Holiday Inn

Holiday Inn
	File:Holiday Inn logo.svg Logo used since 2015
Company type	Subsidiary
Industry	Hospitality
Founded	1 August 1952; 74 years ago in Memphis, Tennessee, United States
Founder	Kemmons Wilson
Headquarters	Atlanta, Georgia, United States
Area served	Worldwide
Products	Hotels and resorts (Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Holiday Inn Club Vacations, Holiday Inn Resorts)
Owner	InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG)
Parent	InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG)

Holiday Inn by IHG is a hotel brand managed by IHG Hotels & Resorts and headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. Established in 1952 by businessman Kemmons Wilson (1913–2003), the inaugural property was launched in Memphis, Tennessee. The chain was owned by Bass Brewery from 1988 to 2000, then by Six Continents between 2000 and 2003, before integrating into the IHG portfolio in 2003. Its portfolio includes Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Holiday Inn Club Vacations, and Holiday Inn Resorts. By 2018, the brand operated more than 1,100 hotels globally.

1950s–1970s

Driven by dissatisfaction with roadside accommodations during a family trip, Wilson teamed up with Wallace E. Johnson to create motel properties around Memphis. The very first "Holiday Inn Hotel Courts" debuted in August 1952 on Summer Avenue in Memphis. By 1957, the chain had expanded to 30 locations and promoted itself as "Holiday Inn of America," growing swiftly to 50 sites in 1958, reaching 100 by 1959, climbing to 500 by 1964, and hitting the 1,000 mark in 1968. Early franchise contracts included exclusivity clauses that were later challenged; in 1973, an antitrust ruling invalidated these restrictions.

In 1965, Holiday Inn introduced Holidex, a centralized reservation platform that streamlined booking processes across its hotels. Following AT&T's launch of toll-free 800 numbers in 1967, the company implemented call centers to enhance customer service. Diversifying its offerings, Holiday Inn opened its first campground in Indiana in 1970.

Branding itself as "The Nation's Innkeeper," Holiday Inn set benchmarks that compelled competitors such as Ramada and Howard Johnson's to adapt. By June 1972, boasting over 1,400 properties worldwide, the company adopted the slogan "The World's Innkeeper."

Among its strategic alliances was a long-standing partnership with Gulf Oil initiated in 1963, which allowed acceptance of Gulf credit cards and development of service stations at hotel locations near major highways; this collaboration ended around 1982 following changes triggered by the 1973 oil crisis.

In terms of acquisitions, Holiday Inns acquired TCO Industries in 1969—owner of Trailways Transportation System and Delta Shipping—but later sold Trailways in 1979 and Delta Shipping in 1982. The business also ventured into diverse sectors including Medi-Center nursing homes and Show-Biz Inc., a television syndication firm focused on country music programming.

Wilson also developed the Orange Lake Resort near Orlando and founded Wilson World Hotels. As of 2014, his family continued managing hotels through Kemmons Wilson Companies.

The Great Sign

During its early growth phase, Holiday Inn became known for its distinctive roadside advertising known as the "Great Sign." Created by Gene Barber and Roland Alexander and fabricated by Balton & Sons Sign Company, these signs stood at least fifty feet tall with changeable message boards and initially cost $13,000 each. The color scheme was inspired by Wilson’s mother. This sign became a hallmark of the brand’s identity and provided a competitive edge.

After Wilson left the company in 1982, management replaced the expensive "Great Sign" with more economical back-lit signage—a decision Wilson criticized as "the worst mistake they ever made." The importance of the sign to Wilson was such that it is carved on his gravestone. While most original signs were dismantled, surviving examples are preserved at institutions like the American Sign Museum, The Henry Ford Museum, and private collections.

1980s–1990s

Throughout the 1980s, Holiday Inn encountered significant market obstacles and experienced a decline in its leading position due to changing demographic trends. In 1985, the company adopted the name Holiday Corporation to better represent its growing portfolio, which included brands such as Harrah's Entertainment, Embassy Suites, Crowne Plaza, Homewood Suites, and Hampton Inn, thereby broadening its business scope beyond the original flagship hotel brand.

In 1988, the UK-based Bass PLC acquired Holiday Corporation, finalizing the acquisition of the domestic Holiday Inn operations by 1990 following Wilson’s divestment. After this takeover, the hotel division operated under the name Holiday Inn Worldwide. Meanwhile, other brands like Embassy Suites and Hampton Inn were separated into Promus Companies Incorporated. Bass introduced Holiday Inn Express in 1990 to target the limited-service hotel market and capture a wider customer base.

Bass further diversified its offerings by launching Staybridge Suites in 1997, marking its entry into the upscale extended-stay segment. The acquisition of InterContinental Hotels in 1998 signaled Bass’s move into luxury hospitality. By 2000, Bass had divested its brewing interests and rebranded itself as Six Continents PLC. The establishment of InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) in 2003 resulted in a separation of restaurant operations from hotel management and consolidated multiple brands—including Holiday Inn—under IHG’s corporate umbrella.

