A stay at the Holiday Inn - Life in America 

If this is bringing tears to your eyes (like me) thinking about childhood family vacations and how much our world has changed, my heart goes out to you. I’m not at all embarrassed to be a sentimental fool.

The worst move Holiday Inn made was getting rid of their giant green and yellow illuminated signs. They really caught your eye.

After being jammed in the back of a hot car for hours on the road, as a kid there was nothing better than cooling off in the Holiday Inn pool. Those were good times.

My late mother was a housekeeper at our Holiday Inn for about 6 years & a housekeeper for the Best Western Sands Motor Lodge for over 24 years ! R.I.P. Mom I love & miss you everyday !!! 😢🤧❤

Holiday Inn was a big part of my childhood, it was such a big deal to stay in a motel on our annual summer trips. We didn't have much money, but these trips made us kids feel rich.

I loved Holiday Inns. Their restaurants had the best French onion soup and the pools were fun! They had a unique smell. It was a pleasant combination of cleaning supplies, swimming pool and coffee. Good times.

It was so nice to see that beautiful sign with the big star as a kid when we traveled. We knew we would get a nice room and they had the best pools. I miss getting an actual key with the diamond shaped chain with the room number on it. Sadly, travel isn't as much fun now.

This makes me miss my parents we always stayed at holiday inn my daddy worked for Gulf and they took Gulf credit cards I always got excited when I saw that huge neon sign

It's an odd thing to put to memory, but I remember the maids would put a paper ring around the toilet seat that said "sanitized for your protection". I was so young I didn't understand anything about what was going on with this situation. Mom told me I had to tear the paper off before using the toilet.

I remember Holiday Inn from the 60's and 70s when I was a kid, I loved how the rooms smelled 😊

Being a kid in the 1960s thru mid 70s, our family vacations to Virginia Beach, Florida, etc were always by car and we always stayed at Holiday Inns. Always nice rooms, always a pool. Nice collection of photos here, a nice look back. I enjoy all your videos. 😊

One of the best features was the attached restaurant and room service.

We traveled us 3 little ones with our parents across the states. And remember Stuckey's, Travel lodge and enjoyed the pool, and restaurant. Them were good old days.

Holiday Inn was clean and the rooms were a good size compared to other chains. The restaurant's always had good food. They were our go to motel in the 1970's traveling to Florida.

We always stayed at Holiday Inn’s when we traveled as a kid. The Holidomes were the best!

In the 1960s when we stayed at a Holiday Inn as kids, we knew we were going to swim in a pool!! Those days were the best days!

Spent many a night at Holiday Inn's as a kid in the 70's. The iconic green and yellow neon sign will be burned into my memories for the rest of my life.

God I miss that America, Simpler times.

It's nice to see stories that remind me of the good times growing up.

Loved the sight of that Holiday Inn sign when I was a kid growing up in the ‘80s. Have many a fond memory of the interior “pool side” rooms of the Holidome style hotels. Staying a night at a Holiday Inn was like getting a vacation in your vacation. My sister and I used to love swimming and putting on the mini golf greens; the visual of the ladies lying on the deck loungers under the big infrareds was memorable as well.

There was a Holiday Inn at the end of the Skyline Drive that my family would always stay at in the late 70s - early 80s. The restaurant had a bar inside and they had a piano player that would play while you ate and take requests. My older brother and I thought it was "cheesy" back then but I'd kill to be able to put a dollar in the oversized glass and request "Misty" now.

Watching this made feel that being a kid in the late 60s early 70 was a good thing. People today are mean, greedy, entitled and spoiled...would go back in a minute.

They should bring the sign back, hipsters love retro

The “backhand script” style of the Holiday Inn signs was always alluring and intriguing. Wonder who came up with that?!

In the 60s and 70s, Holiday Inn was the standard for hotels/motels. Our family stayed in them during all of our vacations.

This is the best channel I've run across in a VERY long time. Thanks a bunch!!

My family would travel from Boston to Orlando a few times a year in the 70s. We would almost always stay in a Days Inn over night on the way down, but if my dad was feeling generous we would stay in a Holiday Inn. I really miss the simpler life of back then.

