Making up the basis for the hospitality’s illustrious and innovative history, countless famous firsts during the past 100 years have set the stage for the industry’s continued growth and prosperity.
These Lodging Legacies come from the people, ideas, and momentous achievements that characterize our industry, and go far beyond the 100 that will be unveiled on this Webpage as AH&LA’s Centennial year goes on. Enjoy our stroll through memory lane and get inspired for the future by recognizing hospitality’s pioneering past.
Be sure to visit this page often as we expand our list throughout the year to share the most 100 impressive legacies of the last century.
"Success seems to be connected with action. Successful people keep moving. They make mistakes, but they don't quit." – Conrad Hilton
In 1947, Sheraton is the first hotel corporation to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
 E. M. Statler: creator of the modern hotel. The lodging industry before the turn of the century had neither the heart, soul, nor vision that this Pennsylvania native brought to his business. In addition to Statler’s detailed and structured approach to service, he also brought hotels the amenities, profits, and reputation that revolutionized the hospitality experience and have thus been built upon for the past 100 years.
In 1969, Westin is the first hotel chain to implement 24-hour room service.
Loews Hotels' Good Neighbor Policy became the industry's first comprehensive community outreach program. Created in 1990, the policy outlines the company's formal commitment to the communities where they own and operate hotels. Each destination conducts specific activities including donating excess food to local hunger relief programs; supporting local literacy programs; implementing extensive recycling programs; donating used goods such as linens and furniture to local organizations and shelters; encouraging volunteer activities for hotel employees.
In 1924, the association became a federation of state associations, welcoming Washington State, Montana, Ohio, Illinois, Mississippi, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Delaware, New York, Pennsylvania, California, and New Hampshire.
J. W. Marriott: philosophic innovator. From a very young age, J. Willard Marriott learned to rely on his own judgment and initiative. It was his pioneering spirit that took Marriott from his first business endeavor harvesting lettuce when he was 13 to creating and leading one of the world’s most respected hotel chains.
In the 1970, Sheraton pioneered an 800 number for toll-free reservation calls.
"We are going to make each hotel obscenely rich and obscenely beautiful and position them at the top off their markets." – Barry Sternlicht
 The Ohio Hotel & Lodging Association (OH&LA) surpassed their 100-year mark in 1993. Back in 1893, 19 members paid annual dues varying between $5 and $10. During 1928, the OH&LA gave birth to two city associations in Cleveland and Dayton. That same year, OH&LA also helped to create the first hotel course of study in 1928 at the Ohio State University (OSU). Today, OH&LA maintains a close relationship with OSU and other universities around the state. On the legislative side of things, OH&LA is working closely with local councils in all major cities in Ohio.
David Kong, dishwasher to driven leader. With nearly 40 years of hospitality management under his belt, David Kong’s tireless need to challenge status quo has catapulted him up the ranks from his first hospitality job as a dishwasher. As president and CEO of Best Western International, he has brought successive years of double-digit reservations system revenue growth, its healthiest balance sheet ever, and the highest member satisfaction levels. Kong’s secret: he works locally but thinks globally.
In 1981, Bill Kimpton opened the first U.S. boutique hotel with specialty chef-driven restaurant. Cafe Bedford in San Francisco's Bedford Hotel was followed by many other hotels enlisting celebrity chefs to make their menus shine. Soon thereafter, Kimpton star chef Masa Kobiyashi satisfied palates at Masa's in the Hotel Vintage Court and Wolfgang Puck reigned at the Prescott Hotel and Postrio Restaurant.
“Here we start with one question 'Who are these people and what do they want?' The answer controls everything we do. We respond to the emotional and psychological desires of our visitors. If this place has any other redeeming feature, I don't know what it is.” – Steve Wynn
In 1793, the first building to be called a hotel was constructed in Washington, D.C., the Union Public Hotel.
“Like many other virtues, hospitality is practiced in its perfection by the poor. If the rich did their share, how would the woes of this world be lightened!” – C.M. Kirkland, American author
 Creating an era of customization, with the fanfare of celebrity, the Hotel Triton in San Francisco opened doors to its first celebrity suite in 1991. It paid homage to Dr. Winkie, followed by Jerry Garcia, Carlos Santana, Wyland, and Joe Boxer.
“All intellectual improvement arises from leisure." – Samuel Johnson, American writer
Records detailing the exact origin of the association vary, but many indicate that the Montana Innkeepers Association was formed in 1888 – the year before Montana itself became a state. The innovative founders formed the association at this time to have representation at the first Montana Legislative Session in 1889. Since then, the association has exercised its influence often, including in the 1987 legislative session, establishing a statewide 4% lodging tax with proceeds to fund the successful state Travel Montana Program that is still thriving today.
