Conrad Hilton

Conrad Hilton

Vince Lombardi writes, “The price of success is hard work, dedication to the job at hand, and the determination that whether we win or lose, we have applied the best of ourselves to the task at hand.” If Conrad needed a quote to live by this would be his. Conrad was a determined man who worked hard and never gave up even when the odds were not in his favor.

Conrad Hilton was born December 25, 1887, in New Mexico and was one of seven children. His father was a store clerk and taught Conrad the ropes of the business at an early age. Conrad was not sold on wanting to be a clerk for the rest of his life and sought out for brighter horizons. Conrad was a driven individual and by his mid twenties he joined the New Mexico legislature where he served a term of two years. Conrad was still not satisfied and left the politics to join the military. He found the military invigorating and enjoyed his time served.

By 1919, Conrad took his life savings of $5k and moved with his mother to Texas. He was set on being a banker and almost had the job until the deal changed last minute. Conrad found himself at the Motley Hotel, which he ended up buying off the owner for $40k and began to renovate. Conrad saw the potential in the building because all the customers wanted was a bed and a good meal. Conrad saw the profit and set to work and satisfying the need. Conrad began traveling all over purchasing “fixoruppers” he added bars, more rooms and a decent meal. By 1925, Conrad owned eight hotels and was making $100k a year. He needed a slogan for the progress made and so he came up with “minimax”; which meant minimal price for maximum satisfaction.

The Depression era was a killer for Conrad. He lost everything except for the EL Paso Hotel. $500k in debt Conrad still never gave up his dream he knew he could do it regardless on how impossible it seemed. Eventually he was able to make small steps in bouncing back. Conrad continued to wow the world with his shrewd and savvy ways in purchasing hotels. He even purchased a big name hotel in NYC and kept the original name but Conrad wanted to play with the big boys now. Conrad lived a successful life in the business field in the end of his life of 91; he left an estimated $2.36 billion in fortune to a charitable unitrust that later merged with Conrad N. Hilton Foundation.