A Father Wanted a Clean Hotel for His Family... So He Created Holiday Inn
Jun 16, 2025
20:18
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On this episode of Our American Stories, before the 1950s, family road trips meant unreliable motels and tired parents hopping from place to place. After one frustrating trip, Kemmons Wilson decided to change that. He created Holiday Inn—the first family-friendly, standardized hotel chain in America. His son, Kemmons Wilson Jr., shares the story of how it all began.
Our American Stories