Peter Morton

The sale included the rights to the Hard Rock Hotel brand West of the Mississippi River which includes Texas, California, Australia and Vancouver, British Columbia. W. Edward Scheetz, a Morgans’ executive, described the 11-story, 670-room Hard Rock Hotel as a "trophy property" that will never be replicated in Las Vegas because of land values. The Hard Rock pool alone, ranked #1 of the top 10 hotel pools by Travel Channel, occupies land valued at $50 million.

Morton later founded and remains the owner one of Los Angeles’ quintessential dining power spots - Morton’s (not to be confused with Morton's of Chicago). For almost two decades, the ability to get a table at The Ivy or Morton's has defined the level of importance and clout a person possesses in Hollywood. The restaurant was also the subject of Julia Phillips' 1991 book, You'll Never Eat Lunch in This Town Again. Read Less