‘RHOBH’: Why Kathy Hilton Lived at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel For Almost a Decade
Kathy Hilton has lived a glamorous life with luxuries that most of us could only dream of. After marrying Rick Hilton — the grandson of Hilton Hotels founder Conrad Hilton — at the age of 20, the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star became a New York socialite who traveled the world and attended events and parties with her famous friends. And for almost a decade, the hub of Kathy’s jetset life was the famous Waldorf Astoria Hotel in midtown Manhattan.
Kathy Hilton raised her four kids at the Waldorf Astoria hotel
Today, Kathy and Rick are empty nesters who live in a stunning Bel-Aire home in Southern California. But for nine years — when their four kids Paris, Nicky, Barron, and Conrad were growing up — the family called the Waldorf Astoria hotel home.
The family lived in the luxurious, residential part of the hotel known as The Towers. And during the season 11 RHOBH reunion, Kathy said that she absolutely loved living there because her family was able to spend so much time together. She said it was “very, very lovely. We loved being in close quarters under one roof.”
Why did the ‘RHOBH’ star live in a hotel for a decade?
The Waldorf Astoria is one of the most luxurious hotels in the world, and the residential area was the Hilton’s own personal palace. The reason The Towers were available to the family to live in for nine years was because Rick’s grandfather Conrad bought the Waldorf in the 1940s. He actually made the purchase before he formed the Hilton Hotels Corporation in 1946.
When Kathy moved to New York City in 1979 and married Rick, she worked in the Waldorf Astoria for three years. In the Waldorf Stories, she shared that she “loved every moment of it,” it’s her most favorite hotel in the world, and she considers it to be “part of our family.”
Kathy Hilton has a number of fond memories from her time living in the Waldorf Astoria
Kathy says that living in the Waldorf Astoria and raising her kids at the hotel were “some of the most special times” that she’s ever experienced.
She fondly recalled having Paris christened at St. Patrick’s Cathedral across the street, and then going back to the hotel to the Cole Porter Suite — 42R, the Royal Suite that belonged to the Duke and Duchess of Windsor — and having a big christening party.
She did admit, however, that Paris would sometimes sneak out during her teens via the service elevator. And, she once had to call hotel security when her daughter Nicky “borrowed” some of her diamond earrings without permission.
During that same RHOBH reunion episode, Kathy’s sister Kyle Richards shared her own Waldorf story. She said that her daughter Alexia Umansky and Kathy’s son Conrad once went missing, and they were found in one of the hotel’s air conditioning vents.
The Hilton family no longer owns Hilton Worldwide, they sold the company in 2007 to the Blackstone Group for $26 billion.
New episodes of the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills air Wednesdays on Bravo.
