Hilton Hotels

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Hilton is the flagship brand of Hilton Hotels Corporation and is based in Beverly Hills, California. It is one of the world's largest chains of hotels.

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).

Since its founding in 1919 by Conrad Hilton, Hilton Hotels has grown to become the America's first coast-to-coast hotel chain, placing special emphasis on business travel, but owning and operating a number of resorts and leisure-oriented hotels as well.

The chain has grown to over 500 Hilton branded hotels across the world and has partnerships with many airline and car rental companies.

[edit] History

Founded in 1919 by Conrad Hilton.

In 1930, Conrad Hilton opened his first highrise Hilton hotel in El Paso, Texas, the now Plaza Hotel.

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

John Lennon and Yoko Ono held their first Bed-In for Peace between March 25 and March 31, 1969 at the Amsterdam Hilton in Room 902. This room has become a popular tourist destination.

Hilton Hotels owns and manages several other hotel brands, catering to both business and leisure travel. These brands are Embassy Suites, Doubletree, Hampton Inn, Hilton Garden Inn, and Homewood Suites by Hilton.

HHC was granted the naming rights to the George R. Brown Convention Center in late 2003. The Hilton Americas in Downtown Houston, Texas, is connected to the convention center.

[edit] Film history

• In the 1989 six-part Australian mini-series Bangkok Hilton, the title is the nickname of the Bangkok prison in which the protagonist is incarcerated on drug offences. There are actually three hotels in Bangkok, Thailand currently affiliated with the Hilton Hotels Corporation: Millennium Hilton Bangkok, Conrad Bangkok and Conrad Residences. Hilton International Bangkok, opened in 1983, now belongs to Raffles International and is known as Nai Lert Park Bangkok. Though the Bangkok Hilton nickname was a fictional invention of the miniseries, since that time the nickname is frequently cited by the Australian media to refer to whichever Thai prison they happen to be discussing.

[edit] Notable hotels

Beverly Hilton sign, photographed from the intersection of Santa Monica Blvd. and Wilshire Blvd.

The 50 story Beetham Tower, Manchester, in Manchester UK

• Hilton Bonaventure, Place Bonaventure, Montreal
• Hilton Sydney, Sydney, Australia
• Hilton Athens, Athens, Greece
• Hilton Hawaiian Village Beach Resort and Spa, Honolulu, Hawaii
• Hilton London Paddington, London, England
• The London Hilton on Park Lane, London, England
• Waldorf Hilton, London, England
• Hilton Paris Charles De Gaulle Airport Hotel, Paris, France
• New York Hilton, New York, New York
• Millenium Hilton Hotel, New York, New York
• The Beverly Hilton, Beverly Hills, California
• Las Vegas Hilton, Las Vegas, Nevada
• The Drake, Chicago, Illinois
• Washington Hilton, Washington, D.C. (site of the 1981 Reagan assassination attempt)
• Hilton Washington Embassy Row, Washington, D.C.
• Palmer House, Chicago, Illinois
• Hilton Tower, Manchester, England
• Hilton Craigendarroch in Ballater, Aberdeenshire, United Kingdom, is the smallest hotel in the worldwide chain. It has only 45 bedrooms, though has extensive leisure and timeshare lodge facilities.

[edit] External links

• Hilton Hotel web site