HOTEL INDUSTRY PIONEERS

Founders of the Hotel Industry

Hotel industry has a number of outstanding individuals who have made a significant contribution to the growth & development of the profession such as: Casar Ritz (1850 1918) Ellsworth M. Statler (1863 1928) Conrad Hilton (1887 1979) Howard Fearing Johnson (1898 1972) J. Willard Marriott (1990 1985) Kemmons Wilson (1919 - )

) Ritz Casar

At the age of 18, he an apprentice in the hotel in

France
By the age of 17 he was already a manager of the

Grand National Hotel, Lucerne Switzerland (the most luxurious hotel in the world when it was built in 1870)
In 1898, age 38 he was the GM of the Savoy

Hotel, London, & the chef at that time GeorgsAuguste Escoffier

Csar Ritz
Together with Chef Escoffier, he created a team

that produced finest cuisine in Europe.

He made evening dress compulsory & introduced orchestras in the restaurant
Between them also, they revolutionized hotel

restaurants the Ritz Carlton Hotels (bear his name) One of the most respected hoteliers in Europe because of his management abilities

Ellsworth .M Statler (1863 -1928)

In 1878, at the age of 13, he started as a bellboy in

Wheeling, West Virginia

At 15, he was a head bellman with a dream of someday,

running the biggest hotel in the world

Developed the chain of hotels known as statlers.

( beginning with a hotel in Buffalo New York, built for the 1901 Pan American Exposition. (Statler devised a two-storey, rectangular wood structure that would contain 2084 rooms and accommodate 500 guests. Torn down after the fair closed) In 1908, he opened the 1st hotel in buffalo, New York

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This hotel featured telephone in every room, modern plumbing, ice water, full size closets with lights & etc. He also provided free morning

newspaper, provided radios free of charge

He also developed The Statler Service Code

which all employees had to memorize & carry with them

He known & credited as the person with the saying the guest is always right

Conrad Hilton (1887 1979) He was born in San Antonia, Mexico, known as King of Innkeepers & Master of Hotel Finance

Chronology of Conrad Hilton & Hilton Corporations Highlight:Became a successful hotelier after WW1, purchased several properties in Texas during its oil boom.
1919, brought the Mobley Hotel

1925, built 1st Hilton hotel in Dallas, Texas

1942, Town House in LA became Hiltons

headquarters 1943, took over Roosevelt & Plaza Hotels in New York

 1949, brought the Waldorf Astoria in New York 1950, Hilton Hotel Corporation (organized in 1946)

bought over the 2 largest hotel chain at that time; Sheraton & Statler
1954, bought over the entire Statler Chain 1979, he died & his son Baron Hilton took over.

With the purchase of the Statler Chain in 1954, Hilton created the first major chain of modern American hotels that follow
standard operating procedures in marketing, reservations,

quality service,

food & beverage operations, housekeeping and accounting

Hilton Hotel Corporation & Hilton International now owned more than 500 properties in more than 50 countries
Hilton Garden Inns Doubletree Embassy Suites Hampton Inns Harrison Conference Centers Homewood Suites by Hilton Red Lion Hotels & Inns Conrad International

Howard Fearing Johnson

1925, he bought a drugstore & soda fountain with the money $500 he borrowed from his friend He then started selling ice-cream with 50-60 flavor, made his soda fountain became the most popular eatery in town

He converted his drugstore to 1st restaurant by adding hamburgers, hotdog & sandwiches to the menu

In 1940, he opened a motor lodge in Savannah, Georgia

In 1972, he had already opened 500 Howard Johnsons motor lodges & 850 restaurants

The Johnson familys company-owned restaurant were sold to Marriott Corporation, & turned to Big Boy restaurant

J.W. Marriott (1900 -1985) & J.W. Marriott Jr

He started as the owner of A&W fast food restaurant in Washington D.C 1982, he converted his regional chain of root beer stands into sandwich shops; Hot

Shoppes
Then he started the hamburger operations, Bobs Big Boy 1967 he had 600 outlets

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In 1957, founded his hotel empire with the Twin Bridges Marriott Motor Hotel in Virginia, near Washington, DC.
By the time he died in 1985, Marriott Hotels & Resorts include Courtyard by Marriott and American Resorts Group. At this point, J.W. Marriott Jr acquired the Howard Johnson Company; sold the hotels to Prime Motor inns but retained 350 restaurants and 68 turnpike units.

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In 1987 - Marriott company completed expansion of its worldwide Reservation Center in Omaha, Nebraska, making it the largest single-site reservation operation in U.S hotel history.
Also in 1987, acquired the Residence Inn Company (all-suite hotel chain targeted at extended-stay travelers) In 1987, Marriott entered the economy lodging segment, operating the first Fairfield Inn in Atlanta, Georgia.

Kemmons Wilson
He started off with popcorn

business In 1952 he started the Holiday Inn Chain in Memphis, Tennessee.

Introduced the in-house

Holiday Inn Worldwide is now of the largest hotel chains in the world owned more than 300 inns

Died in February 2003 at the age of 90

Holidex central reservation System -

Ernest Henderson and Robert Moore

started the Sheraton chain in 1937, when they acquired

their first hotel, the Stonehaven, in Springfield, Massachusetts. First hotel chain listed on the New York Stock Exchange. In 1968, Sheraton was acquired by ITT Corporation as a wholly owned subsidiary to create a global network of properties. In 1980s, under the leadership of John Kapi-oltas, the company received international recognition as an industry innovator in modern hotel accommodations Sheraton chain is currently owned by Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide.

Ray Schultz
In early 1980s, founded the Hampton Inn Hotels, a

former company in the Holiday Inn Corporation. (Hotels were tagged as limited-service now referred to select-service, meeting the needs of cost-conscious business travelers and pleasure travelers alike.