Charles Kemmons Wilson was an American hotelier. He is best known for founding the hotel chain Holiday Inn in the 1950s.
Grave of Kemmons Wilson (Holiday Inn founder)
Holiday Inn is a chain of hotels based in Atlanta, Georgia and a brand of IHG Hotels & Resorts. The chain was founded in 1952 by Kemmons Wilson, who opened the first location in Memphis, Tennessee. The chain was a division of Bass Brewery from 1988-2000, Six Continents from 2000-03, and IHG Hotels & Resorts since 2003. It operates hotels under the names Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Holiday Inn Club Vacations, and Holiday Inn Resorts. As of 2018, Holiday Inn has hotels at over 1,100 locations.
The "Great Sign" was a familiar sight on U.S. highways in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s.
A Holiday Inn in New Orleans, pictured on a postcard c. 1975
Holiday Inn in Sydney
Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites in Oklahoma City