Last night, we picked up a copy of the newly released “The Hiltons: The True Story of an American Dynasty” by J. Randy Raraborrelli, and couldn’t put it down (we eventually did because it’s really heavy). It details the many booms and busts of hotel mogul Conrad Hilton’s early career, expansion of the empire, and the family beyond (yes, Zsa Zsa, Liz, and Paris, too).
Conrad Hilton was known to inspire such loyalty in employees that, once during the Great Depression when he was on the verge of financial ruin, a bellhop loaned him his life savings of $500. It was a good investment—the money was returned and the bellhop received dividends on Hilton stock for the rest of his life. For some local trivia, the Statler Hilton (pictured circa 2009) was the flagship for the new Statler Hilton chain, completed in 1956 for $16M. It was the first major hotel built in Dallas in nearly three decades and the largest convention facility in the South. Centurion American purchased it and the City just approved $46.5M in TIF funding for the $175M redevelopment project. So, while the Statler Hilton has a bright future ahead, we also recommend the sweeping saga of this book.
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