Commons Wilson, the founder of Holiday Hotels
Wilson CommonsOne of the most influential people in the hotel industry is Commons Wilson, whose unpleasant experience in a hotel led to this man's remarkable success. He started his first business when he was seven years old and finally he was able to realize his dream of building different hotels.
A summary of Commons Wilson's biography:
Full name: Commons Wilson
Date of birth: 1913
Place of birth: America
Occupation: Entrepreneur
Reason for fame: the owner of the Holiday Hotels brand
Starting work: from the age of seven
Biography of Commons WilsonBiography of Commons Wilson:
Commons Wilson was born in 1913 in America. He always had fresh ideas and started his work at the age of seven and never stopped working. He started his activity by selling magazines, newspapers and popcorn. When he was 17 years old, i.e. in 1930, he decided to experience getting paid for the first time, so he was hired as a cotton broker. He would write the prices on the cardboard and he would get $12 for that.
When an office job came to him with a weekly income of 35 dollars, but the salary was the same as his 12 dollars, he asked for a salary increase and then he received it. The following week, his salary was $3. When he asked why he didn't get $35 like other offices, they answered him; The company doesn't pay that kind of money to a seventeen-year-old kid, so Wilson quit. During the next seventy-five years of his life, this was the last time he would experience the life of a salaryman.
This successful man tried different ways to make money, for example; Pinball machines, distribution of soft drinks, and coin machines for selling drinks and cigarettes, with these actions he collected enough money that he was able to rebuild his mother's house. It was at this time that he realized that building a house has potential capacities. So he took this job in Memphis and made a fortune from it, which he invested in the construction industry after the war.
Commons Wilson and his wifeWilson's genius brought him a lot of money, but it didn't make an impact on the world until 1951 when a Memphis businessman took his family on a trip to Washington, DC. During this trip, he noticed the bad situation of hotels in America. From the 1920s onwards, hotels mushroomed everywhere. Some of them were suitable family places and others rented out the beds for a few hours, but the problem was that the passengers did not know which of the beds would be theirs.
In later interviews with Wilson, he said: You never knew what was going to happen to you. Some were very mean and some received money for the children too, this makes my Scottish blood boil, a person like me who had 5 children would be ruined by a trip home. Hotels charged $4 to $6 a night for each room, with $2 added to the bill for each child, which tripled my bill.
Many people complained about this issue, but they forgot after a while, but Wilson's innovative spirit was always at the forefront, that's why he thought of a solution and said to his wife: Let's go back and throw away the house and family hotels. Hotels whose names can be trusted. His goal was to build four hundred hotels. His wife just laughed.
When Wilson returned to Memphis, he hired a draftsman to help him with the initial design of the hotel. He planned to build a clean, simple and as expected hotel that would have all the things that he and his family had experienced while traveling, for example, television, swimming pool, etc. In the following year, he would launch the first hotel in the suburbs of Memphis. became. The name of this hotel was written in large letters on a 16-meter-high board. Holiday hotels created a stir in the tourism industry.
The construction of 400 hotels took longer than Wilson had anticipated. By 1959, the number of his hotels reached 100. He decided to give up the representation of hotels, this matter accelerated the work until in 1964, Wilson had five hundred hotels. In 1968, the number of these hotels reached 1000. In 1972, the development of hotel construction accelerated so much that a holiday hotel was opened every 72 hours. The chain of hotels continued to expand until Wilson suffered a heart attack in 1979 and left the leadership.
Commons Wilson, the founder of Holiday HotelsCommons Wilson's words:
Wilson used to say: I was very familiar with hunger when I was a child, but I had to work to live my life. When I retired after my heart attack I went home to smell my roses, it took about a month, it was very difficult for someone like me.
Leaders have several characteristics that enable them to do anything:
1) They know what they want, says comedian pianist Oscar Lolent: When I make a decision, I'm full of doubts. Unfortunately, most people are like that. But you can't be hesitant and effective at the same time.
On the other hand, Napoleon Hill says: the starting point of every achievement is desire.
If you want to be an effective leader, you must know what you want, only by doing this you can recognize the opportunities and use them.
2) Managers force themselves to act, based on the old adage that there is a desire to be able. Innovative people do not wait for others to motivate them. They know their duty and push themselves out of their comfort zone and will do so consistently.
This is what makes one of the greatest innovative leaders of the 20th century say: There is nothing bright and outstanding in my work record except one thing: I do what I think needs to be done, and when I decide to do something do, i do
Courtesy of Wilson Commons3) They put their hearts into the sea; Successful leaders must know what they want in order to act. In the meantime, there is another obstacle related to risk appetite. Leading people always take risks and know that the lack of initiative has a price. President John F. Kennedy said: There is risk and cost in doing any action, but there is more risk and cost in the long run.
4) They make more mistakes: There is good news for innovative people, that is, they do positive things, but they also make many mistakes. Thomas J. Watson, the founder of IBM, knew this when he said: The way to succeed is to double the amount of your failures.
Wilson's Old Commons HotelHoliday hotel brands:
One of the most well-known brands of this hotel is Holiday Inn, which is divided into two groups:
– High-rise hotels
– Short hotels
Both of these groups offer restaurant services, room service, swimming pool, exercise room.
– Suite and Holiday Hotel: These types of hotels will provide all the services of a Holiday Inn, but their rooms are more than suites.
– Holiday recreation areas: Most of these recreation areas are built in places that are full of tourists. These areas will provide all hotel services. Recreational places are mostly considered for brand development and promotion.
Holiday Inn Select: These hotels will provide full service in better conditions for travelers. In 2006, it was announced that this hotel will no longer continue to operate. Existing hotels will continue to operate under the same title until their license expires.
Holiday Inn Sunspree Resorts: These hotels are built in excellent areas and have complete facilities and equipment.
Holiday Inn Garden Court: These hotels are designed only in the recreational areas of Europe and South Africa to show the national culture of that country.
Holiday Inn Express: These hotels are smaller than normal hotels and offer less services.
Heir to Wilson Commons Hotelscompilation: Cover biographical section
