Kemmons Wilson (1913–2003,) fully Charles Kemmons Wilson, was an American businessman and hotelier. Known as “the nation’s innkeeper,” he was the founder of the Holiday Inn chain of hotels.
Born in Osceola, Arkansas, Wilson lost his father when he was still an infant. His mother raised him. Wilson began selling magazines door-to-door in middle school and worked as a deliverer for a local drugstore. He dropped out of high school and started working full time when his mother became hospitalized. With borrowed $50, he acquired a popcorn machine and soon built a thriving jukebox franchise. By age 26, he owned seven movie theaters and rapidly expanded into real estate.
The idea behind the motel chain came to Wilson after a disappointing road trip in 1951. Dismayed at the roadside accommodation he found while vacationing with his family, he set about creating a chain of clean low-priced motels that would be attractive to families. He opened the first Holiday Inn in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1952. By 1959, there were 100 Holiday Inns nationwide. By 1977, when he retired, there were more than 1,800 operating throughout the world.
Wilson’s autobiography Half Luck and Half Brains (1996) tells the story of the Holiday Inn.
More: Wikipedia • READ: Works by Kemmons Wilson
A successful person realizes his personal responsibility for self-motivation. He starts with himself because he possesses the key to his own ignition switch.
—Kemmons Wilson
Topics: Success, Responsibility
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