Hilton Worldwide Holdings (NYSE: HLT) owns Embassy Suites and has since buying Promus Hotel Corporation in 1999. The hotels are another story. Most belong to independent investors who license the name, so who owns Embassy Suites depends on whether you mean the brand or the building.
Quick Facts: Embassy Suites
The table below sums up the main facts about the brand and its parent company.
| Field | Detail |
| Company Name | Embassy Suites by Hilton |
| Founded | 1983, with the first hotel opening in 1984 |
| Headquarters | Brand of Hilton Worldwide Holdings, Tysons, Virginia |
| Founders | Hervey Feldman and Mike Rose |
| Industry | Hospitality, upscale all-suite hotels |
| Business Model | Brand owned by Hilton; most hotels franchised or managed for other owners |
| Key Products/Services | Two-room suites, cooked-to-order breakfast, evening reception |
| Estimated Revenue | Not publicly disclosed at the brand level |
| Funding Stage / Market Cap | Part of publicly traded Hilton Worldwide Holdings (NYSE: HLT) |
| CEO / Current Leadership | Christopher J. Nassetta, Hilton President and CEO; Jonathan D. Gray, Hilton Chairman |
Source: Hilton Worldwide Holdings; FelCor Suite Hotels SEC filing, 1997
Who Owns Embassy Suites?
Hilton Worldwide Holdings owns the Embassy Suites brand outright. That covers the name, the trademark, the design standards, and the guest programs every location follows.
Hilton trades on the New York Stock Exchange as HLT and is based in Tysons, Virginia. So if you’re asking who owns Embassy Suites as a company, the answer is short. Hilton.
Does Hilton own every Embassy Suites hotel?
No. In 2019, 212 of 257 Embassy Suites hotels were run by franchisees, and the other 45 were managed, according to Wikipedia.
That breakdown is a few years old, and Hilton doesn’t publish an owner list for each hotel. Its recent reports still describe growth coming mainly through management and franchise deals, so there’s no sign the pattern has flipped.
How Is Embassy Suites Ownership Structured?
The full answer to who owns Embassy Suites comes in three layers: the brand, the building, and the operator. At most hotels, two or three separate companies share those jobs.
The first Embassy Suites, in Overland Park, Kansas, shows how this works. In 2009, FelCor Lodging Trust owned the building while Hilton managed the hotel.
This table shows who holds each layer and how each one gets paid.
| Ownership Layer | Who Holds It | What They Control | How They Get Paid |
| Brand | Hilton Worldwide Holdings | Name, trademark, standards, Hilton Honors, booking systems | Franchise and license fees |
| Property | Independent owners such as REITs, investment firms, hotel groups, and developers | The building, renovations, and capital spending | Hotel profits and property value |
| Operations | The owner, a management company, or Hilton | Staffing, daily service, and upkeep | Hotel profits or management fees |
Source: Hilton Worldwide Form 10-K; Hilton Hotels press release, 2009
Franchised Embassy Suites hotels
This is the most common setup. The owner pays Hilton to use the Embassy Suites name and runs the hotel directly or hires a management company.
The franchisee carries the mortgage, the renovation bills, and the payroll. Hilton carries the brand. For most franchised hotels, then, who owns Embassy Suites locally means a private investor, not Hilton.
Hilton-managed and Hilton-owned hotels
At a managed hotel, the owner keeps the building but pays Hilton to run it. Guests usually can’t tell the difference. Hotels Hilton owns outright are rare, and Hilton doesn’t publish a count for Embassy Suites, so any exact figure you see about who owns Embassy Suites buildings directly is an estimate.
What does Hilton control at every Embassy Suites?
Hilton sets the rules no matter who owns Embassy Suites buildings in a given market. The suite layout, breakfast, evening reception, Hilton Honors points, reservation systems, and quality inspections all come from the contract.
An owner who falls short can lose the brand. That’s a serious threat, because dropping the name also means losing Hilton’s booking channels.
Who Owns Embassy Suites Hotels Near You?
It depends on the property. Two Embassy Suites hotels in neighboring cities can have owners with no link to each other beyond their Hilton contracts.
Common types of Embassy Suites owners
Look at who owns Embassy Suites hotels across the US and a pattern shows up. Owners tend to be hotel REITs, private real estate investors, regional hotel groups, and developers. FelCor Lodging Trust, for example, said in 2004 that it owned more Embassy Suites hotels than any other company.
Buildings also change hands, so who owns Embassy Suites in a given city can shift without guests noticing. In one Florida sale, a Westmont Hospitality Group affiliate paid $42.88 million for the 243-room Embassy Suites Tampa Airport Westshore.
Does the owner affect your stay?
Somewhat, yes. Hilton’s standards set the floor, but the owner decides how fast worn carpets get replaced and how well the front desk is staffed.
It’s also easier than most people expect to check who owns Embassy Suites properties near you. Opening announcements usually name the owner and the management company, and county property records show who holds the deed.
