History of hilton hotel

Conrad Hilton

American hotel tycoon and politician (–)

This article is about Conrad Hilton Sr. For his son, see Conrad Hilton Jr. For the former Conrad Hilton hotel, see Hilton Chicago. For the chain of hotels by Hilton, see Conrad Hotels.

Conrad Hilton

Hilton in

In office
–
Preceded byLegislature established
Succeeded byQuianu Robinson
Born

Conrad Nicholson Hilton


()December 25,
San Antonio, Socorro County, New Mexico Territory, U.S.
DiedJanuary 3, () (aged&#;91)
Santa Monica, California, U.S.
Resting placeCalvary Hill Cemetery, Dallas, Texas, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouses

Mary Adelaide Barron

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Zsa Zsa Gabor

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Mary Frances Kelly

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Children
RelativesHilton family
OccupationHotelier
Known forHilton Hotels & Resorts

Conrad Nicholson Hilton (December 25, – January 3, ) was an American hotel tycoon and politician who founded the Hilton Hotels chain.

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    • From to , Hilton was a Republican representative in the first New Mexico Legislature, but became disillusioned with the "inside deals" of politics. In , he purchased his first hotel, the Mobley Hotel in Cisco, Texas, for US$40, (equivalent to $, in ) and subsequently capitalized on the oil boom. The rooms were rented out in eight-hour shifts.

    He continued to buy and sell hotels, and eventually established the world's first international hotel chain. When he died in , he left the bulk of his estate to the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation.

    Early life

    Hilton was born on December 25, , in San Antonio, Socorro County, New Mexico, to Norwegian-born Augustus Halvorsen Hilton (–) and Mary Genevieve Laufersweiler, a devout Catholic of German descent.[1] He attended the Goss Military Academy (since renamed as the New Mexico Military Institute) and St.

    Michael's College (later called the Santa Fe University of Art and Design), and the New Mexico School of Mines (now New Mexico Tech). From to , Hilton was a Republican representative in the first New Mexico Legislature, when the state was newly formed. Hilton became frustrated with the "bureaucracy, slowness, cheating, lying, and inside deals of politics,"[1] and in , he refused to run for a fourth term, instead endorsing his longtime political ally, Quianu Robinson.[2]

    He served two years in the United States Army during World War I.

    After completing Officer Training School, he became a second lieutenant, and served in Paris in the Quartermaster Corps.[3] While Conrad was in France with the army after the war, his father was killed in a car accident.[4]

    The most enduring influences to shape Hilton's philanthropic philosophy, beyond that of his parents, were the Catholic Church and his sisters.

    He credited his mother with guiding him to prayer and the church whenever he was troubled or dismayed—from the boyhood loss of a beloved pony, to severe financial losses during the Great Depression. His mother continually told him that prayer was the best investment he would ever make.[4]

    Career

    As a young boy, Hilton developed entrepreneurial skills working at his father's general store in Socorro County, New Mexico, which was partially converted into a room hotel.[5][6] This was followed by varied experiences, including a stint as a representative in New Mexico's first State Legislature, and a career decision to become a banker.

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    • It was intending to buy a bank that he arrived in Texas at the height of the Texas oil boom. In , he bought his first hotel instead, the room Mobley Hotel in Cisco, Texas,[5] when a bank purchase fell through. The hotel did such brisk business that rooms changed hands as often as three times a day, and the dining room was converted into additional rooms to meet the demand.[4][7] He went on to buy and build hotels throughout Texas, including the high-rise Dallas Hilton, which opened in ; the Abilene Hilton in ; Waco Hilton in ; and El Paso Hilton in The first hotel outside of Texas that Hilton built was in in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

    Today, it is known as the Hotel Andaluz. During the Great Depression, Hilton was nearly forced into bankruptcy and lost several of his hotels.

    Conrad hilton biography summary worksheet answers pdf Conrad Hilton's autobiography, "Be My Guest," became a guidebook for hoteliers worldwide. After Conrad Hilton's passing, his empire continued to innovate and adapt to technological advancements. In , he bought his first hotel instead, the room Mobley Hotel in Cisco, Texas , [ 5 ] when a bank purchase fell through. December 27,

    Nevertheless, he was retained as manager of a combined chain, and eventually regained control of his remaining eight hotels.

    Over the next decade, he expanded west to California and east to Chicago and New York, crowning his expansions with such acquisitions as the Stevens Hotel in Chicago (then the world's largest hotel; it was renamed the Conrad Hilton), and the fabled Waldorf-Astoria in New York City.

    He formed the Hilton Hotels Corporation in , and Hilton International Company in

    During the s and s, Hilton Hotels' worldwide expansion facilitated both American tourism and overseas business by American corporations. It was the world's first international hotel chain, at the same time establishing a certain worldwide standard for hotel accommodations.

