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Hilton Hotel redirects here. For other uses, see Hilton Hotel (disambiguation)

Hilton Brand Logo

Hilton Hotels is an international chain of full-service hotels and resorts founded by Conrad Hilton and now owned by the Hilton Worldwide. Hilton Hotels are either owned, managed, or franchised to independent operators by the Hilton Hotels Corporation. As of 2008 there are 533 Hilton branded hotels across the world. Hilton Hotels became the first coast-to-coast hotel chain of the United States in 1943. The original price for an overnight stay in 1943 was around $20.^[1] The company places marketing emphasis on business travel, but owns and operates a number of resorts and leisure-oriented hotels as well. The company's Hilton Honors guest loyalty program has partnerships with airlines and car rental companies.

The Hilton one of the brand was re-united internationally after more than 40 years in February 2006, when United States-based Hilton Hotels Corporation purchased the hotels division of United Kingdom-based Hilton Group plc, which had acquired Hilton's international operations in 1987 (the companies had been severed originally in 1966).^[2]

Historic Highlights

Hilton hotel in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

• Founded in 1919 by Conrad Hilton. Hilton bought his first hotel, the Mobley Hotel, in 1919 in Cisco, Texas.^[3]
• The first hotel to bear the Hilton name was the Dallas Hilton, a high-rise that opened in Dallas, Texas in 1925.^[4]
• In 1954 Hilton hotels bought the Statler Hotel chain, making it the largest hospitality company in the world.
• In 1954, at the Caribe Hilton Hotel's Beachcomber Bar in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Ramon “Monchito” Marrero created the Piña Colada.^[5]
• The Conrad Hilton Hotel in Chicago was scene of the 1968 Democratic Convention riots that occurred across the street in Grant Park. The hotel's 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 902. This room became a popular tourist destination. ^[6]
• The Nicosia hilton hotel in Nicosia, Cyprus, was the scene of the assassination of Youssef Sebai, an Egyptian newspaper editor and friend of Egyptian President Anwar El Sadat on February 19th 1978. The assassination and hijacking of a Cyprus Airways DC-8 at Larnaca Airport led to Egyptian raid on Larnaca International Airport by Egyptian forces. The Intervention by the Egyptians led to the deterioration of relations between Cyprus and Egypt.
• The Hilton Beirut finished construction and was supposed to open on 14/4/1975. However, the Lebanese Civil War erupted exactly 1 day before the Grand Opening date, on the 13th of April. The Hotel was never opened and was severely damaged during the war. The building was demolished in the late 90's to make way for the newly constructed Hilton Beirut Hotel, due to open sometime in 2010.
• The Amsterdam Hilton hotel has had two notable incidents. In 1991, Dutch drug kingpin Klaas Bruinsma, once a major drug dealer of Europe, was assassinated in front of the building. On July 11, 2001, Dutch artist Herman Brood committed suicide by jumping from the roof.^[7]

Gallery

Hilton Hotel in Glasgow taken in 2005	Hilton Hotel in Seoul taken in 1983	Hilton Hotel in Belfast, Northern Ireland taken in December 2009	Side view of the Hilton Hotel in Belfast
Hilton Hotel in Prague, Czech Republic taken in August 2007	Las Vegas Hilton in Winchester, Nevada taken in October 2006	Hilton Hotel in Singapore taken in December 2005

References

External links

• Hilton web site