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Conrad Hilton is one of the famous leader in the hospitality industry. He was the first to realize that millionaires and middle-income people alike need the same comfort and unobtrusive but ubiquitous service, and for the same reason, they are ready to stay in the same hotels. The main thing that brought success to the Hilton Hotels was the innovations in the field of service and marketing. Hilton was an innovator, and it played a significant role in the formation of his empire. Hilton Hotels are very popular around the world since their founder was an expressive leader with extraordinary hotel business skills.

Biographical Data

Conrad Hilton has founded an international line of business hotels that bears his name. He was born in 1887 in New Mexico and studied at the Mining Institute (O'Gorman 131). He became an engineer, but this did not attract him at all. Since childhood, Conrad Hilton dreamed of becoming a bank manager. Therefore, his first business was banking. Surviving the bankruptcy of his first enterprise, Conrad dreamed of creating a new, successful bank. However, staying at the local hotel Mobley, he was struck by the mass of people crowding in the lobby who fought for free rooms; thus, he decided to take up the hotel business. He bought this hotel in 1919, and in 1925, he founded the first hotel in Dallas, which was named Hilton (Fojas 32). Hilton Hotels have grown throughout the country. Therefore, he became one of the richest hotelier in the world.

Leadership Characteristics that Led Me to Select Conrad Hilton

Leadership characteristics of Conrad Hilton have inspired me a lot. He was a perfect leader, as he appreciated the customers the most. Thus, he never ignored any requirement of the clients. On the contrary, all purchases in hotels were made in advance based on the analysis of customers' demands. In addition, he was first to introduce the loyalty system for returning clients. Thus, he earned the nickname "enthusiastic dealmaker" for his insatiable energy in exploring competitors (Fojas 40). Going to buy a hotel, he personally studied the situation. For example, Hilton watched how many men and women smiled when they leave the hotel, what was the size of the lobby, and even how many light bulbs were lit before entering as well as how many of them were burned out. By his style, he was a transformational leader, as he had the ability to make significant changes. Typically, Hilton introduced changes in the concept of the future development of his empire, its strategy, culture, production, and applied technologies. Instead of analyzing and controlling specific transactions with subordinates, using rules, directives and incentives, he focused on intangible issues, such as perspectives, common values, and new ideas. Therefore, this ability inspired those around him.

Hilton's Philosophy

Conrad Hilton considered that something that was good for clients was good for him. He believed that his hotels must be special such as diamonds (O'Gorman 133). He valued all his customers with great respect and wanted them to feel special in his hotels, both rich and middle-income. He also believed that world peace could contribute to international travel. Therefore, he supported international labor while creating the Hilton Hotels.

Conrad Hilton and His Hotel Business Innovations

Success of the Hilton empire is determined by the hotel business abilities of its leader. Thus, Hilton brand offers guarantee of elite luxury with affordable service of high standard quality that has become the company's corporate motto (Fojas 54). It attracts a variety of customers to the hotels, starting from crowned women, business leaders, stars of culture, to simple middle-class couples. As American journalists wrote, Conrad Hilton was the first to understand that people needed real comfort and unobtrusive but ubiquitous service regardless of their social status; thus, all of them are ready to stay for this in the same hotels (O'Gorman 139). However, the main thing that brought success to this hotel chain was innovations in the field of service and marketing. The corporation was the first to install specialized kiosks for souvenirs and gifts.

Moreover, Hilton was the innovator in equipment with such conventional devices as air conditioning, direct dial telephone, multifunctional programmable alarms, and automatic entrance doors. In 1994, this company has become the first hotel chain in the world that had all rooms equipped with automatic opening, closing, and locking doors (Fojas 67). In addition, Hilton's company is the first in its business sector to implement and widely distribute the franchising system since 1965, and today, it has franchising contracts with 1,352 hotels (Fojas 69). Nevertheless, the main innovations took place after Hilton's death, when the world entered the electronic era. Following the precepts of the founding father, his followers were the first to take all the newly opened profitable niches, as the work on the electrification of Hilton Hotels and related infrastructure began long before the appearance of the now well-known concepts, namely e-business and IT-technologies.

Conclusion

Hilton brand remains one of the most popular around the world due to their founder who was an expressive leader with extraordinary hotel business skills. Conrad Hilton has created his hotel empire due to his extraordinary personal abilities. Thus, he was a perfect transformational leader who paid his most attention to innovations in order to make his hotels comfortable for visitors. His personal philosophy inspired people around him. Moreover, his desire to become a hotelier was developed since he understood that people needed to feel comfortable away from their home regardless of their income and status.

Works Cited

Fojas, Camilla. Islands of Empire: Pop Culture and U.S. Power. University of Texas Press, 2014.

O'Gorman, Kevin. Conrad Hilton: Entrepreneurship, Innovation and the Making of the Global Hotel Industry. Goodfellow Publishers, 2013.