John Q. Hammons, founder, chairman, and chief executive officer of John Q. Hammons Hotels & Resorts, LLC, will be honored at the 6th Annual the Americas Lodging Investment Summit (ALIS), January 22–24, 2007, at the…
John Q. Hammons, founder, chairman, and chief executive officer of John Q. Hammons Hotels & Resorts, LLC, will be honored at the 6th Annual the Americas Lodging Investment Summit (ALIS), January 22–24, 2007, at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza in Los Angeles, Calif. Hammons will receive the prestigious ALIS Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his accomplishments in the lodging industry as well as outstanding commitment, leadership, and service to the community.
Co-hosted by the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA) and the Burba Hotel Network (BHN), the two-and-a-half-day event features an extensive array of seminars and panels hosted by leading experts and investors discussing important trends and identifying new opportunities. Topics planned include capital markets and finance, owner investments and asset management, development, acquisitions, management and franchising, mixed-use, condo hotels, international opportunities, E-commerce, architecture and design, and environmentally-friendly/green hotels. Proceeds from ALIS will benefit the educational, research, and training missions of the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Foundation, AH&LA’s not-for-profit affiliate.
For 48 years, Hammons has been a leading innovator in the lodging industry. He is well known for his clever market analysis and for creating signature full-service hotels featuring atrium lobbies, expansive meeting and convention space, large guest rooms, podium check-in stations, and complete business traveler amenities. Throughout his esteemed career, Hammons has developed 175 hotel properties in 40 states.
A U.S. military veteran, Hammons recognized the need for quality housing for G.I.s and their families upon their return from combat during World War II. In the late 1940s, he began building suburban housing in Springfield, Mo., and established a number of real estate ventures, including housing tracts, apartment complexes, and shopping centers.
In 1958, Hammons began his career in the lodging industry by co-purchasing with Roy E. Winegardner, the first 10 Holiday Inn franchises. In 1961, they formed Winegardner & Hammons Incorporated (WHI), a hotel development company based in Cincinnati, Ohio. By the end of the 1960s, WHI constructed nearly three dozen Holiday Inn hotels, prompting Hammons to form John Q. Hammons Hotels in 1969.
Today, John Q. Hammons Hotels & Resorts, LLC, operates properties in a wide range in US under brands including: Embassy Suites Hotel, Renaissance, Marriott, Radisson, Residence Inn, Homewood Suites, Holiday Inn, and Hampton Inn & Suites. The company owns or manages 64 hotels in 23 states and is considered to be the leading independent manager of hotel meeting space in the country.
A major contributor to the lodging industry, Hammons has been honored with numerous awards for his achievements as an hotelier and as a philanthropist. In 2003, HOTELS Magazine featured him as the “Corporate Hotelier of the World;” in 2004 and 2003, he was named “Embassy Suites Hotel Developer of the Year;” and in 2002, he received Hilton Hotels Corporation’s Connie Award. Additionally, USA Today’s Newspapers in Education Program honored Hammons with an appreciation award for his ongoing commitment to Springfield, Mo.-area school students in 2003. Since 1993, he has dedicated a portion of funds to provide more than 706,600 copies of USA Today to schools and teachers, with the goal of inspiring student education of current events.
Additionally, he and his wife, Juanita, funded the Hammons Heart Institute and Hammons Life Line helicopter for St. John’s Regional Health Center, the Hammons Student Center, Hammons Fountains and Juanita K. Hammons Hall for Performing Arts at Southwest Missouri State University, the Hammons School of Architecture at Drury University, and Hammonds Field, a 10,000-seat AA minor league baseball stadium.
“Over the last half century, John’s impact on the hotel industry and his community are unprecedented,” said ALIS Conference Chair Jim Burba. “Not only has he created a business which has become the nation’s leading independent builder, developer, owner, and manager of upscale hotels and resorts, he has also been a visionary in developing hotels and concepts that were ahead of their time. He is an impassioned supporter of education and has also been a mentor and teacher for countless others who have gone on to have great careers in this industry. His generosity and philanthropy in his native Missouri is legendary, and he is truly deserving of this prestigious award from his peers,” added Burba.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
