LOS ANGELES - Fresh off a $4.1 billion initial public offering, 
private-equity house Blackstone Group solidified its position as a power to 
reckon with on Wall Street with a multibillion dollar deal that gives the 
company control over a hotel empire with more than 600,000 rooms worldwide. 
 
 
   The Beverly Hilton hotel is seen in Beverly Hills, Calif., 
 Wednesday, July 4, 2007. [AP]
   | 
On Tuesday, Hilton Hotels Corp. 
agreed to an all-cash buyout from Blackstone in a $20.1 billion deal that would 
instantly make Blackstone the world's largest hotel owner. 
The deal was valued at $26 billion including debt. Blackstone said it would 
combine cash from its real estate and corporate private equity funds to buy all 
outstanding Hilton shares for $47.50 each, a 32 percent premium over Tuesday's 
closing stock price. 
After Hilton's board approved the terms, the company said the deal would 
close in the fourth quarter pending shareholder approval. 
"Our priority has always been to maximize shareholder value. Our board of 
directors concluded that this transaction provides compelling value for our 
shareholders with a significant premium," Stephen F. Bollenbach, Hilton's 
co-chairman and chief executive, said in a statement. 
Blackstone owns more than 100,000 hotel rooms in the United States and 
Europe, including La Quinta Inns and Suites as well as LXR Luxury Resorts and 
Hotels. 
Adding the Beverly Hills-based Hilton Hotels will bring an additional 2,800 
hotels and 480,000 rooms in 76 countries and territories and includes such 
brands as Doubletree, Embassy Suites and Hampton Inn. 
Some analysts said real estate could have been a consideration in the deal 
for Blackstone, a major owner of commercial properties. While Hilton franchises 
the majority of its hotels, the company owns some valuable real estate like the 
Waldorf-Astoria in New York. 
Socialite Paris Hilton's grandfather, Barron Hilton, is co-chairman of the 
board with Bollenbach and owns 5.3 percent of Hilton Hotels' outstanding shares, 
according to the company's latest proxy statement. 
The stake consists of 20.8 million shares owned by the William B. Hilton 
Trust, of which Barron Hilton is a trustee, according to the proxy. Those shares 
will be worth $990 million if the deal is approved by shareholders. 
Blackstone said it intends to invest heavily in Hilton and does not foresee 
any significant divestitures. 
Hilton recently announced that Matthew J. Hart, the company's president and 
chief operating officer, would succeed Bollenbach as president and CEO effective 
Jan. 1, 2008. It was unclear whether Hart would remain with the company after 
the acquisition. 
"Blackstone likes the management here," Bollenbach told The Associated Press 
Tuesday. "Matt continues to be COO and our plans remain the 
same."