Connie's Baby

HOTELS Connie's Baby All week long the immense, Y-shaped hotel building in Los Angeles rattled and rang while an army of workmen struggled with crisis piled upon crisis. The air conditioning refused to work; the special refrigerators in each room went on the blink; the rooftop water tank overflowed into the handsomely decorated L'Escoffier restaurant, soaking the deep-pile carpets. Rats invaded the basement and chewed on the beautiful hand-woven furniture designed for the presidential suite; one woman employee caught a toe in a mouse trap. But this week, finally, Conrad Hilton, the world's biggest hotelman, was ready to open his newest and plushest hotel: the $17 million, 450-room Beverly Hilton. Beamed Hilton: "This will be the biggest hotel opening in the history of the business."

Lions & Ladies. Conrad Hilton, who has flown planeloads of celebrities as far as Istanbul for previous hotel-warmings, was not exaggerating. After two years of construction, Hotelman Hilton was sparing no pains and spending $150,000 to throw the splashiest party of his career.

For seven straight days, more than 150 guests from every sphere of the world's business and public life will live it up in royal style, all on the house. It is quite a house: suites will rent for as much as $65 a night; each of the 450 rooms has air conditioning, TV, and imported marble baths. Outside the hotel is a 50-by-90-ft., palm-shaded swimming pool; inside, the hotel has a Bali Room restaurant and nightclub, where everything from walls to waiters is tricked out in Balinese decor; a Nordic Room studded with 25,000 pearl-like shells, a Versailles Room for private banquets, where a fountain can be made to spray champagne instead of water.

'Arf & 'Arf. Only in Los Angeles, with its oil and movie millions, says Connie Hilton, could he build a place like the Beverly Hilton. From start to finish, it has been his own special baby. To make sure that everything goes just right at the opening, Hilton even worked up a 58-page script, plotting every move, allocating every magnum of Besserat de Bellefon champagne, with all the pomp and precision of a Hollywood extravaganza. On buses from the airport, there will be guitarists and champagne; as the guests tour through the Red Lion Bar, a replica of an 11th century English pub, more refreshments will be served. Says the script: "Please note that as the tour goes through the Red Lion, you are to serve the guests from our Irish mugs 'arf and 'arf." At the pre-opening "Victory Dinner," Host Hilton will wine and woo some 400 guests with a show by Comedians Jack Benny and George Gobel, spread out a feast costing Hilton $30 per plate.

But not everybody gets fed. Say the orders: "Musicians' supper: none to be served." Somewhat more generously, the script adds: "As the guests leave, each lady is to receive one box of Evyan perfume plus the large hatbox, which will also contain various perfumes . . . Very strict control--only one of each per lady." Orbs & Pink Elephants. At the appropriate moment, Connie Hilton will hoist his personal flag (a white orb, inscribed H.H.C., against a blue field) over the hotel, later give a grand-opening Champagne Ball with songs by Crooner Eddie Fisher. As the guests arrive, a Goodyear blimp will rain down 3,000,000 gold-painted paper "starbursts" on them and on the surrounding terrain. Says the script: "We are to have one special operator on duty during the following day to receive calls complaining about golden starbursts on surrounding property ... A sweeper will be dispatched." Finally, as the guests leave after six hours of festivities, they will be ushered out in a final burst of Stardust: a parade of four elephants, each one painted pink and ridden by a model in a sequined bathing suit. Adds the script delicately: ''Special sanitation men have been arranged for." For Connie Hilton, the opening and operating of hotels in the grand manner has paid off with millions. For 1954, Hilton Hotels grossed a total $121 million, and counted a net profit of $4,954853. This year, with the $110 million Statler chain added to his holdings, he has boosted his business 64%, totted up a profit of $2,885,361 for the first quarter on a gross of $46 million. Around his empire of 28 hotels, he has some $73 million worth of new buildings going up, including two in Mexico, another in Cuba, two more in Cairo and Montreal, with still another pair planned for Rome and Berlin. Says Hilton: "We've even had inquiries from Yugoslavia. Maybe the Russians will ask us next."

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