    In , Hilton Hotels bought The Hotels Statler Company, Inc. for $ million, then the world's largest real estate transaction. In all, Hilton eventually owned hotels in 38 cities across the U.S., including the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C.; the Palmer House in Chicago; and the Plaza Hotel and Waldorf-Astoria in New York City, along with 54 hotels abroad.

    He later purchased the Carte Blanche Credit Company and an interest in the American Crystal Sugar Company, as well as other enterprises.

    Hilton received honorary degrees from the University of Detroit (), DePaul University (), Barat College (), Adelphi College (), Sophia University, Tokyo (), and the University of Albuquerque (). Hilton's autobiography, Be My Guest,[8] was published in by Prentice Hall.

    In , Hilton was succeeded as president by his son, Barron, and was elected chairman of the board.

    Conrad hilton biography summary worksheet answers William Dockwra. Breakthrough tier the Hotel Industry In , unbendable the age of 31, Author Hilton stumbled upon an level that would bring him probity long-awaited millions and transform fulfil name into a legend. For the chain of hotels by Hilton, see Conrad Hotels. In , Hilton became the first hotel chain to install automatic door opening, closing, locking, and blocking systems.

    Personal life

    In , Hilton married Mary Adelaide Barron (–). They had three sons, Conrad Hilton Jr., Barron Hilton, and Eric Hilton, before divorcing in

    In , Hilton married actress Zsa Zsa Gabor. They had one child, a daughter, Francesca Hilton, before divorcing in Gabor wrote in her autobiography One Lifetime Is Not Enough that she became pregnant by Hilton only after he raped her during their marriage.[9] Francesca died in , at age 67, from a stroke.[10]

    In , Hilton bought Casa Encantada at Bellagio Road in Bel Air, Los Angeles, and occupied the house until he died in Hilton described his enchantment with the house as " a case of love at first sight I couldn't resist it, one of the fabulous houses of the world." He renamed the property the Casa Encantada ("enchanted house").[11]

    In , Hilton was initiated as a member of Tau Kappa Epsilon Fraternity at New Mexico State University.[12]

    In , Hilton married Mary Frances Kelly.

    Their marriage lasted until his death three years later in

    On January 3, , Hilton died of pneumonia[13] at the age of He was interred at Calvary Hill Cemetery, a Catholic cemetery in Dallas, Texas. He left US$, (equivalent to $&#;million in ) to his two surviving sons, US$, (equivalent to $, in ) to his daughter, Francesca, and US$15, (equivalent to $51, in ) to each of his grandchildren.[citation needed]

    Hilton family fortune

    In , James C.

    Taylor presented plans to build a hospitality college on the campus of the University of Houston to Barron Hilton. Barron then presented the plans to his father, who donated US$&#;million (equivalent to $&#;million in ) for the completion of the project. The Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management opened to students in September [citation needed]

    The bulk of Conrad Hilton's estate was left to the Conrad N.

    Hilton Foundation,[citation needed] which he established in His son, Barron Hilton, who spent much of his career helping build the Hilton Hotels Corporation, contested the will—despite having left the company as acting president, chief executive officer, and chairman of the board of directors. A settlement was reached, and as a result, Barron Hilton received 4 million shares of the hotel enterprise, the Conrad N.

    Hilton Foundation received million shares, and the remaining 6 million shares were placed in the W. Barron Hilton Charitable Remainder Unitrust.[citation needed] Upon Barron Hilton's death, Unitrust assets were transferred to the Hilton Foundation,[14] of which Barron previously served on the Board of Directors as chairman.[15]

    In , the Hilton Foundation donated US$&#;million (equivalent to $&#;million in ) to expand facilities and increase endowment.

    That gift led to the construction of the South Wing, which opened in , and added 94, square feet (8,&#;m2) of education and meeting space to Hilton College.[citation needed]

    On December 25, , Barron Hilton announced that he would leave about 97% of his fortune, then estimated at US$&#;billion (equivalent to $&#;billion in ),[15] to a charitable unitrust that would eventually be merged with the Conrad N.

    Hilton Foundation.[16]

    Legacy

    Autobiographies

    • Be My Guest: Autobiography of Conrad Hilton (Prentice-Hall, Inc. )
    • Inspirations of an Innkeeper (privately printed, )

    Citations

    1. ^ abHoover, Gary (April 24, ).

      "Conrad Hilton: The Dreamer Who Conquered an Industry". Archbridge Institute.

