MEMPHIS— Fifty years after he opened the first Holiday Inn here on Summer Ave., founder Kemmons Wilson was honored last week for a lifetime of industry achievement by close to 300 friends, family, industry veterans and current top brass from Six Continents Plc, which now controls the brand concept originally launched on August 1, 1952. The event, held in the ballroom of the 82-suite Holiday Inn-University of Memphis, preceded the on-campus property’s official opening August 1 as part of the $15 million Kemmons Wilson School of Hospitality and Resort Management, funded by the 89-year-old entrepreneur and the Wilson family. Wilson’s children, Spence, Bob, Kem Jr., Betty and Carole, who as tykes cut the ribbon opening the Summer Ave. Holiday Inn Hotel Courts, reprised their roles at the grand opening, assisted by 6C executives. The golden anniversary drew a large crowd of both individuals and families whose lives have been touched by Holiday Inn, from “the veteran” Helmut Vogel, the “innkeeper” of the first Holiday Inn Hotel Courts to “the new guy,” Stevan Porter, recently named president of Six Continents Hotels-The Americas. Commenting on Wilson’s achievements, which included laying the foundation for hotel franchising, Porter told HOTEL BUSINESS®: “We’re here tonight to celebrate the 50-year history of Holiday Inn and to think about what he did. He really reshaped an industry. He redefined the guest experience. He also redefined the ownership position of hotels and opened up two avenues that previously hadn’t been explored: connection with the mid-market and connection with something called ‘other peoples’ money in the form of franchisees.” Tim Clarke, chief executive of 6C Plc, noted Wilson’s successful brand structuring years ago “is going from strength to strength today, [with Holiday Inn]. It’s always the first-hand experiences that bring home the power of this brand, which is Kemmons’ creation.” “He’s the pioneer who created the whole concept of hotel franchising, and probably the man who’s created more millionaires in the hotel business than any other gentleman that’s ever even thought of doing something significant in business,” Pace Cooper, president of Cooper Companies told HB®. “For us he’s the ‘giant’ originator and the rest of us are just doing our part to follow his legacy.” “It really is important to have a great idea and a clear vision of where it is you want to go with that idea. Lots of people do have good ideas, but great ideas alone don’t make you a legend,” said Tom Oliver, chairman/CEO, Six Continents Hotels, remarking on Wilson’s accomplishments. Six Continent’s chairman, Sir Ian Prosser, said Wilson “had carved an everlasting place in American business history and the history of global brands.” In addition to Wilson and Oliver, some former Holiday Inn chairmen were also on hand, including Michael Rose, chairman of Gaylord Entertainment Co. and Roy Winegardner, vice chairman of Winegardner & Hammons, Inc., which he founded with developer John Q. Hammons, who also attended. Ludie Gaines, whose husband Ben built the first chair for Holiday Inn, then built a hugely successful business with Wilson, was at the celebration with her son, Ben Jr., chairman/CEO of McKenzie, TN-based New Generations furniture manufacturers. “He started my father in business,” said Gaines Jr. “My father was a poor southern farm boy back from World War II. He got hooked up with Kemmons and it was just the American dream. We now employ 500 people, with factories in Tennessee and Mexico. I don’t know if that would have happened if he hadn’t met Kemmons.” The Gaines’ sold the original Memphis company, which had 700 employees. “We moved to McKenzie when we sold our company,” said Ludie Gaines “Now we have another.” Kemmons’ real legacy, said Gaines Jr., “is what he’s done for the second generation [children of the original entrepreneurs}.” And Wilson’s influence is expected to extend beyond several generations. Standing i
Kemmons Wilson