The Hanoi Hilton

With the passing of American hero and Arizona Senator John McCain last weekend we've heard a lot about the "Hanoi Hilton", which was the prisoner-of-war camp John McCain suffered in for numerous years during the Vietnam War. I've often wondered how much the Hilton Hotel company paid Ho Chi Minh for the rights to name it the Hanoi Hilton. They must have had a bidding war with Hyatt and Holiday Inn over who got to add their company's name. Nowadays corporations like to sponsor sports facilities, but back then I guess it was stuff like prison camps that were available to name. Maybe the Hanoi Hilton is the earliest example of such a corporate sponsorship in exchange for naming rights.