Currently, IHG owns the Holiday Inn brand and grants franchise licenses to third-party operators worldwide. This approach fosters ongoing growth through franchising and management contracts. A notable example of brand evolution occurred when a Holiday Inn opened in 1999 was converted into Nickelodeon Suites Resort Orlando in 2005, illustrating adaptation within competitive market conditions.

Development since 2000

In 2002, under the leadership of CEO Ravi Saligram, the company introduced a new 130-room prototype hotel concept called "Next Generation," designed to rejuvenate the brand with features such as a bistro-style dining area and an indoor swimming pool. The inaugural prototype property, Holiday Inn Gwinnett Center, launched in Duluth, Georgia, in 2003.

In 2008, Mitchells and Butlers traded 21 Holiday Inn hotels for 44 standalone pubs owned by Whitbread. That same year, IHG unveiled Holiday Inn Club Vacations—a timeshare brand created through a strategic partnership with The Family of Orange Lake Resorts.

On October 24, 2007, IHG announced a comprehensive global relaunch of the Holiday Inn brand aimed at elevating service standards and upgrading physical facilities. Enhancements included redesigned guest arrival experiences and signature bedding collections. The first property reflecting this relaunch opened in the United States during spring 2008. By late 2010, more than 2,500 Holiday Inn hotels worldwide had completed this transformation. This initiative resulted in most original motels being phased out or closed; many were replaced by newer Holiday Inn Express locations or other hotel chains, leaving fewer than ten original motels still operating.

Holiday Inn celebrated its 60th anniversary in August 2012.

In 2024, IHG broadened its footprint in Germany through a franchise agreement with Novum Hospitality. This partnership will see over 100 Novum properties rebranded as Holiday Inn and introduce a new sub-brand named Holiday Inn - the niu, significantly enhancing IHG’s market presence within the country.

Current properties

Holiday Inn manages a variety of hotel and resort brands, each catering to different market needs:

Holiday Inn – Serving as the primary brand, it encompasses both high-rise full-service plaza hotels and low-rise full-service properties. These locations typically offer amenities such as dining venues, swimming pools, room service, fitness facilities, and well-appointed guest rooms. Notably, the distinctive round central-core high-rise designs from the 1970s remain a hallmark.
Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites – This brand merges the traditional Holiday Inn features with a combination of standard rooms and suites.
Holiday Inn Resort (previously known as Holiday Inn Sunspree Resort until 2007) – These full-service resorts are mainly situated in vacation-centric markets, providing amenities similar to Holiday Inn but positioned as an upgraded option tailored for holiday travelers.
Holiday Inn Select – Targeting business clientele, these upper-tier full-service hotels are often located near major international airports. The brand was gradually discontinued beginning in 2006, with many locations transitioning to either Crowne Plaza or the core Holiday Inn brand.
Holiday Inn Club Vacations – Focused on families, these resorts in the United States and Mexico offer villas and suites within a flexible timeshare membership framework.
Holiday Inn Garden Court – Exclusive to Europe and South Africa, these properties are designed to incorporate local cultural elements.
Holiday Inn Express – Originally an economy-focused limited-service brand featuring continental breakfast and minimal additional services. Contemporary locations now often include restaurants, bars, meeting spaces, fitness centers, and pools. Positioned primarily along suburban corridors and near highways rather than urban centers. Most provide hot breakfast options.

Together, these brands enable Holiday Inn to address a broad spectrum of customer segments ranging from budget-conscious travelers to upscale leisure and corporate guests, thereby expanding its reach through diverse geographic locations and product variations.

Former properties

Holiday Inn Jr. was a motel concept during the 1960s and 1970s characterized by 44 to 48-room properties with limited amenities. The inaugural site opened in Camden, Arkansas in 1964. The last operating motel under this name was located in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, closing after a fire incident in 1979.
Holiday Inn Crowne Plaza became a separate entity from Holiday Inn in 1994 when it evolved into the distinct Crowne Plaza brand. Despite this separation, Holiday Inn promotional materials continued to list Crowne Plaza locations alongside their own for some time.

Trademark conflicts

For twenty years, a hotel bearing the Holiday Inn name in Niagara Falls, Ontario prevented the Holiday Inn Corporation from using that name locally due to prior establishment and similar branding. This property controlled the holidayinn.com domain, compelling the corporation to adopt holiday-inn.com until a 2006 agreement brought both entities under IHG’s management system.

In Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, trademark disputes emerged because a motel had been using the "Holiday Inn" name since 1949—preceding the chain’s inception. Operating under the name "Holiday" with distinctive signage, this property successfully maintained its right to use the name with unique lettering through legal challenges during the 1970s and early 1980s. Courts acknowledged its established market presence and granted service mark protections while mandating clear differentiation from the official chain’s branding.

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