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Whether we travel just occasionally or more frequently, for business or for pleasure, we all owe a great deal to Charles Kemmons Wilson, the Osceola native who died on Feb. 12 at age 90.
Along with the explosion of cars after World War II came the need for places to stay along the road. And the first name that comes to mind for most Americans is Holiday Inn.
Wilson built his first Holiday Inn in 1952 in Memphis, where he had lived since babyhood. Today they can be found across the country and in some 50 other nations. More than that, Wilson changed the travel industry forever. We were no longer limited to a few hotels in major cities or tiny cabins in more remote places.
Wilson’s hotels offered everything the big hotels offered but were more convenient to travelers — swimming pools, air conditioning and no extra charge for children.
From a humble beginning, Wilson’s is the all-American success story. The pioneer in franchising hotels should not be forgotten for his remarkable success.
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