 In 1954 the Hilton Hotels Corporation assumed management of the hotel and bought the property at a discount from its construction costs in 1955 but also struggled to find a profitable model for the huge facility, later shown to be isolated from both downtown Houston and its growing system of freeways.Moreover the Shamrock was overwhelmed by competition from many much smaller, cheaper and automobile-friendly motels.A low two-story "lanai" wing in the form of a motel was added next to the swimming pool in 1957.