Conrad Hotels & Resorts is an American multinational brand of high-end

luxury hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suite (hotel), suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a d ...

s and high-end luxury resorts owned and operated by

Hilton Worldwide Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. is an American multinational hospitality company that manages and franchises a broad portfolio of hotels, resorts, and timeshare properties. Founded by Conrad Hilton in May 1919, the company is now led by Chris ...

. As of December 31, 2021, it has 42 locations with 15,085 rooms in 21 countries and territories, including two that are owned or leased with 778 rooms, 38 that are managed with 12,152 rooms, and two that are franchised with 2,155 rooms.

History

Barron Hilton, son of

Conrad Hilton Conrad Nicholson Hilton (December 25, 1887 – January 3, 1979) was an American hotel magnate and politician who founded the Hilton Hotels chain. From 1912 to 1916, Hilton was a Republican representative in the first New Mexico Legislature ...

, founded Conrad Hotels, taking the name from that of his father. Hilton Hotels was, at the time, a separate company from Hilton International, and could not operate hotels outside the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

under the Hilton name. The newly named chain solved that problem. Hilton International had already started their own chain of Vista Hotels within the

, as they faced the same prohibition on operating there under the Hilton name. The first Conrad hotel, the Conrad Jupiters Gold Coast in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

, opened its doors in 1985. When the two Hilton chains were rejoined in 2005, the need for the Vista and Conrad names vanished. Vista was phased out, while the Conrad brand was retained as a luxury wing of Hilton. Numerous hotels have since been opened under that name in the United States and elsewhere. Conrad was considered the luxury flagship brand in the Hilton Family of Brands, named after company founder

, until being supplanted by The Waldorf-Astoria Collection in 2006. In 2017, Marie Jean Pierre, a former dishwasher at the Conrad Miami Hotel, sued the Conrad in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida claiming the Miami hotel had violated the

Civil Rights Act of 1964 The Civil Rights Act of 1964 () is a landmark civil rights and United States labor law, labor law in the United States that outlaws discrimination based on Race (human categorization), race, Person of color, color, religion, sex, and nationa ...

. Her religious beliefs prevented her from working on Sundays, and she claimed in the lawsuit that the hotel wouldn't accommodate her. In 2019, Ms. Pierre was awarded $21.5 million by a jury, but did not receive the full amount because punitive damages in the United States cannot exceed $300,000.

Properties

References

External links

* {{Hotel chains * Hilton Worldwide brands Hotels established in 1985 American companies established in 1985 Luxury hotels