Free Republic

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) -- Holiday Inn founder Kemmons Wilson, whose coast-to-coast chain of motels offered travelers in an increasingly mobile postwar America a clean and affordable place to stay for the night, has died at 90. Wilson, who died at home Wednesday, is widely viewed as the father of the modern-day hotel. He started with a single hotel outside Memphis in 1952 and built his company into a worldwide behemoth that revolutionized the industry. Travelers could expect comfort, cleanliness, quality service and good food at moderate prices. When Wilson left the company in 1980 following a heart attack, it had...