4. Kemmons Wilson just wanted a clean place for his family to stay overnight
Kemmons Wilson was so disappointed in the quality of motel accommodations during a family trip to Washington DC that he decided to do something about it. He created a motel outside of Memphis in 1952 which he named Holiday Inn, after a partner jokingly suggested the name. He pioneered the technique of studying traffic patterns when selecting sites for his motels, and ensured that they were consistent in appearance and services. The growth of the Interstate Highway System fueled the growth of his own chain and gave birth to competitors such as Ramada, Red Roof, and Quality Inn. Wilson changed both the motel industry and the American landscape with his development of the chain motel.