      Conrad hilton biography summary worksheet answers key Conrad Hilton's company was the first in the hotel industry to implement and widely adopt the franchising system. Hilton also invested in various business ventures, although the vast majority of his wealth came from the Hilton Hotel Corporation. Gabor wrote in her autobiography One Lifetime Is Not Enough that she became pregnant by Hilton only after he raped her during their marriage. Conrad Hilton understood that both groups allied a desire for comfort topmost unobtrusive yet omnipresent service.

      Retrieved December 21,

    2. ^The Silver Spade: The Conrad Hilton Story. Farrar, Straus and Young.
    3. ^"Determination in adversity: the story of Conrad Hilton", The Insider: The Magazine of Glion Institute of Higher Education, October 22, Retrieved July 14,
    4. ^ abc"Be My Guest" by Conrad Hilton, by the Prentice Hall Press
    5. ^ abThe Handbook of Texas Online (Texas State Historical Association).
    6. ^The never-ending quest to build a hotel in space.
    7. ^Associated Press.

      "Modest Inn at Cisco Began Hotel String of Conrad Hilton," Big Spring Daily Herald, November 21, , p. A.

    8. ^Be My Guest, Autobiography of Conrad HiltonArchived March 24, , at the Wayback Machine.
    9. ^Bennetts, Leslie (September 6, ). "It's a Mad, Mad, Zsa Zsa World".

      Vanity Fair. Retrieved May 29,

    10. ^Lee, Kurtis (January 6, ). "Francesca Hilton, daughter of Zsa Zsa Gabor and Conrad Hilton, dies at 67". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 29,
    11. ^Jeffrey Hyland ().

      Free reading summary worksheet He filled the columns on the hotel's facade with glass showcases stocked with essential hotel items such as newspapers, magazines, razors, and toothbrushes. Additionally, Hilton Hotels embraced class electronic era early on. Despite its dilapidated condition, Writer used his entrepreneurial imagination have a break turn the hotel into put in order profitable venture. Hilton also invested in various business ventures, although the vast majority of his wealth came from the Hilton Hotel Corporation.

      The Legendary Estates of Beverly Hills. Random House. ISBN&#;.

    12. ^"Distinguished Alumni". Tau Kappa Epsilon. Retrieved December 7,
    13. ^Long, Trish (January 4, ). "Conrad Hilton dies at 91". El Paso Times.
    14. ^"Conrad N. Hilton Foundation Announces the Death of Barron Hilton".
    15. ^ ab"Barron Hilton to Donate 97% of Estate to Hilton Foundation".

      Planned Giving Design Center, LLC. December 26, Archived from the original on March 19, Retrieved April 2,

    16. ^"Hilton fortune to go to charity".

      4th grade summary worksheet: Barron Hilton Charitable Remainder Unitrust. It became the cornerstone of the renowned Hilton hotel empire. Breakthrough tier the Hotel Industry In , unbendable the age of 31, Author Hilton stumbled upon an level that would bring him probity long-awaited millions and transform fulfil name into a legend. His heritage lives on through the epidemic presence of Hilton Hotels, which continues to provide luxurious accommodation and exceptional service to trig diverse clientele.

      BBC News. December 27, Retrieved April 26,

    Sources

    • Alef, Daniel. Conrad N. Hilton: Reveled in Hotel Deals (Titans of Fortune Publishing, )
    • Bolton, Whitney. The Silver Spade; the Conrad Hilton Story. with a foreword by Conrad Hilton (New York: Farrar, Straus and Young, )
    • Comfort, Mildred Houghton.

      Conrad N. Hilton, Hotelier (Minneapolis: T.S. Denison & Company, Inc., )

    • Dabney, Thomas Ewing. The Man Who Bought the Waldorf: The Life of Conrad N. Hilton (Duell Sloan & Pearce, )
    • Oppenheimer, Jerry. House of Hilton: From Conrad to Paris: A Drama of Wealth, Power, and Privilege (Three Rivers Press.

      )

    • Hilton, Conrad N. Be My Guest (Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall, Inc., )

    External links

    • Biography: Conrad Hilton, The Innkeeper to The WorldArchived November 24, , at the Wayback Machine (Video)
    • Conrad N. Hilton College at University of Houston
    • Conrad Hilton's Secret of Success
    • Conrad Hilton, Collector of Hotels (New York Times Magazine, )
    • Innkeeper to the World (Time, )
    • The Key Man (Time, )
    • Waldorf-Astoria as Hotels No.

      16 (Time, )

    • Conrad N. Hilton Foundation
    • San Angelo's Heartbreak Hotel History of second Hilton hotel built in San Angelo, TX in , and Conrad Hilton's bankruptcy (San Angelo Live!, )
    • Mad Men: See the Real Conrad Hilton– image slideshow by Life
    • Conrad N. Hilton early life in New Mexico