As a child my parents always liked and trusted Holiday Inn so we would always stay there...especially on our trips down I-95 from Virginia to Florida.

Growing up we had a Holiday Inn bathmat and a few towels. 😂😂. Yes, we were THAT family.

My mom was a kitchen manager at The Holiday Inn in Spokane, WA. We traveled to Disneyland and stayed at Holiday Inns all the way and back.

What nice memories I had as a kid in the 60s travelling with my little brother and parents and staying at a Holiday Inn. TY. Nice nice video

I enjoy visiting my childhood days of the 1950's and early 1960's. Holiday Inns of that era were so very Americana and iconic. Places like Holiday Inn, the old Sears stores, Woolworth's, the local malt shops and diners, drive-ins, piston-engined airliners of the sky ....they're all gone with the wind. It was a beautiful time in our history, one that was very family friendly, had very safe neighborhoods, and strong moral values. It is sorely missed.

We used to stay in a Holiday Inn just off the highway in or near Allentown Pa in the late 60s. We were there when man first walked on the moon, watching it on the tv until late into the night. To us kids, it was the best thing ever spending a few days, possibly as many as 5 if memory serves me at Holiday Inn. The biggest thrill was seeing that big bright neon star in the distance, knowing that soon we’d be welcomed at the Nation’s Innkeeper. For me, seeing that sign was like seeing our Christmas tree all decorated and twinkling with multicolored lights on Christmas morning. It evoked the same feelings of wonderment to me. I remember there was always that paper strip over the toilet lid assuring us that it was “sanitized for your convenience”. There was even a smell in those rooms that was unique and basically said “it’s clean”. We loved hanging by the pool, eating cold cuts and drinking ice cold soda from our cooler. And maybe once or twice during our stay, my parents would let us have breakfast at the on-site diner, where eggs, pancakes, French toast and bacon always tasted extra good. We felt like kings!

Me and family traveled a lot in the 60's: Holiday Inn, Howard Johnsons and Quality Inns were the places we usually stayed. Great pools, shuffleboard, nice clean decor. Loved every minute of those vacations. Ahh, to the good old days.

Back in the day all the rooms came with fly swatters .

I worked for Kemmons in the 80's. He was really a cool guy. He had a photographic memory and could remember names. There are so many funny Kemmon's stories.

Them were Good Day’s Growing Up

I’m a bit disappointed that not a moment of dead air was replaced with talk about the famous Holidome !! Without the Holidome, many Holiday Inn’s would have shutdown due to lack of business in the winter months. The “ Dome” is what kept families coming back. They were able to swim, play shuffleboard, table tennis, volleyball and other family fun favorites. The kids could play in the Dome while the parents could look out from their rooms that looked over the Dome. Oh, the memories of a much happier time♥️

When Kemmons sold Holiday Inn, he started Wilson World in Memphis. There was a Wilson World on American Way and Mr. Wilson ate at the buffet that was at this location. There was a large round table that seated 12 and he ate here every noon. This buffet served all his favorite foods everyday and was the best value in Memphis. 5 star food for a 2 star price. I Eat there at least once a week until Mr. Wilson passed away.

As a kid, I loved the Holiday Inns that had the huge enclosed recreation/lounge/pool courtyards. The ones with a mini-golf course were the best.

My father was so cheep that we could never stay there. He would hunt for hours for the cheapest 1940's era tourist court he could find. I dreamed of staying at a Holiday Inn like normal people

The very first “legit” job I ever had was working at the local Holiday Inn. My mother had to sign papers for me as I was only 14 and wasn’t allowed to work on a public job at that age. It was walking distance from our house. What a wonderful group of people to work for and fantastic memories from those days!

Traveling with my family in the 70's and 80's I can remember staying at Holiday Inn's alot . They always had a pool and catered to the travelling family. Good Times.

I still remember that glitzy sign, the Great Sign that was seen as far as miles and couple times when I stayed at a Holiday Inn back in the '70s when I was a young boy.

