News Releases

October, 2009

Hilton College Celebrates 40th Anniversary with $12.5 Million Renovation to Training Hotel On the 40th anniversary of Conrad N. Hilton’s initial $1.5 million gift to create the first hotel school in Texas, the Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management has commenced construction on a $12.5 million renovation project to transform its teaching hotel. This will be the first major renovation to the 86-room Hilton University of Houston Hotel and Conference Center since it opened in 1975.

Hospitality Industry Hall of Honor Inducts Guertin, Pappas Brothers Some of the biggest names in the hospitality industry were among the 250 guests who gathered at the Conrad N. Hilton College as the Hospitality Industry Hall of Honor inducted four new members. Entering the Hall of Honor are the late M.K. Guertin, founder of Best Western, and Chris, Harris and the late Greg Pappas who turned a third-generation family business into one of the most successful dining enterprises in the country.

Hilton College Historian, Archivist Opens Hilton Vault to 'MadMen' Writers If you want a biography of hotelier Conrad Hilton, you can check out a library book or do a Google search and find an acceptable timeline of his life. But if you want to know about his accent, where his cowboy hat is or the advertising budgets for his hotels, then you go see Professor Mark Young.

August, 2009

Hospitality Hall of Honor to Induct Hotel Legend, Iconic Houston Restaurant Family The Hospitality Industry Hall of Honor will hold its annual induction ceremony on October 14 at the Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management. Inductees include M.K. Guertin, founder of Best Western, and Chris, Harris and Greg Pappas of Pappas Restaurants.

May, 2009

New Scholarship in Club Management Honors Three Industry Icons Alumnus David Chag, CCM, general manager of The Country Club in Brookline, Mass., wanted to honor his colleagues Bob Southwell, Red Steger and Joan Brecunier for their contributions to the field of club management. That desire was fully realized when senior Jennifer Geier was recently named the first recipient of the new Southwell, Steger and Brecunier (SSB) Scholarship at the Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management at the University of Houston.

First Annual Southwest EduSpa Summit Brings Industry Leaders to Houston The Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management at the University of Houston will host the First Annual Southwest EduSpa Summit on June 1, welcoming spa industry leaders from around the country to share their insights, discuss strategy and make valuable contacts in this dynamic industry.

April, 2009

Lange Overcomes Visual Impairment to Win Spirit of Hilton Award Bruce Lange had the talent, the drive and the attitude of a hospitality dynamo. All he needed was a chance. On April 17, during the regular weekly meeting of the Hilton University of Houston Hotel staff, Lange was surprised to learn he had been chosen to receive the Spirit of Hilton Award — the highest honor for any Hilton employee. Only 10 people in the entire world receive this prize monthly.

35th Annual Gourmet Night Captivates with Artistry and Culinary Delights On April 4, a sold-out ballroom of nearly 400 alumni, faculty and staff, industry leaders and friends of the Hilton College experienced an evening that combined gourmet cuisine, fine wines, first-rate service, stunning décor and live entertainment into a carefully orchestrated tour-de-force run entirely by students with guidance from faculty mentors.

February, 2009

Casparius Looks Back on Career that Shaped Industry Professor Rodolfo Casparius received a Lifetime Achievement Award, the “Presidente Aleman,” from the Confederation of National Tourism Associations of Mexico. It honors Casparius’ contribution to the tourism industry of Mexico, which is difficult to overstate. Casparius has received praise and awards from presidents and kings, and has been called “a legend of Mexican tourism.”

Carl Boger Named First Clinton L. Rappole Endowed Chair The legacy of beloved Professor Emeritus Clinton L. Rappole, who spent more than three decades teaching and mentoring students at the Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management at the University of Houston, has been sealed with the naming of Associate Dean Carl A. Boger Jr. as the first recipient of the Clinton L. Rappole Endowed Chair.