In 1956, he went to work at the new Dallas Statler Hilton and was soon promoted and named resident manager of the Deshler Hilton in Columbus, Ohio in 1959. The following year, he received his first appointment as general manager of the Hilton in Aurora, Ill. In 1961, he was made general manager of the Shamrock Hilton and became well known and respected throughout the Houston business community.
In 1966, he was promoted to southwest regional sales manager for the company's franchising division, Hilton Inns, Inc. and was named senior vice president in 1969. He helped drive the company's franchise development efforts for the next 14 years.
In 1983, he was named senior vice president of development for the company's new Conrad brand, marking the company's return to the international marketplace after the sale of Hilton International 16 years earlier. He was elected executive vice president of Conrad International in 1986 and spent much of his time based in Hong Kong. It would be another 20 years before the company was able to reacquire Hilton International.
In 1985, Hilton put together a deal for the Shamrock Hilton Hotel to be donated to the Texas Medical Center. He was elected to the board of Hilton Hotels Corporation in 1993 and named vice chairman. A year later, he was elevated to the presidency of Conrad International. Hilton retired in 1997, but continued to serve as a consultant and member of the board until 1998.
Hilton's career was also distinguished by his long service to the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation. He was instrumental in the establishment of the Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management at the University of Houston in 1969. He was elected to the board of directors of the Hilton Foundation in 1971, and served as chairman of its affiliate, the Best Foundation. Best's Project ALERT drug resistance curriculum was created by the RAND Corporation with funding from the Hilton Foundation to help reduce drug abuse among youth.
He was also a valued member of the Hilton Foundation's international jury that selects the recipient of the annual $2 million Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize.
A longtime resident of Las Vegas, Hilton had an idea that created Three Square, a nonprofit organization that collects and distributes food to children and seniors in Southern Nevada.
Hilton received the American Vocational Association Award of Merit and has been honored with the Alumni President's Award and an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from the University of Houston, where he has also been inducted into the Hospitality Industry Hall of Honor. He previously served on the board of Future Business Leaders of America-Phi Beta Lambda, and was a trustee for the Little League Foundation for more than 35 years.
