Skift Take
From Tennessee back roads to Chinese mountains, the McDonalds of the hotel industry democratized hotel travel and continues to grow today, thanks to a $1 billion facelift in 2007.
They love the photo at Holiday Inn. It has the founder's children, wearing their Sunday best, lined up in stairstep fashion and cutting a ribbon to open their father's first motel.
It's proudly displayed in hotels and exhibits and appears on bottled water commemorating that day in 1952. The children periodically assemble to relive the magical moment: 25 years later, 50 years, and again Wednesday.
It was 60 years to the day since they opened the first Holiday Inn at 4941 Summer, near Mendenhall.
Children of the late Kemmons and Dorothy Wilson did their best to re-create the original outfits.
Spence, Bob and Kemmons "Kem" Wilson Jr. wore bow ties. Spence and Bob wore cream-colored suits, Kemmons, gray sport coat and dress slacks. Betty Moore and Carole West wore white blouses, black skirts and white shoes and socks; their white Mary Janes are long gone. Kemmons sai
