59. Carlson Hotels Inc

Headquarters: Minnetonka, Minnesota
Bought By: HNA
Headquarters: Haikou, Hainan

Carlson Hotels Inc. was founded in 1938 by Curt Carlson. Amazingly, Carlson started the company after his landlord gave him a $55 loan. It started out as a trading company called Gold Bond Stamp before expanding into hospitality. In 2016, Fortune 500 company HNA Tourism bought Carlson Hotels for an undisclosed amount.

Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group @Wikimedia Commons

HNA are heavy hitters in the industry with several high profile travel brands already under its umbrella. As well as Spain’s NH Hotel Group, Azul airline, Swissport International, and Red Lion Hotels. The privately traded group is worth an estimated $53 billion.