Information AboutHoliday Inn |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT HOLIDAY INN | |
| companies established in 1952 | |
| franchises | |
| hospitality companies of the united states | |
| hotel chains | |
| intercontinental hotels group | |
| nascar sponsors | |
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Holiday Inn is a Brand Name applied to Hotel s within the InterContinental Hotels Group . HISTORY The original Holiday Inn Chain Of Hotels was founded in 1952 in Memphis, Tennessee by homebuilder Kemmons Wilson to provide inexpensive family accommodation for travellers within the USA . The first Holiday Inn was built by Wilson on Sumner Avenue in Memphis on the main road to and from Nashville. Wilson initially came up with the idea after a family road trip to Washington, DC , during which he was disappointed by the quality and consistency provided by the roadside motels of that era. The name ''Holiday Inn'' was given to the original hotel by his architect Eddie Bluestein as a joke, in reference to the Bing Crosby Movie . Wilson soon franchised the chain and it grew dramatically, following Wilson's original tenet that the properties should be standardized, clean, predictable, family-friendly, and readily accessible to road travelers. By 1958 there were 50 Inns across the country, 100 by 1959, 500 by 1964, and the 1000th Holiday Inn opened in San Antonio, Texas in 1968. The chain dominated the motel market, leveraged its innovative Holidex reservation system, put considerable financial pressure on traditional hotels, and set the standard for its competitors like Ramada Inn s, TraveLodge , Howard Johnson's , and Days Inn . By 1972 , when Wilson was featured on the cover of Time Magazine , there were over 1,400 Holiday Inn hotels worldwide. The distinctive Holiday Inn 'Great Sign' was phased out in 1983. According to a short article in the August 1983 Harper's , each sign required 426 light bulbs and 836 feet of hand-blown Neon Tubing . Holiday Inn was the first hotel chain to co-produce (or sponsor) a syndicated game show, He Said, She Said , in 1969. Although still a healthy company, changing business conditions and demographics saw Holiday Inn lose its market dominance in the 1980s. In 1988 Holiday Inns International was purchased by UK -based Bass Brewers (ultimately to become the InterContinental Hotels Group), followed by the remaining domestic Holiday Inn hotels in 1990 , when founder Wilson sold his interest. The brand name ''Holiday Inn'' is still owned by the original Holiday Inn group and leased as a Franchise to InterContinental. BRANDS The company offers several different types of hotels under the Holiday Inn banner. A hotel named ''Holiday Inn'' is a mid to upper range hotel. ''Holiday Inn Express'' (''Express by Holiday Inn'' outside North America ) is a type of mid-range Holiday Inn that usually lacks a Restaurant and Lounge . They also offer a complimentary continental breakfast; recent promos have featured their cinnamon rolls. A long-running ad campaign tells viewers they are "smart" for staying at Holiday Inn Express. InterContinental Hotels Group; the parent chain of Holiday Inn Express has blended this slogan with the Internet; opening a "Smart Store" on their website; allowing customers to buy showerheads, towels, toiletries, and cinnamon rolls; identical to those featured at the hotels. Holiday Inn Express is usually considered a separate brand from Holiday Inn. There are over 1500 Holiday Inn Express hotels worldwide. A ''Holiday Inn Select'' is an upper range full-service hotel which caters to business travelers. Other Holiday-Inn-branded hotels include:
Although originally called ''Holiday Inn Crowne Plaza'', Crowne Plaza split to form a distinctive brand from Holiday Inn in 1994 . Recently, ''Staybridge Suites by Holiday Inn'' has become simply ''Staybridge Suites''. Holiday Inn was the first hotel chain to introduce a frequent stayer reward program. It debuted in 1977 as ''Holiday Inn Inner Circle'', but was quickly reorganized into ''Priority Club Worldwide'' and later ''Priority Club Rewards''. EXTERNAL LINKS
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