LAS VEGAS Hilton Worldwide has notified the owner of Las Vegas Hilton that it will exercise its right to terminate the franchise deal later this year, forcing the iconic off-Strip resort to adopt a new name.
A date for the termination has not been announced, but it will be before the end of the calendar year. “We have been in discussions with other major hotel brands and may reengage with Hilton in the coming months regarding a new franchise agreement,” resort spokesman Owen Blicksilver tells Las Vegas Review-Journal. “We expect to announce an affiliation with a major hotel chain before year’s end.”
In the meantime, the 3,261-key property will continue normal operations, Blicksilver says.
Neither Hilton Worldwide nor Colony has commented publicly on the reason for the split.
The property, built in 1969 by Kirk Kerkorian as International Hotel, has operated under the Hilton flag since 1971. It is currently owned by Colony Resorts LVH Acquisitions LLC, which acquired it in 2004 from Park Place Entertainment—a forerunner to Caesars Entertainment—for US$280 million.
Hilton Worldwide has 17 hotels in the Las Vegas market under six brands: Hilton Grand Vacations, Doubletree, Embassy Suites, Homewood Suites, Hampton Inn and Hilton Garden Inn.