In the early ‘50s, the first black and white television sets were placed in hotel lobbies or other public spaces.
Bill Kimpton, the eternal optimist. Convinced that the average consumer was frustrated by a choice between hotels that were either overly pricey and luxurious or else bland and generic, Bill Kimpton introduced to America the small, European-style hotel, the “boutique” hotel. His prototype of a tasteful, moderately priced boutique property, often with a high-profile restaurant attached, has been widely emulated.
In 1927, the Hotel Statler in Boston became the first hotel to offer free radio programs to guests; 1,300 rooms were originally equipped with individual headsets to receive broadcasts from a central control room. The hotel also first introduced private baths, full-length mirrors, and free morning newspaper for each guest.
 "The customer is always right." – E. M. Statler
In 1950, the word “motel” is included in dictionaries, a full 25 years after it was introduced on a sign on the Pacific Coast Highway.
M.K. Guertin: making Best Western a reality. On a road trip from California to Tacoma, Washington, hotelier M.K. Guertin recorded the distances between motels, paying special attention to those just a tank of gas away from one another, and then published his findings as a guide for road travelers. The motels began recommending one another to guests, and in 1946, what began simply as a network of informally affiliated establishments become Best Western Hotels.
In the early 1950s, Quality Courts becomes the first to offer innovations such as wall-to-wall carpeting, daily change of linens, 24-hour desk service, and in-room telephones.
Jack DeBoer: accidental extended-stay visionary. A successful apartment developer who is best known as the forefather of the extended-stay concept, Jack DeBoer came up with the idea by chance. He built the first Residence Inn in 1975 in Wichita when the only way to finance new structures was to secure lodging rates. He founded several all-suite chains, including Residence Inns, Summerfield Hotel Corporation, and Candlewood Hotel Company. The concept resonated with business travelers and is now a mainstay of the industry.
In 1967, Pritzker bought a half-finished hotel in Atlanta and turned it into the Hyatt Regency, the first of the giant atrium hotels.
 Kemmons Wilson: changing the motel landscape. In 1951, Kemmons Wilson, the 38-year-old future founder of the Holiday Inn hotel chain, decided to take his wife and children on vacation to Washington, D.C., and drive the 800 miles from Memphis. After experiencing at a number of motels dotting the highways between the two cities, Wilson vowed to get into the motel business and make some changes. Within a matter of years his company consisted of more than 450 properties. Along the way, he set the industry parameter for room size (12 feet by 30 feet), along with design, amenities (including free TV), franchising, and development.
In 1995, Choice Hotels launches Choicehotels.com, the first Website in the lodging industry to offer real-time access to a CRS.
In 1941, members formally found Quality Courts United, Inc. an association that would be comprised of independent owners, and set the criteria of membership, creating the country’s first hotel chain, which eventually became Choice Hotels International.
In 1958, Sheraton created the first automated, electronic reservations system.
Ernest Henderson and Robert Moore, co-founders of the Sheraton Corporation, transformed the hospitality industry in the 1930s. Buying poorly performing or foreclosed hotels and turning them around at a considerable profit became their recipe for success. In 1937, they acquired the Stonehaven Hotel in Springfield, Mass. Over the next decade, they expanded their holding from Maine to Florida and in 1945 became the first hotel chain to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange. Using their experience and thriftiness, they expanded the Sheraton name, all while minimizing corporate expenditures by taking on the management of hotels built by others. With their ingenuity, Sheraton became the first hotel company to use the telex system for reservations in 1948.
 The first extended-stay property, the Residence Inn, was built in 1975 in Wichita, Kansas.
Laurance Spelman Rockefeller: the path to eco-tourism. Known for his savvy assimilation of luxury hotel resort structures and amenities into tropical landscapes, Laurance Spelman Rockefeller's vision to create exclusive sanctuaries on such quiet Caribbean beaches as Caneel Day and Dorado Beach in the mid-1950s gained him a reputation as a top hotelier. As a conservationist, his strong belief that building should not intrude on the natural surroundings ushered in what is now known as “eco-tourism.”
In 1984 Quality becomes the first hotel chain to introduce a mandatory program of non-smoking rooms in guest rooms worldwide.
