She is the great-granddaughter of Conrad Hilton, founder of the Hilton hotel chain. With homes in Manhattan, Waldorf-Astoria, Beverly Hills and the Hamptons, she is a renowned jetsetter and socialite. Her interests include yoga, tennis and designing a high-end jewelry and accessory line, as well as a clothing line. She is also actively involved in numerous charities and has lent her support to various animal advocacy organizations.

Hilton is bi-coastal and divides her time between Los Angeles and New York.

An unauthorized sex video of Hilton with her then-boyfriend Rick Salomon, who leaked it onto the Internet, was released shortly before The Simple Life debuted, causing a sensation. On June 9, 2004 it was released as a DVD titled 1 Night in Paris. Hilton sued Salomon for releasing the tape. In July, the suit was settled, with Hilton receiving $400,000 and a percentage of the profits. All profits from the video she received were donated to charity. The original video, and a rip of the DVD, are still circulating on the Internet. The video received the AVN Awards in 2005 for "Best Selling Title of the Year", "Best Renting Title of the Year" and "Best Overall Marketing Campaign – Individual Project".