The scandals and secrets behind the massive Hilton hotel fortune

The history of the Hiltons

The headline-grabbing scandals and vast fortune of the family behind the global Hilton hotel chain have attracted more than their fair share of attention over the decades.

With a new movie based on Paris Hilton’s memoir hitting screens, discover how her family got so rich. Click or scroll on for the inside story of the Hilton family fortune, from a 40-room hotel in Texas to the luxury empire it represents today. 

All dollar amounts in US dollars.

Hilton's humble beginnings

It all began with Conrad Nicholson Hilton Sr (pictured). His parents, Augustus and Mary, were Norwegian immigrants who had arrived in America in 1870, and Conrad, one of seven children, was born in New Mexico in 1887.

Augustus owned a grocery store, and the family sometimes rented out rooms in their home to make extra money. 

The first hotel

Conrad Hilton served in World War I as a second lieutenant in Paris, France, with the Quartermaster Corps. 

He was discharged in 1919 and moved to Texas with the intention of buying a bank. However, Hilton grew impatient with slow negotiations and instead sunk $5,000 – around $100,000 (£73k) in today’s money – into the purchase of the 40-room Mobley Hotel in Cisco, Texas (pictured).

The hotel became so popular he had to convert the dining area into extra accommodation to meet the overwhelming demand. 

The empire expands

Hilton expanded his Texan hotel empire throughout the 1920s, finally branching out beyond the state in 1939 when he snapped up a hotel in New Mexico, followed by a luxury venue in LA in 1942.

The following year, having purchased the iconic Roosevelt and Plaza hotels in New York (the latter of which is pictured here), Hilton became the first coast-to-coast hotel chain operator in the US.

The Hilton Hotels Corporation was officially formed in 1946 and listed on the New York Stock Exchange. 

The greatest of them all

Hilton International was founded in 1949 with the opening of the Caribe Hilton in Puerto Rico, the first of the chain's properties to be located outside of the United States.

That same year, Conrad Hilton achieved a lifelong ambition when he bought the original Waldorf Astoria (pictured) in New York for $3 million, around $40 million (£29.5m) in today's money. He reportedly kept a photo of the landmark hotel on his desk for many years, with "The greatest of them all" written on it.

Innkeeper of the World

In 1954, Hilton bought the Statler Hotel Company for $111 million, almost $1.33 billion (£977m) in today's money.

The acquisition marked the largest real estate deal in history at the time, and Hilton's new portfolio of properties included eight operating hotels and two more under construction. Around this time, Hilton coined the nickname "Innkeeper of the World" for himself. 

This 1955 photo depicts Hilton with the actress Esther Williams. 

Industry innovator

Throughout the 1950s, Conrad continued to grow his empire and pioneered various industry innovations. In 1955, for example, he launched HILCRON, the company's first central reservation office; that same year, he also began a multimillion-dollar project to bring air-con to every Hilton hotel.

Later that decade, he started to lead the way with the airport-hotel concept, opening the 380-room San Francisco Airport Hilton in 1959.

Hilton Istanbul

The 1950s also marked the grand launch of the Hilton Istanbul in 1955 (pictured).

The unveiling was poignant as it was the first brand-new hotel to be opened in Europe since World War II ended in 1945. It was also the first to be featured on a postage stamp and to have its own zip code.

But while business was booming, Hilton's personal life was more turbulent...

Hilton's many marriages

Although a devout Catholic, Hilton married three times and divorced twice. His first marriage was to Mary Adelaide Barron in 1925, and the couple had three children: Conrad Jr, William, and Eric.

They divorced in 1934, and Hilton's next bride was Hollywood starlet Zsa Zsa Gabor (pictured), with whom he tied the knot in 1942. They had one daughter together, Constance, before divorcing in 1947.

He finally married Mary Kelly in 1976, and the couple stayed together until his death three years later.

Zsa Zsa Gabor

Hilton's relationship with Zsa Zsa Gabor grabbed headlines from the word go.

The couple wed in 1942 when Hilton was 55 and Gabor was 25, and the union was troubled from the start.

For one thing, Hilton felt guilty that the Catholic Church didn't recognise the couple's civil marriage and refused to share a bedroom with his wife, which infuriated her.

Gabor's wild spending sprees were also a source of contention, and Hilton put his bride on a strict budget of $250 per month, around $4,500 (£3.3k) today. This appalled the socialite and then-budding actress, who reportedly viewed being "Mrs Conrad Hilton" as her full-time job.

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An unhappy marriage

Gabor was unhappy in the marriage and is said to have turned to pills as a source of comfort, prompting Hilton to have her committed to a sanatorium for six weeks.

The couple eventually divorced in 1947, but not before Hilton hired a private eye who caught Gabor in a "compromising position" with a studio executive. But that wasn’t the first time Gabor was unfaithful to her hotel magnate husband...

This photo shows Gabor with her daughter Constance, who would later launch a showbiz career under the name Francesca Hilton.