Man, did this bring back memories. As a child traveling with my parents in the late 60's and the 1970's always meant staying at a Holiday Inn. Mom insisted on it. They were always clean and she liked the fact that we could have dinner in the restaurant without leaving the property. They enjoyed the cocktail lounges in the evening especially after driving all day. The pools were always my favorite at that age. I still seek out the HI brand today while traveling with my own family. My favorite HI will always be the Holiday Inn (Biltmore) in Asheville, NC. We have stayed there many times and will continue to when we pass through that way. Thank you for sharing this.

They really were considered a little bit upscale when they first opened

I loved Holiday Inn growing up! I always begged my parents to stay there on trips. Loved that iconic sign!

Man that brings back memories. Possible the best sign design of all time !

I remember back in 1978, and I stayed at the Holiday Inn of America in Grayling, Michigan. I took 2 Holiday Inn bath towels with the words Holiday Inn on the front of the towels in GREEN. And to this very day, I still have the white towels with the words Holiday Inn in green letters.

Does anyone remember the free towels, linens, ice buckets, drinking glasses and ashtrays they used to give away?

Super little video of Holiday Inns brings back so many memories of family travel and vacations on the road and all over the country in the late 60's and through the 70's. The smell of a Holiday Inn was so unique and clean.

My grandfather used to work in the kitchens at holiday inn, back in the day. My dad said they would send him to a kitchen that was having problems, he would sort them out, retrain everybody and move on to the next hotel that needed his expertise. He had so many stories!

"fewer than 10 of the original motel locations still in existence" Please provide any known original locations. Thx

I remember during the late 70's and 80's, back when my family was still young, we would travel all over the country in the old station wagon or our newer E150 Van. Along the way we would always stop at Holiday Inns or Howard Johnson's to spend the night. The Holiday Inns were our favorite. I still remember running down those hotel hallways and making the way to the pool where we almost assured of finding another family, with kids, that we could play with. It seems like a million miles away now. Thanks for the stroll!

Prior to Holiday Inn's (1952) and Best Western (1946) most motel's (motor-hotels) were mainly mom & pop inns.....with usually so-so accommodations.........I stayed in mostly Best Western's traveling to and from Nellis to Houston...IIRC they gave Military discounts....Good places..

Always a great place to stay. Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, MI has a mock-up of an original Holiday Inn Room. Pretty cool! Thanks Recollection Road.

Those were the great years.

It's amazing how their iconic look has turned into the bland, generic and forgettable facade of Holiday Inn Express that pretty much says, "you're going to stay in a bed in a room down a hallway in a boring soulless building."

When America was great.

I couldn't wait on road trips to get to HI so I could go swimming 😌 I can still smell the hotel room smell. Fresh, clean linens and soap!

I love the Holiday Inn! My favorite one is the one on Vanness St. in San Francisco. If you get a room on the 14th floor up you get an incredible view of the city. The rooms are so clean and comfortable. The customer service is top notch!😃👍✨

A lovely and soothing trip down Memory Lane... thank you!

Stayed at many a Holiday inn growing up when traveling. It was always fun, safe, and clean. I used to love the pool!

Bring back that iconic Great Sign!!!!!

My stepmother was the first female innkeeper at a franchise location, in Speedway, Indiana!

I remember being enamored with those signs as a young kid in the 70s. Loved seeing them at night on a nice summer evening

We had to stay where they had a pool.Loved the big green signs.We stopped at Stuckys and Hojos.....

There is an old one up the street that has been changed to a different name. Rt 202 New Hope PA. As a kid growing up in NJ there was one in Hazlet on Rt 35

Classic America. Many of us miss those good American Years, when people where friendly and accepted one another political views. That green and yellow sign is as familiar as McDonalds. My first job was a busboy cleaning tables at the Restaurant at Holiday Inn Franklin Park Illinois in the year 1969.

It was always a treat when we stayed there!

Thank you for the history of the Holiday Inn. Awesome pictures of the past. You always play the most beautiful music in your videos.

