A lot has happened in the last sixty years, the internet was born, TV’s received colour and we survived the millennium bug. You may not have seen these iconic landmarks yourself, but hotel chain, Holiday Inn has as they celebrated their sixtieth anniversary last week.
The company has come a long way from Kemmons Wilson’s original concept to offer hotel facilities that both families and businesses can utilise, all under one roof. When the company was first launched in was renowned for offering customer facilities and services that no other hotel was doing at that time, also known as ‘firsts’. Things like having a TV and phone in the room, air conditioning, a restaurant, and a pool – all things that we would expect from a hotel commercial property nowadays.
Today the group has 4,500 commercial properties in its portfolio in over 100 countries. But these hotels are needed for the mass numbers of visitors the group experiences. Every second, approximately three people check-in. That equates to around 153 million people every year who stop in one of the 661,000 rooms available.
Speaking of the last six decades, Verchele Wiggins, Vice President and Global Brand Management for the company said: “The 60th Anniversary is a global celebration of firsts for Holiday Inn. We have all experienced ‘firsts’ in our lives and will continue to do so, but most importantly we’ll never forget them.
“At Holiday Inn we’ve celebrated many firsts through the years. From the first hotel to let children stay and eat for free, to our 1 billion dollar global refresh.”
Although this is an iconic celebration for the company, they want to celebrate it with the guests of their commercial properties and in return you could win a free two night stay. All you have to do is share a story on their social networks of one of your own ‘firsts’, whether it was your first car, passing your first test or going on your first holiday – anything you experienced first. This is only open to USA, Canada, Mexico and China residents. But other nationals, including us here in the UK can share ‘then and now’ photos with their social media platforms for a chance to win a week’s stay at a Holiday Inn of your choice.
“So we’re celebrating 60 years of firsts with those who mean the most to us – our guests – by inviting them to share their memorable firsts with us and giving them a chance to create some new memories with Holiday Inn,” Verchele added.
Do you remember a moment when you experienced something for the very first time? Or are some memories better left in the past?
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