Hilton Hotel Review

Hilton Hotel in Sydney was built in 1975. It has 577 rooms and suites. Mass amount of swimming pools, bath tubs, fitness areas and business facilities can be found here.

Overlooking the Queen Victoria Building, the 30-story Hilton Sydney is 100 meters from the Town Hall station and approximately 12 miles from Kingsford Smith Airport. St. Mary's Cathedral, the Opera House, Sydney Aquarium, Chinatown, and the Rocks are within a mile of the hotel. Hotel amenities include Glass Brasserie and Wine Bar, Marble Bar, GAB (cocktail lounge), Zeta Bar, Caffe Cino, and the health center's gym, sauna, spa tub, juice bar, and 25-meter heated indoor pool. The hotel also offers room service, concierge assistance, 23 meeting rooms, a 1,000-capacity ballroom, a business center, currency exchange, parking (fee applies), valet laundry service, and 24-hour front desk service.

All rooms feature PlayStation games, cable TV, coffeemakers, high-speed Internet access, direct-dial telephones, voicemail, hairdryers, bathrobes, separate bathtubs and showers, irons and ironing boards, safes, and air-conditioning.

The Bombing of the Hilton Hotel.

The Sydney Hilton bombing occurred on 13 February 1978, when a bomb exploded outside the Hilton Hotel in Sydney, Australia. At the time the hotel was the site of the first Commonwealth Heads of Government Regional Meeting (CHOGRM), a regional off-shoot of the biennial meeting of the heads of government from all Commonwealth nations.

The bomb, planted in a rubbish bin, exploded when the bin was emptied into a garbage truck outside the hotel at 1:40am. It killed two garbage men, Alex Carter and William Favell, and a police officer, Paul Birmistriw, guarding the entrance to the hotel lounge died later. It also injured eleven others. Twelve foreign leaders were staying in the hotel at the time, but none were injured. Australian prime minister Malcolm Fraser immediately called out the Australian Army to guard the remainder of the CHOGRM meeting.

A new plaque was unveiled in Sydney's George Street on 13th February 2008, at the site of the bomb blast outside the Hilton Hotel 30 years ago that marked Australia's entry into the age of terrorism.

New South Wales Premier Morris Iemma has commended Sydney City Council for restoring the memorial plaque to its original home, and says he hopes there will never be a need for any more.

The Las Vegas Hilton is a hotel, casino, and convention center in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is a joint venture between Colony Capital, which owns 60 percent, and New York City-based REIT Whitehall Street Real Estate Funds, which owns the remaining 40 percent. With 3,174 hotel rooms, this off-Strip hotel is the largest Hilton Hotel in the world and one of the largest hotel-casinos in Las Vegas. Located on 64 acres (324,000 m?), it has a 100,000 square foot (9,000 m?) casino and is also home to the largest sports book in Las Vegas.

The hotel is located next to the Las Vegas Convention Center and with its own 150,000 square foot convention center.

The land that the hotel sits upon, according to local Las Vegans, was owned by a woman descended from a family only known as Ashworth, though not much else is known other than the family moved to Texas in the 1970s.

The hotel, designed by architect Martin Stern, Jr., was built in 1969 by Kirk Kerkorian and opened as the International Hotel. When it opened, the International was the largest hotel in the world. Barbra Streisand was the opening-night performer, along with Peggy Lee performing afterwards in the hotel's lounge.

In 1969, right after Streisand's engagement, Elvis Presley performed for 58 consecutive sold out shows, breaking all Vegas attendance records, (130,157 paying, and ostensibly gambling customers in the period of one month), with stellar reviews coming from both critics, and the public. He broke his own attendance record in February 1970, and again in August of 1970, and August 1972. When playing Las Vegas, he lived in the penthouse suite,(room 3000) located on the 30th floor, until his last performance there in December 1976.

Liberace headlined in the showroom during the 1970's drawing sold-out crowds twice per night. When he signed his contract at the Hilton in 1972 he earned $300,000 per week, a record amount for individual entertainers in Las Vegas.

The International Hotel was sold to Hilton Hotels Corporation in 1970 and renamed the Las Vegas Hilton in 1971. In 1998, Hilton hotels corperation split thier properties and stock into two different companies (Hilton gaming, and Hilton Hotels). Shortly after the split, Hilton Gaming company merged with Bally entertainment corperation (owners of Bally's Hotel). The company was re-named Park Place Entertainment. In 2000, Park Place Entertainment purchased Caesars Palace. In 2003 Park Place Entertainment changed thier name to Caesars Entertainment. In 2004, Cesars Entertainment sold the Las Vegas Hilton to Colony Capital LLC for $280 million. Colony Capital transferd the property to Resorts International Holdings, a Colony Capital company also known as Resorts International. The Las Vegas Hilton is now Resorts International anchor property, with thier corperate office located on the 2nd floor of the east tower.

The east tower was added in 1975 and the north tower was added in 1978.

On the night of February 11, 1981, just 90 days after the devastating MGM Grand fire, an arson fire started at the Las Vegas Hilton while it was ironically being retrofitted with modern fire safety equipment. Firefighters, using the knowledge they had learned from the MGM fire, used local television networks to notify people to stay in their rooms and not go out to the halls and stairwells. Because of the lessons learned, only eight people died in this fire compared with the 85 people who died in the MGM Grand fire. In 1982, Philip Cline was sentenced to 8 life sentences for his role in starting the fire.

The race and sports book was added in 1986 and at the time was the largest in Las Vegas.

