Did Hilton return to Las Vegas or leave?
The company’s early glory days in the desert date back to the 1970s, when Elvis Presley sold the Las Vegas Hilton more than six hundred times. Hilton was the first publicly traded hotel company to come to Las Vegas, pioneering (along with Howard Hughes) replacing mob-affiliated casinos with corporations.
But when the company sold its casino and focused on franchising, it sold its flagship Las Vegas properties, first the Flamingo Hilton in 1998 and then the Las Vegas Hilton in 2012.
For several years now, Hilton has kept a low profile in the city.
In 2021, a new Las Vegas Hilton arrived, one of three Hilton homes at Resorts World. Las Vegas Hilton, Conrad and LXR at Resorts World are among Hilton’s competitive additions to its Las Vegas portfolio. The company has added more than 6,000 new rooms and 17 new homes in Las Vegas in recent years.
As of October 2023, Hilton has 44 properties in Las Vegas (including Hilton Grand Vacations) representing nearly 15,000 rooms. With the total number of Las Vegas hotel rooms hovering around 150,000, that means Hilton has a 10% share of the market.
Hilton has become a major presence in Las Vegas since 1970, when it purchased the International Leisure Company, which owns the International Hotel and the Flamingo Hotel and Casino. Hilton was the first company listed on the New York Stock Exchange to enter the national “gaming” market. ” business.
Until then, the progress of Las Vegas hotel-casinos had been in the hands of quaint “entrepreneur” types. This included the first of the Strip’s major casinos, the Flamingo, built by the late Bugsy Siegel.
As Hilton puts it, the company’s arrival “helped legitimize Las Vegas as a popular destination for business and recreational travel. “Ironically, when Hilton finally ran the Flamingo, he issued five-dollar casino chips in memory of Siegel.
The Las Vegas Hilton, the company’s iconic Las Vegas property, even more iconic. From July 31, 1969, to December 12, 1976, Elvis Presley sold more than six hundred exhibits at the Las Vegas International Hotel, which became the Hilton in 1970. He turned what was intended to be a four-week commitment into a seven-year commitment. The “King” still resided in the 30th-floor attic.
On September 8, 1978, the Las Vegas Hilton paid tribute to the defeated Presley and his record-breaking streak by installing a bronze statue. But after 40 years, Hilton sold the property and on Jan. 3, 2012, replaced its name. to Hotel Las Vegas
Hilton had left Flamingo, which he had also acquired in 1970 or earlier. Hilton established its gaming division, Flamingo, in 1998.
So, from 2012 to 2021, Hilton had no flagship assets in Las Vegas. The company’s strategy has also changed, with Hilton’s expansion to 22 brands, fueled through franchising, and the company’s exit from the gaming business.
General views of the newly opened Resorts World Las Vegas hotel and casino on June 27, 2021 in Las … [+] Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by AaronP/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)
In 2021, the company finally inaugurated a new flagship product, the Las Vegas Hilton, with the opening of Resorts World, valued at $4. 3 billion. The casino hotel developed through Malaysia-based Genting Group has three Hilton homes (Hilton, Conrad and LXR) with a total of 3500 rooms. The stunning hotel opened in 2021 at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, but has reached an upscale audience, offering luxury hotels like the Resorts World Lucky 888 ($888,000) package for the recent Formula 1 race in Las Vegas. Vegas.
We speak with Danny Hughes, executive vice president and president of the Americas at Hilton. Originally from Wales, Hughes has worked at Hilton for more than 35 years.
Did Hilton pull out of Las Vegas after promoting the LV Hilton? “During this conspicuous absence, we have been diligently pursuing our other brands,” says Hughes. “We have a giant portfolio of hotels there and we continue to look for opportunities. “
A search of Hilton revealed 41 of its 44 hotels in the Las Vegas area, adding Hilton, Conrad, LXR, Hilton Grand Vacations, Virgin Hotels Las Vegas Curio Collection through Hilton and Tropicana Las Vegas, which it will soon abandon.
These hotels have a built-in market for leisure or business travelers; HHonors’ 173 million members. HHonors’ membership has quadrupled in 10 years, making it the fastest-growing program in the industry. “A lot of it is about creating an environment for our unwavering consumers,” Hughes says.
BRAZIL – 10/21/2023: In this photo rendering, the American Express Hilton Honors Aspire cardArray. . [ ] is displayed on a smartphone screen. (Photo rendering via Rafael Henrique/SOPA Images/LightRocket Getty Images)
When the Mandarin Oriental changed hands in 2018, Hilton took control of the 47-story luxury hotel and condominium, renamed Waldorf Astoria Las Vegas. Hughes says, “The Waldorf is being renovated: the lobby, the rooms, starting with the most sensible floor. “He calls non-casino assets “an oasis in the middle of all the action. “
As for the opening of Resorts World, Hughes says, “No one anticipated what COVID would do. It was a challenging time to open. But we love our partnership.”
Hilton was one of the main marketing partners of the Formula 1 race, sponsoring the McLaren team, welcoming visitors to the Elara-by Hilton Grand Vacations and the Virgin Hotel, and even hosting a late-night party with DJ Paris Hilton.
Despite some increasing difficulties with traffic in the city and problems on the track, Hughes says: “There has never been a Formula 1 street race like this. The occupancy rate was a bit high compared to normal, the rates were very high. “
And he confirmed that Resorts World with its Hilton properties did very well. “We’ll do even better next year. Monte Carlo has been doing this for 75 years. They’ve worked this stuff out. Formula One and Las Vegas are a match made in Heaven.“
Entertainment had drawn players to the desert since the arrival of the Flamingo in 1946, but Hilton received a special touch with her Elvis shows, just as she did with Formula 1. Hughes says, “It’s not just music — we had boxing. “matches that surprised the world. [When Leon Spinks defeated Muhammad Ali. ] There is food, drink and entertainment, as well as gambling, with 1970 being the beginning of the transformation.
Hilton is also benefiting from the return of tourists to Las Vegas after the catastrophic COVID shutdown in 2020.
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – JUNE 24: Paris Hilton performs at the grand opening of Resorts World Las Vegas. . . [ ] on June 24, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Denise Truscello/Getty Images for Resorts World Las Vegas)
“I hesitate to say Las Vegas is a family destination but now you have the Carrie Underwoods (whose residency at Resorts World continues into 2024), the Adeles and the Katie Perrys, as well as sports like the Golden Knights, Raiders, and the champion WNBA Aces. You can’t be a great celebrity chef unless you have a place in Vegas.”
He adds, “In the 1970’s and 1980’s we were a one brand company. Then we started franchising in the 1980’s. An entrepreneurial family can own a hotel—there are hundreds of families who operate hotels and put a Hilton brand ‘flag’ on them.”
As for Hilton’s signature products in Las Vegas, Hughes said, “We’ve never had a break in the city. It’s a vital destination. We never said Las Vegas was no longer vital. We’ve been very selective about putting our name on it. When Genting took over the site [for Resort Worlds], it was a way to marry them.
Hughes says of the $4. 3 billion Resorts World complex: “Only two or three of those things are built every decade. We had a chance to spot our logo on other hotels, but we held off until we found the right spot. “