Who Owns Hilton Hotels

Hilton Hotels is an internationally renowned hotel chain that has over 5,400 properties worldwide. It is one of the largest hospitality companies in the world, providing luxury accommodations in some of the most desirable locations around. As of 2020, Hilton is owned by Blackstone, one of the world’s largest private equity firms.

Blackstone purchased Hilton in 2007, forming the largest hotel company in the world at the time. Prior to that, the company’s founder Conrad Hilton had passed away in 1979, leaving most of his empire to the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, a non-profit organization. This included the Hilton companies, and the foundation maintained a majority ownership until 2007.

The deal was put together and financed by New York-based private equity firms Blackstone and Apollo Global Management. In total, the acquisition of Hilton was estimated to cost $20.1 billion, with Blackstone providing $6.6 billion in equity and Apollo providing the other $13.5 billion.

Blackstone purchased the company in order to create a large, international hospitality enterprise and increase its presence in the hospitality market. Under their ownership, the company went from 1,224 properties to 3,781; and Blackstone also helped to expand the company’s presence in other markets, such as Asia-Pacific and Africa.

Additionally, Blackstone also helped the company create a loyalty program, the Hilton Honors program, which allowed customers to earn points, thereby increasing customer loyalty and occupancy rates. This enabled Hilton to remain competitive even while rival chains, such as Marriott and Hyatt, were growing in the industry.

Overall, Blackstone has proved to be an excellent owner for Hilton and has been very successful in maximizing the company’s value and growing its presence worldwide. It is unclear what the future will hold for Hilton, but it is likely that Blackstone will continue to play a major role.