Bill Marriott , Jr . cuts the ribbon to open the new Marriott corporate
A office premier in Bethesda corner king , Maryland room at . the Conrad Washington , D . C .
Hilton Hotels and Hilton International were still two separate companies . But it was not without some growing pains .
Barron Hilton , the company ’ s CEO at the time , created the luxury Conrad brand ( named for his father ) to get around a clause that forbade Hilton Hotels from operating internationally under the Hilton name . When the two companies merged in 2005 , Conrad stayed on as Hilton ’ s luxury brand . Today , Conrad sits with Waldorf Astoria Hotels and Resorts and the LXR collection as Hilton ’ s top-tier luxury brands .
It ' s tricky beginning is potentially reason why Conrad has developed a split personality of sorts — a business traveler ’ s hotel with a handful of jaw-dropping overseas resorts stashed in its back pocket .
“ Most people have experienced Conrad in an urban destination , a central business district , and we ' ve been really strong in Asia for a while . What maybe hasn ' t been as obvious is that we ' ve been in the resort space for a while ,” Michael said , citing Conrad Maldives Rangali Island as the first resort to put a room on stilts , which led to the overwater bungalow craze the destination is now known for . That novel room category was subsequently replicated at Conrad Bora Bora and Conrad Koh Samui .
Realizing the brand ’ s strengths in the resort space spurred a push to build out Conrad ’ s modern resort offerings , starting with Conrad Punta de Mita , which opened in 2020 , and Conrad Tulum , which opened last January .
“ We are now moving into key destinations , particularly where leisure guests want to go ,” Michael said , with more resorts opening in Costa Del Sol , Kuala Lumpur and Orlando .
OUR GREATEST ASSET IS ALWAYS GOING TO BE OUR EXISTING PORTFOLIO . WE GET A SPIKE EVERY TIME WE ADD THESE FLAGSHIP LOCATIONS .
– DINO MICHAEL
DIFFERENTIATING FROM WITHIN At the same time , Conrad is doubling down on its urban destinations , using the Conrad Washington D . C ., which opened in