Wilson, Kemmons

Wilson, Kemmons
▪ 2004

      American businessman (b. Jan. 5, 1913, Osceola, Ark.—d. Feb. 12, 2003, Memphis, Tenn.), transformed the motel industry when in the early 1950s he founded the Holiday Inn chain, which once advertised itself as “the nation's innkeeper.” In 1951 Wilson, already a millionaire from a variety of businesses, including a jukebox franchise, was appalled at the roadside accommodations he found while vacationing with his family. He determined to create a chain of clean low-priced motels that would be attractive to families. He opened the first Holiday Inn (the name came from the 1942 movie starring Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire) in Memphis, Tenn., in 1952. By 1959 there were 100 Holiday Inns nationwide, and by 1975 there were more than 1,700 operating throughout the world. Wilson retired in 1979.

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