Conrad Hilton had been in the hotel business for 20 years when he finally expanded his Texas hotel chain in 1939, buying a property in New Mexico. Just seven years later, in 1946, he founded Hilton Hotel Corporation, the first coast-to-coast hotel chain in the country. The 1940s were Hilton’s Golden Age as he acquired the Plaza, Waldorf=Astoria, and Roosevelt Hotels in New York City, the Drake in San Francisco, the Palmer House in Chicago. He was also a dedicated philanthropist, setting up a foundation to raise money for humanitarian projects throughout the world.
"If I never do anything else worth remembering in my life, children are going to stay free to motels." – Kemmons Wilson
 Jay Pritzker: the airport innovator. In 1957, while waiting for a flight at a Los Angeles International Airport hotel coffee shop, Jay Pritzker noticed the shop seemed to be unusually busy, and the hotel did not have any vacancies. The hotel — named after its owner, Hyatt von Dehn — was for sale, and Pritzker decided on the spot to buy it, writing his offer of $2.2 million on a napkin. Pritzker bet, correctly, that business executives like himself would want to stay at a high-quality hotel near a large airport. After building a second Hyatt hotel in Burlingame, Calif., near San Francisco International Airport, Jay and his brothers went on to develop properties near airports in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Seattle, then around the country and internationally.
"Whatever you do, do with integrity. Wherever you do, go as a leader. Whomever you serve, serve with caring. Whenever you dream, dream with your all. And never, ever give up." – Curt Carlson
For over 116 years, the California Hotel & Lodging Association (CH&LA) has been protecting the rights and interests of the lodging industry. Thirty-six pioneering lodging professions formed the first organized statewide group of innkeepers, the Southern California Hotel Association, on November 15, 1893. In 1911, this group then joined the American Hotel Association and due to the rapid growth of the lodging industry in Northern California, a second organization was formed; the California Northern Hotel Association. In 1970, the two associations merged and became what is now known as the California Hotel & Lodging Association.
Curt Carlson: the birth of an empire. Having founded the Gold Bond Stamp Company in 1938 with a $55 loan, Curt Carlson decided to diversify in 1962 with the purchase of the Radisson, the premier hotel in Minniapolis. Carlson Companies expanded to become one of the largest privately held corporations in the world and includes Regent International Hotels, Radisson Hotels & Resorts, Country Inns & Suites By Carlson, TGI Friday’s, and the Radisson Seven Seas luxury cruise line.
In 1980, the first annual Gold Key Awards for Excellence in Hospitality Design are held in conjunction with IH/M&RS.
"If they hand me a key to a room and let me carry my bags, it s motel; if they hand them to a bellboy, it’s a hotel.” – Anonymous AH&LA member
 In 1915, the International Hotel/Motel & Restaurant Show launches as the National Hotel Exposition.
The New York State Hospitality & Tourism Association (NYSH&TA), the country’s oldest state lodging association, celebrated its 100th anniversary in 1987 and returned to the city in which it was founded in 1887, Saratoga Springs, NY, for its Annual Meeting. In 1887, the organization was known as the New York State Men’s Hotel Association because in the late 1800s men and woman did not stay in the same hotel. During its 100-year celebration, the Association decided to take a more high profile role advocating for its members on important legislative issues and becoming more involved in tourism marketing statewide, and thus changed its name from the New York State Hotel & Motel Association to the New York State Hospitality & Tourism Association.
In 1985, Shearton becomes the first international hotel chain in the People's Republic of China.
In 1904, New York City's St. Regis provides individually controlled heating and cooling units in each room.
In 1908, Hotel Statler in Buffalo opens with private baths, full legnth mirrors, telephones, and built in radios, serving as the model of hotel construction for the next 40 years.
Stewart Bainum: from plumbing contractor to international franchisor. Stewart Bainum franchised his first motel with Quality Courts Motels in 1963, and by 1968 heoperated eight nursing homes, incorporating them as Manor Care, Inc., while grouping five motels, franchised with Quality Courts Motels, under the name Park Consolidated Motels, Inc. In that year, Bainum merged Park Consolidated with Quality Courts, becoming president and chief financial officer of a company which by then represented 410 franchised and 12 company-owned motels. Within two years, Quality Courts operated franchised motels in 33 st ates, and began its first international operations. In 1980 Bainum merged Manor Care and Quality, with Manor Care purchasing Quality for $37 million.
In 1928, there are more women than men on hotel payrolls for the first time.
In 1900, the Wisconsin State hotel Association opens a school for training female staff in Milwaukee.
