Register to get 3 free articles
Register to unlock the article and receive our free newsletter. Join 26,000 other hotel leaders and stay in the know.
Want unlimited access? View Plans
Already have an account? Sign in
The London Hilton on Park Lane is celebrating ‘100 Years of Hilton’ today (31 May), which marks a century since founder Conrad Hilton opened the first Hilton hotel back in Cisco, Texas.
The property on Park Lane was the first Hilton hotel to open in the UK back in 1963. A specially curated retrospective has been exhibited in the hotel’s lobby taking visitors on a journey of Hilton. The exhibition closes this Sunday 2 June.
Part of the exhibition looks at the hotel’s position in Mayfair, both physically right on the doorstep of Hyde Park, but also as a hub for the local community including the economic and cultural impact the UK’s first Hilton has had.
A statement by the group read: “The London Hilton on Park Lane is proud to have been the height of glamour when it opened, and continues to pioneer the hospitality and travel industry as we know it.
“Celebrations today culminate in the hotel where guests and team members will gather along with Hilton’s president for EMEA, Simon Vincent and Jon Scott, area vice president London, to cut a special birthday cake, created by executive chef Anthony Marshall, and to toast to the next 100 years of Hilton hospitality.”
Michael Shepherd, the longest serving general manager of the London Hilton on Park Lane, said: “In a city as globally significant and as popular as London, standing out isn’t easy or straightforward; for the Hilton to land here in the 1960’s and immediately set the standard was quite a feat.
“To still be going strong and remain one of this city’s great hospitality settings is fitting to the work of the hotel staff, and shows that the Hilton brand is still timeless and appealing to guests around the world today.”
He added: “As Hilton turns 100, the celebrations will look at the positive, world-altering impact Hilton continues to have on billions of lives and thousands of communities around the globe, pioneering new travel markets and bringing people and cultures together, while expanding new horizons and opportunities.”