In September 1991, the casino hosted the U.S. Navy's Tailhook Association annual meeting. During this gathering, widespread acts of sexual assault by Naval officers took place in the hotel. The Navy attempted a cover-up of the event, however the initial accusations stood up and fueled a large scandal receiving wide media attention. Responsibility included the entire chain of command, ultimately affecting the careers of over 300 pilots and 14 admirals, including Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Frank Kelso.

The hotel had what was the largest free standing sign made mostly of steel in front of the hotel on Paradise Road. The old sign was semi-circular in shape, and had three large steel posts close to each other forming a small circle, while three more posts on each side of the three main ones, this time more spaced out, formed the semi-circle, also holding up a concrete sign. The old sign, which had been built at a cost of $5 million, was blown down during a severe wind storm on July 18, 1994. A new, $9 million, free standing concrete Hilton sign was built in 1997 at the same location and is the largest free standing sign in the world. The sign is narrow, and gets wider as it gets higher, forming a fan-type design at the top.

On September 18, 1995, the Vegas version of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Starlight Express show opened. This involved a massive conversion of the theater, including pouring concrete ramps into the seating area. When the show closed, the theater was used to film The Oak Ridge Boys Live series for one of the county cable Networks before it was gutted and renovated.

In January 1998, Star Trek: The Experience opened. The casino added a space-themed casino, Space Quest, complete with high-tech table games. It served as the gateway to The Experience. Sometime prior to the summer of 2007 the casino was redone to largely remove the space theme.

In 1998, 2002 and 2005 Wheel of Fortune was taped on location at the Las Vegas Hilton Theater.

A Hilton Grand Vacations Company timeshare opened on the 59 acre site in 1999.

On March 18, 2004 a new "Borg Invasion 4-D" ride was added.

On June 18, 2004 the property was sold by Caesars Entertainment to Colony Capital for $280 million.

The Trafalgar Hilton is the perfect blend of something old and something new. Staying true to its era, the exterior walls offer years of history while the interior entices you with cutting edge technology, post modern chic decor and the perks of fine living through accommodations and around the clock service.

The Trafalgar is centrally located in Britain's infamous Trafalgar Square. Standing on the steps of the building front in the early evening, you will be enchanted by a vision of luminous splashing fountains, Admiral Nelson's column, the Statue of Sir Charles James Napier and much more. While many historical sites are but a walk across the street, I found The Trafalgar to be out of the direct line of tourist traffic. This location is great as there is something for everyone. If you enjoy shopping, places like East End, Piccadilly Square and Covent Square are but a short cab ride away. If its history you want, you will find Big Ben, Westminster Abbey and London Eye just around the corner. And for fine dining or the perfect bar setting you can ask the concierge for a list of London's 'Hot Spots'.

You will be pleased to know that among that list is The Trafalgar Hotel's renowned Rockwell Bar. In the very convenience of the hotel lobby, guests are greeted with open arms, in an atmosphere set to lounge by day and socialize by night. The architectural design of the building offers a historical chic' yet subtle glimpse of what lies behind the doors. While locals know it as a guaranteed good time, intrigued passer bys stop in to check out one of London's ranked 'Top 10 Bars'.

The Trafalgar has 129 rooms that are comfortable by design and well equipped for all of your traveling needs. You will find plush terry cloth robes with matching slippers in your bathroom. Upon your pillow, aromatherapy delights of lip balm, soothing eye cream and soaps. Each room comes with a DVD/CD player, satellite TV, mini bar, ironing board and iron, blow dryer, the list of amenities goes on. There are four different layouts for room options and accommodations to suit your needs.

For those traveling on business, you will find comfort in two accessible phone lines, direct high-speed internet access from each room and a desk with good lighting in case your work carries you into the night. If you wish to do business out of your room, you can invite your colleagues to meet you in one of the boardrooms located inside the hotel. Each room is equipped with four phone lines, high-speed internet access, a television and six extra outlets which always come in handy for recharging laptops and cell phones. The room's decor is 1930's refurbished English Heritage mixed with good lighting and great views for a perfect balance of comfort. The bragging rights on these rooms come from the use of them, in filming The Ipcress File starring Michael Caine and James Bond: Dr. No

If you prefer to find relaxation out of the gym, then you must ascend to the roof top, Roof Garden. Where you will find a champagne bar ready to serve you, as you get lost in the stunning view that surrounds you. While snacking on fresh strawberries or the Roof Garden's famous oysters.

Every attribute of The Trafalgar has been noted and recognized through out London, with endless 'Best of' and 'Top 10' titles across the board. Below are just a few.

Roof Garden - Bar of the Week - Observer Magazine July 2005
Rockwell - Top 10 Bars - Cool Bars in London - viewlondon.co.uk 2005
Rockwell - Top 10 Bars to escape the heat - viewlondon.co.uk 2005
Rockwell - Top 50 Bars in London - Bar Secrets Evening Standard 2004
Rockwell - ABTA named within the Top 25 Bars Worldwide in 2004
Roof Garden - Listed as one of six favorite places to be seen in London - Highlife Magazine 2003
Rockwell - Listed as one of London's hottest venues - Evening Standard Essential Guide 2003
The Trafalgar - Annual Hot List Conde Nast Traveller 2003
Rockwell - Evening Standard - Bar of the Year 2002
Rockwell - Time Out Bar of the Year 2002
The Trafalgar - Top 10 New Hotels- Wine and Food 2001