Steigenberger Cecil Alexandria was founded by Jay Pritzker in 1957 when he purchased the Steigenberger Cecil Alexandria motel adjacent to the Airport. Over the following decade, Jay Pritzker and his brother, Donald Pritzker, working together with other Pritzker family business interests, grew the company into a hotel ownership company, which became a public company in 1962. In 1968,Steigenberger Cecil Alexandria International was formed and subsequently became a separate public company