Van Noy Railway News and Hotel Company
| Company type | Private (originally) |
|---|---|
| Industry | Hospitality, Retail |
| Founded | January 1, 1897 in Kansas City, Missouri, United States |
| Founder | Ira Clinton Van Noy, Charles S. Van Noy, J.L. Van Noy, G.W. Krebs |
| Fate | Rebranded and acquired; now operating as HMSHost |
| Headquarters | Kansas City , United States |
Area served | United States (railroad junctions and terminals) |
Key people | Ira Clinton Van Noy (president), Henry Clay Van Noy |
| Products | Food establishments at railroad junctions, snacks aboard trains, hotels at railroad terminals, newsstands |
Number of employees | 1600 (1910) |
| Website | www |
The Van Noy Railway News and Hotel Company, presently operating as HMSHost, was established by the Van Noy Brothers from Kansas City, Missouri in the early 1900s to cater to passengers traveling by train. During an era when most trains did not feature dining cars or lounge cars, the Van Noy family identified an opportunity by running food establishments at railroad junctions and offering snacks and various items aboard trains.
History
In 1893, Ira Clinton Van Noy initiated a retail venture specializing in cigars and news in Kansas City. By 1897, he joined forces with his brothers Charles S. Van Noy and J.L. Van Noy, along with G.W. Krebs, to establish the Van Noy Railroad News Company. This enterprise distributed magazines, newspapers, tobacco goods, and novelty items through station newsstands and onboard salesmen known as 'news butches'. As the company expanded, Ira C. Van Noy assumed the role of president, with youngest sibling Henry Clay Van Noy joining the team at a later stage.
The firm experienced swift growth after securing agreements with the Missouri Pacific Railway and its branch line, the St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railway. Before the widespread introduction of dining cars, Van Noy set up eating establishments along the Missouri Pacific routes to serve travelers. Additionally, hotels were constructed at major terminals to accommodate passengers and train personnel. Demonstrating their prosperity, Ira C. and Charles S. Van Noy built distinguished residences in Kansas City in 1909, which were eventually listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
By 1910, Van Noy operated sales across extensive railroad mileage, managing 52 hotels and restaurants, 20 concession outlets, and 21 distribution centers staffed by approximately 1,600 employees. To highlight its hotel services, the company rebranded itself as the Van Noy Railway Hotel and News Company in 1912.
In 1916, a young Walt Disney was employed as a news butch for the Van Noy Interstate Company on multiple rail lines originating from Kansas City.
Beginning in 1914, Van Noy pursued growth through mergers and acquisitions, including the purchase of Kansas City's Brown News Company that year. The following year saw consolidation with New York City's Interstate News Company; by 1917 it adopted the name Van Noy Interstate News Company while keeping its headquarters in Kansas City under Ira C. Van Noy’s direction.
By 1922, the company’s distribution network extended over vast railroad territory with a broad range of concession stands, stores, dining establishments, and hotels. Nevertheless, as railroads increasingly installed dining cars on their trains, the need for Van Noy’s services diminished. In early 1923, Missouri Pacific severed its partnership with Van Noy Interstate; however, the firm continued operating hotels at smaller stations primarily serving train crews.
Van Noy Hotel or Eating House locations
A selection of locations where Van Noy operated includes:
- Arkansas: Bald Knob, Benton, El Dorado, Fort Smith, Gurdon, Hope, Knobel, Lexa, McGehee, Newport, Sulphur Springs, Texarkana, Van Buren, Wynne
- Kansas: Coffeyville, Council Grove, Downs, Fort Scott, Goff, Greenleaf, Gypsum, Hoisington, Horace, Osawatomie, Wichita, Yates Center
- Missouri: Bismark, Delta, Joplin, Poplar Bluff, Sedalia
- Louisiana: Ferriday, Monroe, Shreveport
- Oklahoma: Wagoner
- Tennessee: Memphis
Transition from Railroad Services
As the landscape of railroad passenger transportation evolved, Van Noy Interstate redirected its efforts toward the hospitality sector. In 1922, the company acquired the Gem Fountain Company and, four years later in 1926, adopted the name Interstate Company. It managed dining establishments within train and bus terminals and owned prominent venues such as the Beverly Hills Hotel from 1928 to 1932. The Van Noy family's direct leadership concluded following the passing of Henry Clay Van Noy.
The company expanded into aviation-related services in 1954 by securing its inaugural airport contract at San Francisco International Airport. By 1959, when it was renamed Interstate HOSTS, all restaurant operations in railroad stations had been discontinued. The business became Host International in 1968 and was subsequently acquired by Marriott Corporation in 1982, forming Host Marriott Corporation.
On March 22, 2002, Autogrill S.p.A. acquired Host Marriott Services from Marriott. This purchase encompassed contracts at 18 of the top 20 U.S. airports and included franchises such as Pizza Hut, Burger King, Sbarro, and Starbucks. Autogrill expanded its presence into European rail markets and rebranded the operation as HMSHost, continuing the heritage of the original Van Noy enterprise by offering travel-related amenities. Meanwhile, the hotel and resort divisions were spun off as Host Marriott Corporation in 1996, which later transformed into Host Hotels and Resorts, a Real Estate Investment Trust employing roughly 229 individuals.