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Hilton Hotels: From Texas to the Whole World

Now one of the biggest hotel chains in the world, the Hilton Hotels underwent phenomenal growth — from the first hotel purchased by its founder Conrad Hilton in 1919 to the now over 500 hotels worldwide that are owned, managed or franchised by the Hilton Hotel Corporation.

The early life of Conrad Hilton would not have given signs that he would someday be the owner of such a well-known and prestigious international hotel chain. An American of German descent, Conrad studied at the New Mexico School of Mines, then entered the military service and became a World War I war hero. Later he became a representative of New Mexico.

Although he had helped with his father’s small inn, his involvement in the lodging business was interrupted when he entered the military. But soon after he came back from the service, he pursued his plan to go into the hotel business. In 1919, he purchased the Mobley Hotel in Texas, which became the very first hotel of the chain of hotels he would be building years from thereon. Soon, he bought other hotels in Texas and in other parts of the United States.

By 1943, Hilton Hotels had become the first coast-to-coast hotel chain in the US. In1946, the Hilton Hotel Corporation was established. Hilton went international in 1948, the year the Hilton International Corporation was formed. Today, there are 533 Hilton-branded hotels in different parts of the world, including business hotels, leisure hotels and resorts.

Conrad Hilton lived until 1979, but the life of the hotel chain he founded far surpassed the founder’s own life. Today, the Hilton Hotel chain is headed by Christopher Nasseta, and the business is getting even bigger. The hotel chain recently merged with the Blackstone Group in a transaction amounting to over $20 billion. The descendants of Conrad Hilton still own a considerable share of the company’s assets, their net worth estimated at over $350 million.

Conrad Hilton had indeed left a great legacy, not only to his descendants, but to the international hotel industry. Recognized among the best hotels in the world, Hilton Hotels have set the standard in the global hotel business with the luxury of their accommodations and the excellence of service that every guest is accorded with. With a Hilton Hotel in almost every part of the globe, the company indeed lives by its slogan, “Travel should take you places.”