The Beverly Garlin Holiday inn in Anaheim, Calif on Harbor Blvd across from Disney land, I remember my parents paying 30 dollars a night for the 4 of us and we got a free breakfast in the morning. But the best part was that the room had a color television in it.

Used to love staying at the open court Holiday Inns, especially with the pool and restaurant that had live bands and a small dance floor.

I was going to add my two cents in, being that I was in my Twenties when Holiday Inn got started, but the article took all the wind out of my sail. That said, it was $7 a night when I first stayed at Holiday Inn.

Great memories of my childhood, every year my scout troop would bring 5 of us on a trip to various destinations across this great country. We’d bring our camping gear intending to camp the whole time. If we went by a Holiday Inn with a pool, we always talked our scout leader into staying the night their instead of camping. (He probably wanted to stay their instead of camping anyway) those were great times!

My family also had a favorite Holiday Inn when on summer vacation. It was in Toledo Ohio and on the way to Cedar Point - both of these places were our go to vacation spots in the 70s. Sometimes we would stay for two nights at the Toledo Holiday Inn because we enjoyed it so much and it became a destination for us by itself, There were lots of things for kids to do: indoor and outdoor pools, mini-golf, etc - in my (young) eyes it was the best hotel ever.

At 6:45 in this video, there was a sign and a sign on the building that had Holiday Inn Jr. From the looks of that picture based on the years of the cars, it looks like it is from the 1960's. I don't ever remember Holiday Inn called Holiday Inn Jr.

This is all we stayed in when I was a kid. I loved that sign, especially at night. And the real treat was getting a room that faced the inside, looking at the pool and the game room. Travelling all day in a car without AC and stepping into that room all nice and cold...Good times.

I'm not sure which one I'm enjoying the most, the background music, the story, the visuals or the perfect narration. Beautiful.

I have to say I always been a huge fan of Holliday Inn. We stayed in them when I was a kid in the 60's and 70s and even into adulthood I still stay in them. They did have the perfect business model at the right time. And unlike so many other American companies Holiday Inn seems to be doing just as well now as they ever have. You can say they been in a 70 year long heyday. The last time we stayed in a hotel was a new Holiday Inn in Amarillo, TX. The staff was the most helpful and friendly that I have ever seen. Ok a question for others. In the 60's we stayed at a few Holiday Inns that has small amusement rides the center courtyard area. These were the small kiddie rides like you would see at an amusement park. A small 5 bucket Ferris wheel and a small merry go-round with cars or horses. All could be operated by the parents. My brother and sister and I always begged our parents to stay at Holiday Inns with the rides. Does anyone else remember these? I have been looking and I cannot even find pictures of these.

They shouldn't have changed the sign

This was awesome. I still will often choose Holiday inn for lodging, but it’s not the same as the Holiday Inn from my youth. I remember the old Holiday Inns and the signs with the neon green light and star. It was a treat as a kid.

Traveling each summer, from Michigan to Florida, 6 or 7 years in a row. I was 7, my sisters were 4 and 3, with Mom and Dad. Interstate 75 was not fully open the first few years. Got the "Trip Tik" from AAA. We would wake up 5am, stop a few times for food and bathroom, then about 3pm look for the Holiday Inn sign. If they were booked, they would make a reservation at the next available Holiday Inn. Swim in the pool, play shuffle board, have dinner (usually KFC in the room) and then repeat. 2 or 3 nights on the road both ways. (We also visited every road side attraction over the years.) Also associated with Gulf Gas Station credit cards. My Dad taught me that credit cards were a convenience, and he would pay the entire balance when we returned home. Great Memories!!

Love your series all of them are reflections of a nation that I once knew as a boy. A nation and its icons that are slowly dying, All these in this series are testimonies to capitalism. Men from Americas greatest generation that not only cared about profit but also cared about their fellow Americans and had a nationalist pride that is now fading away. Now it is all about greed and selling out the American dream as we shift from capitalism to socialism. However enjoy your series as it is a reflection down memory lane when our nation was great and the envy of the world. I do also indeed miss the Holiday Inn sign that was such a welcome sight when the journeys were long and we were tired from travel, and yes I do remember the vibrating beds that you put a coin in and it worked.

