A century of Hilton innovation has employed an estimated 10 million Team Members and served more than 3 billion guests around the world. This history informs today’s practices in hotels that both reflect and impact travelers, employees and communities.
Click on a Filter Below to see Hilton’s Century of Innovative Initiatives For:
The Hilton Effect on the Traveler: Refilling our Tanks
Because traveling for work is work on top of work, Conrad Hilton understood that delivering hospitality – the comforts, pleasures, and possibilities for refreshment – was the missing piece of the puzzle that would power the brand.
The Hilton Effect on Team Members: Entrepreneurship, Autonomy and Flow
When Conrad Hilton turns a hotel over to a manager he gives that (person) complete autonomy. Each unit is, for that reason run differently and has individuality” New York Times, 1949.
The Hilton Effect on Communities: Commitment, Social Connections and Development
A known, international hotel brand is a secure bridge to the outside world, a sign of a steady influx of money and moneyed foreigners arriving from lands with healthier economies.
Hilton becomes the first major hospitality company to commit to science-based sustainability goals
2018
Hilton unveils Connected Room, the first truly mobile-centric guest room
2018
Today Hilton employs more than 400,000 Team Members around the world
2018
This demonstrated resilience made the Hilton Colombo a symbol of stability. Of the 700 current team members 200 have been on the team since the Central Bank bombing in 1996.
2017
Hilton Innovation Gallery launched in Virginia to showcase new innovations that enrich guest experiences
2016
Hilton named to the Fortune 200 Best Companies to work for list.
2016
Hilton Cleveland Downtown: “This hyper-modern skycraper is the Cleveland’s tallest, most spacious and most comfortable hotel as well as being the crown jewel of the downtown core.”
2016
Hilton upgrades hundreds of properties to improve employee spaces such as cafeterias, break rooms, and locker rooms.
2014
Hilton Times Square first to live stream a concert on YouTube
2013
Hilton returns to the New York Stock Exchange
2000s
2008
The modernization of Puerto Madero spurred by the Hilton’s launch continued with the construction of the new headquarters of YPF, the state oil company on land that had been vacant for decades. A number of embassies followed.
2007
After 40 years of being separate companies, Hilton Hotels Corporation and Hilton International are reunited and Chris Nassetta is appointed President & CEO.
2003
Hilton Americas Houston: “This AAA Four-Diamond hotel lies at the center of Houston’s downtown core, just steps away from professional sports, the theater district and world-class shopping.”
2000
The Hilton Buenos Aires was the first commercial building in Puerto Madero when it opened, just as an economic crisis began. Other hotels closed during the crisis but Hilton held strong, becoming an icon of the Argentinian skyline that has since played host to world leaders and celebrities alike.
1990s
1996
The Hilton Colombo was damaged by a series of separatist attacks during Sri Lanka’s civil war. The hotel stayed open in spite of the damage, with the general manager declaring "We will never close,” and rallying the employees to establish the hotel as a haven from the conflict.
1995
The first Hilton website launches www.hilton.com.
1980s
1987
Hilton Honors™ loyalty program launched
1987
Hilton Abuja: “One of the largest hotels in sub-Saharan Africa, the Hilton Abuja is both a national landmark and a home for travelers to experience the richness of life in Nigeria’s capital.”
1987
Hilton Colombo: “Sri Lanka’s premier hotel offers peerless international dining, first-class amenities and stunning views over the Indian Ocean, all from the heart of the city of Colombo.”
1970s
1973
The first computerized reservation database
1971
John Lennon handwrites words to “Imagine” on a piece of Hilton New York stationery while at the hotel
1960s
1965
Lady Hilton the first hotel concept exclusively for women
1963
Remote controls for TV and radio at the London Hilton on Park Lane
1950s
1959
Hilton pioneers the airport–hotel concept by opening the San Francisco Airport Hilton
1959
Nile Hilton, Cairo: “The Nile Hilton Hotel Cairo has been at the center of modern Egyptian history. One of the city’s most iconic structures—second, perhaps, to the Great Pyramids.”
1957
In his autobiography, Be My Guest, Conrad Hilton reiterates his policy of rewarding good work with more work: “Success seems to be connected to action. Successful people keep moving. They make mistakes, but they don’t quit.”
1955
Air conditioning comes to every Hilton hotel
1955
The first multi-hotel reservations system
1955
Conrad Hilton flew in more than 100 luminaries for a five-day grand opening of the Istanbul Hilton. The hotel became an iconic landmark, with a lingering aura of importance as community focal point. Eighteen years later, a record 21 couples were married at the Istanbul Hilton in a single week. Istanbul’s first and finest five-star hotel has welcomed some of the world’s most elite guests, including Sophia Loren, Queen Elizabeth II, Louis Armstrong and Grace Kelly.
1940s
1949
Hilton International is born, with the opening of the Caribe Hilton in Puerto Rico. The Piña Colada was also invented and first served at the Caribe Hilton.
1947
Roosevelt Hilton, New York, becomes the first hotel to install televisions in guest rooms
1943
Hilton becomes the first coast-to-coast hotel group in the U.S. with the purchase of the Roosevelt and Plaza hotels.
1940s
Conrad Hilton pursued his unique management style over a rapidly-growing chain, engaging his employees by demanding that they ‘climb a little higher”.
1930s
1930
Room service pioneered at the Waldorf Astoria
1920s
1925
Dallas Hilton is constructed from the ground up.
1910s
1919
Conrad Hilton purchased his first hotel in Mobley, Texas
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