A scandalous family affair

In 1969, Gabor shockingly claimed that she'd started an affair with her stepson Conrad "Nicky" Hilton Jr in 1944 when he was just 18 years old.

Gabor, who died in 2016 at the age of 99, was ultimately married nine times and was famously quoted as saying: "I am a marvellous housekeeper. Every time I leave a man, I keep his house."

Gabor is shown on the left with Nicky and the actress Natalie Wood.

A star-studded wedding

Nicky, Conrad's eldest son, wasn’t alive in 1969 to confirm or deny his stepmother's bold claim. However, he was a notorious playboy.

In 1950, at the age of 24, he married Hollywood icon Elizabeth Taylor. Taylor was 18 years old at the time, and the ceremony was organised by her film studio, MGM. Perhaps by coincidence, the nuptials coincided with the release of her latest movie, The Father of the Bride. 

Conrad Hilton Sr paid for the star-studded wedding reception, which was attended by Hollywood legends including Gene Kelly, Ginger Rogers, and Fred Astaire.

Hilton's terrible temper

Despite the lavish celebration, Taylor was starting to regret the marriage by the time the couple had jetted off on their honeymoon.

It quickly became apparent to the young starlet that her new husband had a drinking and gambling habit, along with an abusive temper. During one of his later rages, Hilton is said to have kicked Taylor in the stomach, causing her to miscarry.

Hilton reportedly resented that his wife was more famous than him and, according to his sister-in-law Marilyn Hilton, "did not like being called Mr. Taylor".

Nicky's playboy lifestyle

Following his failed marriage to Elizabeth Taylor, the young Hilton had high-profile affairs with model Betsy von Furstenberg and the actresses Natalie Wood and Joan Collins (who he's pictured with here in 1957). Collins had a reputation for being just as wild as Hilton.

His partying and alcoholism ultimately saw his father hand responsibility of the Hilton Hotels Corporation to his middle son, Barron.

Hilton International takeover

Nicky became president of Hilton International when it formed as a separate company in 1964. However, just three years later, the company was bought by Trans World Airlines. He resigned his presidency and became chairman. 

He's pictured here with Natalie Wood in 1957.

The death of Nicky Hilton

Although Nicky briefly retired from his lothario lifestyle when he married socialite Patricia McClintock in 1958, it wasn't to last.

The couple had two sons together but had separated by 1965, and Nicky swiftly returned to his old ways. Just four years later, at the age of 42, he died of an alcoholism-related heart attack.

Conrad Hilton's successor

Conrad Hilton Sr’s second son, William Barron Hilton, shared his father’s shrewd business mind.

Better known as 'Barron', he was voted in as vice president of the Hilton Hotel Corporation in 1954 and was named his father's successor in 1966.

During this period, the young Hilton was also a key figure in the newly launched American Football League (AFL) and owned the Los Angeles Chargers (pictured). He became president of the AFL in 1965 and played an important part in the merger that ultimately formed the Super Bowl. 

Viva Las Vegas!

Barron is credited with expanding the Hilton Hotel Corporation into the gaming and casino sector.

It became the first New York Stock Exchange-listed company to enter the domestic gaming business when it bought the Flamingo Hotel and the Las Vegas International (pictured today) in 1970. Today, the two venues are known as the Flamingo Hilton and the Las Vegas Hilton respectively.

The grandfather of Paris Hilton

Unlike his father and older brother, Barron enjoyed a far simpler personal life. He married Marilyn Hawley in 1947, and the couple lived at the Jay Paley House, situated in a swanky neighbourhood in Holmby Hills, LA. 

They had eight children together, including Richard Hilton, who would grow up to become the father of socialite sisters Paris and Nicky.

Eric Hilton

Eric (pictured), the youngest son of Conrad Sr, started out as a radar specialist during the Korean War. In 1949, he took a job at Hilton as a bellman, working his way up the ladder to the position of executive chairman.

A famed philanthropist, Eric, who died in 2016 aged 83, was known to say: "I'm just an ordinary man with a rich man's name".

Francesca Gabor Hilton

And what about Conrad Hilton Sr’s only daughter, Francesca Hilton? Although she worked briefly as a Hilton hotel receptionist, she ultimately followed in her mother’s footsteps and launched herself into the world of showbiz.

The actress and comedienne, who died in 2015 at the age of 67, was known for making fun of her famous family. However, she was reportedly living in poverty by the time of her death. 

The death of Conrad Hilton

Although Conrad Hilton Sr had his trio of sons to help him run his hotel empire, he refused to retire, working right up until his death in 1979 at the age of 91.

His New York Times obituary claimed that "he was at his desk six days a week" into his late 80s and noted "it was not uncommon for him to dance until 3 A.M., to appear for coffee and orange juice at 8 A.M., then go on to [a] full day's schedule".

