Holiday Inns Announces a Nationwide Electronic Reservation System, Press Information Kit, circa 1979

THF287361 / Holiday Inns Announces a Nationwide Electronic Reservation System, Press Information Kit, circa 1979 / front cover
01

Artifact Overview

In the 1960s, Holiday Inns partnered with IBM to develop a computer reservation system. "Holidex" went online in 1965 as the world's largest commercial computerized communications network. The Holidex system, which allowed customers to book rooms instantly at any Holiday Inn in the country, was an immediate success. It centralized corporate data, streamlined operations, and set a new industry standard for reservation systems.

Artifact Details

Artifact

Press kit

Date Made

circa 1979

Location

By Request in the Benson Ford Research Center

Object ID

87.8.2.7

Credit

From the Collections of The Henry Ford.

Material

Paper (Fiber product)

Technique

Printing (Process)

Color

Multicolored

Dimensions

Height: 11.75 in
Width: 9.5 in

02

Related Content

  • Swimming Pool at Holiday Inn of Daytona Beach, Florida, 1961 (front)
    Set

    Holiday Inns: Revolutionizing an Industry

    • 18 Artifacts
    On a family road trip in 1951, building developer Kemmons Wilson spent nights in motel rooms that he found to be overpriced and uncomfortable. When the entrepreneur returned home to Memphis, Tennessee, he decided to build his own motel that offered consistent, quality service and amenities at family-friendly prices. Within a few years, Wilson’s Holiday Inns had revolutionized industry standards and become the nation’s largest lodging chain.
  • THF104041 / "TIME" Magazine, Cover Featuring Holiday Inn's Innkeeper Kemmons Wilson, June 12, 1972 / front
    article

    Kemmons Wilson’s Holiday Inns

      At a time when Americans are traveling less and the lodging industry is making big changes, let’s take a look back at the story of Kemmons Wilson, whose Holiday Inns revolutionized roadside lodging in the mid-20th century.
    Holiday Inns Announces a Nationwide Electronic Reservation System, Press Information Kit, circa 1979