M.K. Guertin: The Foundation of a Franchise - On a road trip from California to Tacoma, Washington, hotelier M.K. Guertin recorded the distances between motels, paying special attention to those just a tank of gas away from one another, and then published his findings as a guide for road travelers. The motels began recommending one another to guests, and in 1946, what began simply as a network of informally affiliated establishments become Best Western Hotels.
Howard Johnson enters the lodging industry by franchising its first motor lodge in Savannah, Georgia, catering to family travelers.
In 1927, the Huntington Hotel in Pasadena, California, installs the first Olympic-size hotel swimming pool.
In 1929, the Oakland Airport Hotel becomes the first of its kind in the country.
Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel opens the first casino hotel, The Pink Flamingo Hotel & Casino, at a total cost of $6 million on December 26, 1946. Billed as the world's most luxurious hotel, the 105-room property and first luxury hotel on the strip, was built seven miles from Downtown Las Vegas. Siegel named the resort after his girlfriend Virginia Hill, who loved to gamble and whose nickname was Flamingo—a nickname Siegel gave her due to her long, skinny legs.
Pearl A. Rogers, proprietor of the Lancaster Hotel in Georgetown, Kentucky, becomes vice president of the Kentucky Hotel Association – the first female officer of a state hotel association.
Laurance Spelman Rockefeller: Pioneer in Conversation - Rockefeller was known for his savvy assimilation of luxury hotel resort structures and amenities into tropical landscapes. His vision to create exclusive sanctuaries on such quiet Caribbean beaches as Caneel Day and Dorado Beach in the mid-1950s gained him a reputation as a top hotelier. A conservationist, his strong belief that buildings should not intrude on the natural surroundings ushered in what is now known as “eco-tourism.”
In 1949, Hilton becomes the first international hotel chain.
By 1970, expansion has one Holiday Inn opening somewhere in the world every 2.5 days, and the chain becomes the first billion-dollar lodging and food service company.
In 1982, Four Seasons creates alternative cuisine, a new menu program with healthful items that are lower in calories, cholesterol, and sodium.
 Conrad Hilton: International Entrepreneur – In concert with his father, Conrad Hilton had helped build up an inn as well as a general store in Socorro County, New Mexico, but he then moved to Texas. He entered the hotel business by buying the Mobley Hotel in Cisco, Texas, in 1919, and went on to buy hotels throughout Texas. The first high rise hotel he built was the Dallas Hilton, which opened in 1925. He built his first hotel outside of Texas in 1939 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He formed the Hilton Hotels Corporation in 1946 followed by Hilton International Company in 1948. The company expanded into credit cards (Carte Blanche), car rentals, and other travel services. During the Great Depression Hilton was nearly forced into bankruptcy and lost several of his hotels. He was retained as manager, however, and eventually bought them back. During the post-war period, the 1950s and 1960s, Hilton Hotels' worldwide expansion facilitated both American tourism and overseas business by United States corporations. At the same time it promulgated a certain worldwide standard for hotel accommodations. It was the world's first international hotel chain.
In 1984, Embassy Suites becomes the first nationwide all-suite hotel chain.
1994, Promus becomes the first hotel company to provide hotel information over the Internet.
Joe McInerney: A hotelier on a mission. With nearly 50 years experience in the industry, there’s nowhere Joe McInerney hasn’t been. Getting his start at the Sheraton in Chicago, he climbed the ranks and moved from his hometown to Boston for the next 20 years. Landing the job as president of Forte Hotels, he then moved to San Diego, only to leave four years later for Bangkok to run PATA. His career finally brought him to DC as president and CEO of AH&LA in 2001, where he’s able to give back to the industry that shaped who he is today.
The Astor House as President Lincoln’s hotel of choice in New York City and gave a speech here that catapulted him onto the national scene as a viable presidential candidate. New York’s first modern palace hotel, the famous 309-room Astor House, built in 1836. The Astor House was designed by the same architect, Isaiah Rogers, who designed Boston’s Tremont Hotel, but it was a more impressive building than its Boston prototype. It was two stories ta ller, had nearly twice as many rooms and a more elaborate exterior and interior, and it had its own steam engine and gas plant.
In 1945, the Waldorf=Astoria becomes the first hotel to be featured in a movie, Weekend at the Waldorf, starring Ginger Rogers.
In 1982, Marriott introduces the first frequent guest program, the Marriott Honored Guest.
In 1909, the Hotel Metropolitan, the first hotel owned and operated by and for African Americans in Paducah, was constructed for a young black woman.
Steve Joyce: Leading through volunteering. Steve Joyce is more than just the president and CEO of Choice Hotels International. He’s the chair of the U.S. Travel Association, AH&LA’s Multicultural Diversity Advisory Council, and of the International Franchise Association franchisor forum. He also holds leadership positions with the Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts, the Autism Learning Center as a board member; and ServiceSource Foundation, proving you’re never too busy to give back.
The 2010 AH&LA Stars of the Industry employee award winners are legacies in the making. Read more about them here.
The 2010 AH&LA Stars of the Industry hotel program award winners represent forward-thinking initiatives sure to change the face of our industry and shape future standards. See which hotels are making industry here .
 Nancy Johnson: paving the way for women. An accomplished leader in hospitality, Nancy Johnson climbed her way to executive vice president and chief development officer for Carlson Hotels Worldwide, and she wanted to make sure other motivated women had the same opportunities to succeed. Under her direction, AH&LA created the Women In Lodging (WIL) membership category in 2007, which unified hundreds of female hospitality professionals around a common goal: success. Johnson will be the 2012 chair of the board of AH&LA.
In 1908, the first Gideon’s Bible is placed in the Superior Hotel in Iron Mountain, Montana.
Eric Danziger: A career of opening doors. While Eric Danziger is Wyndham Hotel Group president and CEO, he started out in the industry opening doors for guests as a bellman at San Francisco's historic Fairmont Hotel in 1971. He now leads the Wyndham Hotel Group, which encompasses nearly 7,200 hotels and approximately 607,000 rooms under 12 hotel brands. He is quite passionate about the hospitality business and will often say he still is "opening doors" for people.
The Broadmoor began as a small hotel and casino in the 1800s. It became a renowned resort in 1918, and achieved a 50-year record on the Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star Awards (formerly Mobil Five-Star Award by Mobil Travel Guide) in 2010 – the only property to ever achieve this status.
In 1925, the first roadside motel opens in San Luis Obispo, California.
Jonathon Tisch: community-centered leadership. Since 1989 Jonathon Tisch has been head of Loews Hotels, achieving growth through community involvement. In addition to making several notable donations to numerous organizations, Tisch was responsible for leading the Minority Business Enterprise Program, giving minority-owned businesses the opportunity to partner with Loews, and for ensuring the company upheld environmentally responsible best practices.
In 1946, Westin introduced credit cards for guests.
In 1934, Lyndon B. Johnson and Lady Bird had their first date in The Driskill dining room.
 Donald Trump: The name says it all. “Trump” is part of the title of all Donald Trump’s hotels and casinos, because it’s synonymous with class and quality. The son of a successful property developer, Trump learned from his father, his mentor. Working side-by-side for five years after he finished business school, Trump’s father said “everything [Donald] touches turns to gold.” Trump soon entered the Manhattan real estate scene on his own, acquiring some of the most prestigious properties in the city.
In 1945, Travelodge becomes the first economy-lodging corporation.
Kathleen Taylor: the eye for the perfect employee. As CEO of the Four Seasons, Kathleen Taylor ensures this luxury chain is complemented by the highest level of service. All employees are vetted through five rounds of interviews, including the housekeepers and kitchen cleaners, before being hired. But more importantly, Taylor states, “…we hire for attitude before skill.” And she says she can recognize a Four Seasons employee anywhere. When she does, she instantly jots a note of servers, waiters, concierges, or anyone who makes an impression.
In 1929, the Western Hotel chain (now Westin) became the first management company in the U.S., with 17 properties in the Pacific Northwest.
In 1953, the Western Hills Hotel in Fort Worth, Texas, offered guests the first heliport facility.
In 1935, the first ball point pen comes into market, giving way to a still popular guest amenity.
Jim Abrahamson: Love (for hotels) conquers all. Before becoming president of InterContinental Hotels Group, the Americas, Jim Abrahamson held a series of hospitality jobs. Paying his way through college by working at restaurants and hotels, Abrahamson “earned while he learned.” Upon graduation, he turned down a job in banking to work in the Granada Royale in Minnesota. From there he held a series of GM positions, never straying from the industry. After more than 30 years, he’s now the head of the world’s largest hotel company.
 The Hay-Adams is one of Washington D.C.'s most revered landmarks, named after the distinguished residents who previously lived on its site: John Hay, Private Assistant to President Abraham Lincoln and later Secretary of State, and Henry Adams, an acclaimed author and descendant of U.S. Presidents John Adams and John Quincy Adams. Past guests and patrons include Amelia Earhart, Mark Twain, and Barrack Obama.
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