hotels bought the Statler Hotel chain, making it the largest and most powerful Hospitality company in the world.

Hilton became the first international hotel chain with the opening of the Caribe Hilton Hotel in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

The Conrad Hilton Hotel in Chicago was scene of the 1968 Democratic Convention riots that occurred across the street in Grant Park. The hotels doors were locked for the first time in its history. The hotel still suffered minor damage as a result of the violence outside as the street level windows gave way under the weight of hundreds of protesters on the street during the ensuing riot.

John Lennon and Yoko Ono held their first Bed-In for Peace between March 25, 1969 and March 31, 1969 at the Amsterdam Hilton in Room 702. This room became a popular tourist destination.

[edit] Gallery of Hilton Hotel buildings around the world

[edit] External links

• Hilton Family of Hotels web site
• European list of Hilton's hotels

[edit] References

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