Who Founded Embassy Suites and How Did Hilton Get It?
Tracing who owns Embassy Suites starts in 1983, when Hervey Feldman and Mike Rose founded it under Holiday Corporation, then the parent of Holiday Inn. The first hotel opened in Overland Park, Kansas, in 1984.
From Holiday Corporation to Promus
Growth came fast. Embassy Suites bought the 24-hotel Granada Royale Hometel chain in 1984 and converted those hotels to its own brand.
Holiday Corporation reorganized in 1990, and Embassy Suites moved under The Promus Companies. In 1995, the hotel brands were spun off as Promus Hotel Corporation.
The 1999 Hilton deal
Hilton Hotels Corporation agreed to buy Promus in September 1999 for about $4 billion including debt.
That one deal brought Embassy Suites, Hampton Inn, Homewood Suites, and Doubletree under Hilton. From then on, who owns Embassy Suites had one answer at the brand level.
The timeline below pulls the full ownership history together in one place.
| Year | Event | Who Controlled the Brand |
| 1983 | Embassy Suites founded | Holiday Corporation |
| 1984 | First hotel opens in Overland Park, Kansas | Holiday Corporation |
| 1990 | Holiday Corporation reorganizes | The Promus Companies |
| 1995 | Hotel brands spun off | Promus Hotel Corporation |
| 1999 | Hilton acquires Promus | Hilton Hotels Corporation |
| 2007 | Blackstone takes Hilton private | Hilton, owned by Blackstone |
| 2013 | Hilton returns to the stock market | Hilton Worldwide Holdings |
| 2018 | Blackstone sells its last shares | Hilton Worldwide Holdings |
Source: FelCor Suite Hotels SEC filing, 1997; Wikipedia; Hilton and Promus merger announcement, 1999; Hotel Business; Bloomberg
Who Owns Hilton, the Parent Company of Embassy Suites?
No single person or family owns Hilton. It’s a public company, so ownership is spread across shareholders, and most shares sit with large investment firms.
Who are Hilton’s largest shareholders?
Index fund managers such as Vanguard and BlackRock rank among Hilton’s biggest holders. Their stakes move every quarter, so recent SEC ownership filings are the place to check current percentages.
Some people read those holdings as the answer to who owns Embassy Suites. It isn’t, really. These funds mostly hold Hilton because it sits in the indexes they track, and they don’t run hotels.
Christopher J. Nassetta is Hilton’s president and CEO, and Jonathan D. Gray chairs the board. The Hilton family, whose founder Conrad Hilton started the company in 1919, no longer controls it.
Did Blackstone ever own Embassy Suites?
Indirectly, yes. Blackstone took Hilton private in 2007 in a deal worth $26 billion. That put Embassy Suites under private equity ownership along with every other Hilton brand.
Hilton went public again in 2013, and Blackstone sold its remaining shares in 2018, as reported by Bloomberg. Today Blackstone holds no stake.
How Many Embassy Suites Hotels Are There?
Hilton reported 270 Embassy Suites properties with 62,316 rooms as of December 31, 2025. Most are in the United States, with others in Canada, Latin America, and the Caribbean.
Counts shift each quarter as hotels open, convert, or leave the brand, and so can the answer to who owns Embassy Suites at a given address. That’s why one site may say 270 and another 271, and both can be right for different dates.
Why Doesn’t Hilton Own the Hotels Itself?
Owning hotels ties up huge amounts of money, and franchising doesn’t. Hilton collects fees while owners take on the property risk.
This asset-light model is the reason who owns Embassy Suites has two answers instead of one. Interestingly, the idea isn’t new. In 1999, Promus charged franchisees royalties of up to 4% of room revenue.
Conclusion
The answer to who owns Embassy Suites comes down to two parts. Hilton owns the brand and has since 1999, while independent owners hold most hotels under franchise or management contracts. Hilton itself is public, with no controlling owner.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Embassy Suites owned by Hilton?
Yes. The short answer to who owns Embassy Suites is Hilton Worldwide Holdings. It gained the brand when Hilton Hotels Corporation bought Promus Hotel Corporation in 1999.
When did Hilton buy Embassy Suites?
Hilton agreed to buy Promus Hotel Corporation, then the owner of Embassy Suites, in September 1999. The deal was valued at about $4 billion including debt.
Who founded Embassy Suites?
Hervey Feldman and Mike Rose founded Embassy Suites in 1983 under Holiday Corporation. The first hotel opened in Overland Park, Kansas, in 1984.
Is Embassy Suites a franchise?
Mostly, yes. In 2019, 212 of 257 Embassy Suites hotels were franchised, and the rest were managed by Hilton for their owners.
Who owns Embassy Suites hotels in my city?
Usually an independent company, not Hilton. Hotel opening announcements and county property records typically name the owner and the management company.