FORTUNE – For all the attention the media gives Internet companies when they go public, it’s worth noting that the majority of the biggest IPOs in 2013 will not be related to the tech world, at least not directly.
The latest example comes from Hilton Worldwide, which on Monday said it could raise as much as $2.4 billion. It plans to sell 112.8 millions shares for $18 to $21 each; selling additional shares to banks could put the proceeds at as much as $2.72 billion. If that happens, Hilton, which plans to return to the public market this month, would be the second biggest IPO this year, outshining online micro-blogging service Twitter, which last month raised $1.8 billion when it listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
The biggest IPOs this year aren’t always the companies that make major headlines in the mainstream press. With about a month left before the end of the year, proceeds from U.S. IPOs total $43.4 billion, ahead of 2012’s $42.4 billion and trailing only 2007’s $48.7 billion. This is the highest total since the tech bubble, according to Renaissance Capital. The majority of the 10 biggest public offerings this year have come from companies that have been around for more than a decade – besides technology, they have been concentrated in health care and financial services. Such companies probably don’t garner as much attention because they are a lot less consumer focused than the likes of Twitter and Facebook.
True, Hilton is a big name. Unlike Twitter (TWTR), however, the hotel chain is profitable and has a history that stretches back by nearly a century. The Blackstone Group (BX) took it private for $20 billion in 2007, shortly after the recession began, as hotel operators were hurt by a drop in business travel, fewer vacationers, and falling real estate prices. Hilton has since bounced back, as the hotel industry continues to recover and investors look to cash in as stock prices soar.
The biggest IPO so far this year has come from Houston-based oil pipeline company Plains GP Holdings (PAGP), which raised $2.8 billion in October, followed by Zoetis (ZTS), that is if Hilton doesn’t unseat the 60-plus-year-old maker of vaccinations and medicines for pets and livestock. A subsidiary of Pfizer (PFE), the company raised $2.2 billion when it went public in January.
Here are the 10 biggest IPOs of 2013:
