Hilton Hotels & Resorts is an international chain of hotels with over 570 locations across 80 countries. With more than 90 years of history, Hilton has become a recognized name in the hospitality industry, offering a wide range of accommodations worldwide.

The visual identity of Hilton has evolved over the years, showcasing various design styles—from sophisticated elegance to bold art-deco, and ultimately to the modern, iconic emblem seen today.

Hilton is a major American hotel chain, founded in 1919 by Conrad Nicholson Hilton. As of now, the brand operates nearly 600 hotels globally and is recognized for its quality and luxury across 94 countries.

1948 – 1967
The original Hilton logo featured a dark gray badge with white cursive lettering. A classy gold crest, with an elongated ribbon underneath, added a touch of royalty and luxury to the design. The “Hilton Hotels” inscription, in thin curved lines, conveyed sophistication, while the gold crest elevated the logo’s sense of grandeur.

1967 – 1978
In 1967, Hilton underwent a significant redesign. The new logo, executed in a monochrome palette, focused on massive geometric shapes. The emblem depicted a stylized letter “H,” formed by two mirrored bars with concave sides and connected by a short horizontal line. Additionally, a text-based version featured the word “Hilton” in a bold, narrow typeface with varying letter heights, the tallest being in the center.

1978 – 1998
The 1978 revision of the logo retained the same geometric “H” but made subtle modifications. The vertical bars became thinner and their tails elongated, while the connecting horizontal line was removed. The “Hilton” logotype, often placed under the emblem, used a traditional, strict sans-serif typeface, evoking strength and professionalism.

1998 – 2010
Hilton’s 1998 logo introduced a bold serif wordmark in title case, accompanied by a rounded emblem above it. The emblem consisted of two thick vertical rectangles enclosed in a smooth thin frame, with the bottom tail curved. The color scheme shifted to a blue and white palette, symbolizing reliability and comfort, and reinforcing Hilton’s image as a trusted brand.

2010 – Today
The 2010 redesign refreshed the previous version, making the logo more chic and professional. The color palette was darkened to give a more confident, serious feel. The wordmark’s font was switched to a softer, more elegant serif typeface, balanced by a capitalized “Hotels & Resorts” tagline. The emblem was reduced in size, shifting the focus to the wordmark.

In 2009, when the company’s headquarters moved to McLean, Virginia, a comprehensive redesign of the brand’s identity took place, involving consumer research in the Americas, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. The refreshed version of the logo, created in collaboration with a contracted design firm, resulted in a cleaner, more sophisticated emblem. The “H” symbol was refined to bring more attention to the name “Hilton,” while the addition of “Hotels & Resorts” in uppercase further emphasized the brand’s global presence.

Color plays an important role in Hilton’s brand identity. While the company slightly altered the shade of blue during the 2010 redesign, the essence of the color scheme remained intact. The font also received adjustments, with a wider “H,” a round dot above the “I” (replacing the rectangular dot), and a higher bar on the “t,” contributing to the logo’s refined and contemporary appearance.