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1952

First Holiday Inn® Hotel Opens

After finding a lack of family-friendly accommodations on a road trip with his five kids, founder Kemmons Wilson transformed the entire hospitality industry by opening the first Holiday Inn hotel.

The Wilson family cutting a ribbon at a Holiday Inn
Exterior view of the first Holiday Inn in 1952
1957 - 1963

Holiday Inn Goes Public

Holiday Inn goes public and in 1963, the stock went on to the New York Stock Exchange.

An early Holiday Inn Sign from the late 1950s through early 1960s
Kemmons Wilson and others ringing a bell at the New York Stock Exchange
1965

Holidex Computer Reservation System

Kemmons partners with IBM to create Holidex, the first computerized reservation system in the industry, which helped fuel huge demand for Holiday Inn franchise requests.

An old red rotary phone
Kemmons Wilson standing behind a window with the Holidex logo
1970

Sales Top $1 Billion

Holiday Inn becomes the first lodging and food-service chain to top $1 billion dollars in gross sales. Success brought fame, and here Kemmons (left) appears on The Merv Griffin Show.

A professional photo of Kemmons Wilson
Kemmons Wilson being interviewed on The Merv Griffin Show
1972

Named “Innkeeper of the World”

With 1,405 hotels across 20 countries and 72 million guests per year under his belt, Kemmons is named “innkeeper of the world” by Time magazine.

Kemmons Wilson's featured on a 1972 TIME Magazine cover
Kemmons Wilson standing in front of a Holiday Inn sign in the early 1970s
1979

Holiday Inn Sold to Future IHG®

Kemmons sells the company and retires after almost three decades at its helm. At the time, Holiday Inn hotels are in 50 countries and the chain has twice as many rooms as the nearest competitor.

Holiday Inn sign in Marakesh, Morocco in the 1970s
Kemmons Wilson working at a front desk in a Holiday Inn
1982

Orange Lake Resort is Born

Kemmons comes out of retirement to open Orange Lake Resort and Country Club next door to Walt Disney World® Resort in Florida. He starts with 372 acres, 32 villas and 1,872 timeshare owners.

Kemmons Wilson on the cover of Florida Trend magazine
Orange Lake Resort Sign from the 1980s
Mid 80s – Mid 90s

Resort Expansion

Orange Lake Resort grows to more than 1,450 acres and 2,450 villas, and Kemmons retires for the second time. He passes on the family business—and legacy—to his eldest son Spence.

Orange Lake Resort in the mid-1990s
Kemmons and Spence Wilson
2006

New Resorts Added

As the company launches a new points-based Club product and opens resorts in Panama City Beach, FL, Brownsville, VT and Lake Geneva, WI, the Family of Orange Lake Resorts is born.

Exterior view of Mount Ascutney Resort in Brownsville, VT
Exterior view of Lake Geneva Resort in Lake Geneva, WI
2008

Holiday Inn Club Vacations® Launches

Orange Lake Resorts and IHG® create the Holiday Inn Club Vacations® timeshare brand together, reuniting the Wilson family with the brand Kemmons founded.

Brand bar with all of the properties associated with IHG
Holiday Inn Club Vacation executives signing an agreement with IHG
2009

Luxury Signature Collection Product Debuts

The company launches a new luxury Signature Collection portfolio at its flagship resort in Orlando.

Signature Collection villa balcony at Orange Lake Resort
Living room in a Signature Collection villa
2015

Acquires Silverleaf Resorts

Orange Lake Resorts acquires Silverleaf Resorts, doubling the size of the company and resort network to 26 properties and 7,200 villas.

Exterior view of the Villages Resort in Flint, TX
Aerial view of Timber Creek Resort in De Soto, MO
2018 – 2020

Expansions Continue

The network grows to 28 resorts with the acquisition of two locations in Lake Tahoe and the purchase of a historic New Orleans building.

Exterior view of the New Orleans Resort
Aerial view of Tahoe Ridge Resort in the winter
March 2019

Unprecedented 100-year Global Brand Deal

An exclusive, 100-year extension to our global rights deal is signed with IHG and we officially change our corporate name to Holiday Inn Club Vacations Incorporated.

Child cover his mother's eyes in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France
Exterior view of Holiday Inn Club Vacations Incorporated's call center
April 2019

KSL Partnership

Holiday Inn Club Vacations Incorporated attracts a significant minority investment from KSL Capital Partners, a long-standing equity partner for premier hospitality companies.

KSL Capital Partners logo
Holiday Inn Club Vacations Incorporated's logo
May 2019

New Corporate Campus

A new corporate campus opens in Orlando, Florida, bringing together multiple teams for optimal collaboration.

Cafeteria seating at the HCV Corporate Office
Exterior view of Holiday Inn Club Incorporated's corporate office
2020

First Urban Destination Opens

The Company opens its first urban resort in New Orleans.

Holiday Inn Club Signature Collection villa bedroom at New Orleans Resort
Two streetcars in New Orleans, LA