As an immigrant family, we started off with little means but as a kid I didn't know better until one time we took a road trip and spent a night at a mid rise Holiday Inn. In my eye it was the most amazing experience and luxurious stay even though it was probably a 2-3 star property by today's standards.

These Holiday Inns were so special with the Lit up sign and Star. Many of them in the 80’s had a indoor pool,a place to play miniature Golf,Ping Pong Tables and a pretty decent Arcade in them for a Hotel.I think these Hotels had a charm and now being mostly Holiday Inn Express are similar to most competitors.❤️ The Video!

When I was a little girl, we always stayed at Holiday Inn. My fathers heaven on earth was Estes Park CO. We always stayed in the holiday inn there. They had a huge freezing indoor pool and a lovely hot tub you could use to take the pool chill off. We had nit been in years and my sister & her husband were in Estes Park on vacation & she sent me a picture of a late model Ford pickup in front of a section of hotel & asked if I knew what it was. I said no so she sent me a picture of the entrance to their hotel. It was “our” Holiday Inn - newly renovated but still recognizable. My dad was smiling in Heaven. 😍

I remember when Holiday Inns were the ‘cheap” motels, and Ramada Inns were the upscale ones. Now it’s the other way around. I miss the Holidomes, they were like the first franchised resort hotels.

When you saw that kool sign with all them lights!! It felt like a great adventure..for us small kids(at the time) felt like going to Disneyland

First off this is by far favorite channel on You Tube, you always bring back the great memories of being a kid in the early sixties. When the world was friendly, caring and fun. The Holiday Inn has a very special memory for me . We had one in my hometown back in Iowa, in 1966, a very strong tornado did a lot of serious damage to our home. The construction crew were quick to get on repairing our house but we needed a place to stay until it was finished. Dad went to find us a place, while us kids and mom tried to gather what we could find of our belongings. Dad came back and said I have a surprise for you all, we were going to stay at the Holiday inn. We were all so happy, I remember mom was happy she didn't have to cook for a few weeks. That was the best month and a half ever, but I was super happy to get back to our home. Thank you Mom and Dad for a great life growing up, I miss you both everyday.

My Grandmother loved Holiday Inn so much she moved in to one and stayed 25 years! The eventually gave he a 5 year lease.

When I was a kid, we often took road trips during the summer. Holiday Inn and Howard Johnson's were my parent's preferred motels. For me, when I saw us heading toward one of those stylish and modern (for the 70s) Holiday Inn buildings on a hot day, I knew we were about to step into ice cold antarctic air conditioning. I loved it! We once stayed at the Hershey Motel -- for us, that was super fancy! Back then, the motel grounds were pristine and beautiful, but now they're all built up with restaurants, parking, and roads all around the motel.

Motels by me have turned into state provided relocation and temporary housing for nearby residents. No longer are they for typical passers through and travelers. Late night noise, drunkenness, crime, and police.

I love the Holiday Inn sign. It feels like an old childhood friend.

I’m watching this as I am sitting in a room at the Holiday Inn Express. I remember the old green and yellow signs growing up.

50 years ago our house caught fire and while the repairs were being done, we stayed at the Holiday Inn. I was 9 years old ordering room service of cheeseburgers and fries, swimming in the pool, having a real good time ! I recall being very depressed about having to go back home when the house was finished.

Parents always looked for the Holiday Inn w/Holidomes when we traveled. Many many memories.

"I don't know anything about how to run a nuclear reactor but I did stay at a Holiday Inn one time." Remember those commercials a few years ago? :-)

I have wonderful memories from the Holiday Inn. My sister worked there for years. She arranged for my mom and dad's 25th wedding anniversary to be held there. There was a room you could rent out for special parties and she planned it all and had it catered. When we would have relatives visit from out of town, they stayed at the Holiday Inn.

What was the Holiday Inn in my town was just recently torn down. There was quite a bit of online mourning, as people posted memories of events held there. My senior class had a banquet there in 1975. The restaurant there was a great one, with a Sunday buffet that was well-remembered. Many memories!