Despite being one of the richest men in America, he left just $500,000 (about $2.2m/£1.6m in today's money) to his surviving sons and $100,000 (around $440k/£326k in today's money) to his daughter, with the rest of his fortune donated to his eponymous charity foundation. 

Barron expands the business

As his father’s successor, Barron received 37% of Hilton’s shares and became chairman of the board, as well as president and CEO of the company.

He retired from his position in 1996, but not before expanding the Hilton brand by acquiring businesses such as the Embassy Suites, Hampton Inn, Homewood Suites, and Doubletree.

Barron remained a chairman on the board after his retirement and continued to help expand the company throughout the 2000s. This included Hilton Hotels Corporation reacquiring Hilton International, reuniting the companies for the first time in four decades.

The death of Barron Hilton

When Barron Hilton died in 2019, he followed in his father's footsteps by leaving just 3% of his net worth to his eight children, 15 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

The rest of his fortune was donated to the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, taking the charity's capital from around $2.9 billion (£2.1bn) to $6.3 billion (£4.6bn).

Hilton Worldwide

The Blackstone Group bought the Hilton Hotel Corporation for a whopping $26 billion (£19bn) in 2007. Christopher Nassetta (pictured) was brought on board as president and CEO and remains in the position today.

The move saw Hilton Hotel Corporation rebrand to Hilton Worldwide and move its headquarters from California to Virginia. While the hospitality empire is no longer owned by the family, the clan has remained in the spotlight...

A new generation

The most famous Hilton descendants are the offspring of Richard and Kathy Hilton, who are pictured here with their daughter Paris.

The son of Barron, Richard is the founder of Beverly Hills real estate company Hilton & Hyland. Kathy is an actress and fashion designer and has made regular appearances on reality TV show The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.

Paris Hilton

The couple's eldest child, Paris, is the dynasty's most famous member, with everything from a globally recognised catchphrase ("that's hot") to her own billion-dollar business empire.

The former party girl rose to fame in the early 2000s as a model and socialite, launching her own TV show, The Simple Life, with best friend Nicole Richie in 2003.

​Despite the show's popularity, which ran until 2007, it was a series of headline-hitting scandals that thrust Paris into the spotlight. But though she was known for wild behaviour in her younger years, the socialite has since built a business empire of her own...

Business mogul

Gifted with her great-grandfather Conrad Hilton Sr's business acumen, Hilton has since turned her fame into a multibillion-dollar business empire. In 2006, she founded Paris Hilton Entertainment, which consisted of 45 branded stores and 19 product lines, and has so far generated over $4 billion (£2.95bn) in revenues.

The company is now known as 11:11 Media and encompasses everything from podcasts and digital to music and NFTs.

She even launched her own skincare brand, Parívie, in 2025, showing she's not afraid to try her hand at a wide range of business ventures. 

"I'm not a dumb blonde"

In 2020, Hilton once again went viral when she claimed her "dumb blonde" persona was all an act. In her This Is Paris YouTube documentary, the starlet revealed: "I'm not a dumb blonde, I'm just really good at pretending to be one". 

Having been engaged three times before, the businesswoman has finally had her "happily ever after" moment: she married venture capitalist Carter Reum at the Hilton family’s lavish Bel-Air estate in November 2021. The couple now has two children, son Phoenix and daughter London.

Author

In 2023, Paris published her no-holds-barred autobiography titled Paris: The Memoir, covering topics such as her traumatic experiences at boarding school and her rise to fame in the early 2000s.

The book has since been turned into a movie titled Infinite Icon: A Visual Memoir, which was released in January 2026.  

Reality TV comeback

In 2024, Paris Hilton returned to the small screen alongside her BFF Nicole Richie in the miniseries Paris & Nicole: The Encore.

The show premiered on the streaming platform Peacock to celebrate the 20th anniversary of The Simple Life.

Nicky Hilton

While less famous than her big sister, Nicky Hilton – the second child of Richard and Kathy Hilton – was often spotted partying with Paris during their younger years. 

She's now a successful fashion designer who's launched collections of clothes and accessories, most recently unveiling her first fine jewellery line.

Rothschild dynasty

Nicky Hilton married into another wealthy dynasty when she tied the knot with James Rothschild, of the famous banking family, in 2015.

The couple married at The Orangery in Kensington Palace Gardens in London, and the star-studded guest list featured the likes of Princess Marie-Chantal of Greece and Chelsea Clinton. Nicky and James (pictured) have three children.

A 'royal' wedding

Paris and Nicky's younger brother Barron Hilton II keeps a relatively low profile compared to his famous sisters – although he did marry into German royalty in 2018.

His wife is Tessa Gräfin von Walderdorff, a descendant of the noble Walderdorff family and a DJ-turned-property broker.

The couple married in 2018 and hosted a spectacular celebration at the exclusive Villa La Plage in St. Bart's, where a beachfront abode can cost up to $52,070 (£38.3k) per week. 

Barron and Tessa share three children together. 

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