Hotel Online  Special Report


advertisement
..
..
The Holiday Inn Green-striped Towel Earns a Permanent
Place in Americana; Tracing the  52-year
History of Holiday Inn

.

ATLANTA, Oct. 19, 2004 - The renowned Holiday Inn® green-striped towels have wrapped wet swimsuits, priceless antiques and countless souvenirs. In a pinch, they have also served as diapers, band-aids and security blankets.

True accounts of the Holiday Inn brand's iconic green-striped towels come to life in About the towels, we forgive you: Absorbing Tales of Borrowed Towels -- a full-color coffee table book that traces a 52-year history of Holiday Inn through stories from guests who have "borrowed" its towels. Proceeds from the book sales will benefit Give Kids The World, a non-profit resort for children with life-threatening illnesses, which was founded in 1986 by Holiday Inn franchisee Henry Landwirth.

"This book is not as much a celebration of the Holiday Inn towel as it is a celebration of the very people who possess them," said Mark Snyder, senior vice president, brand management, Holiday Inn Hotels & Resorts. "The towels are physical reminders of fond and special memories that live on in the hearts and minds of their owners."

Recognizing the towel-borrowing trend as guests' affinity for the beloved brand rather than petty theft, Holiday Inn gave the world a chance to tell its Holiday Inn towel stories by declaring Aug. 28, 2003, "Towel Amnesty Day." For every towel story shared, Holiday Inn donated and matched one dollar to Give Kids The World. The response was overwhelming as thousands of people wrote to share their experiences.

About the towels combines these true, poignant stories with a photographic history of Holiday Inn to create a humorous and reflective look at the brand's legacy and the hotel towel that has earned a permanent place in Americana.

Of the stories included in the book, topics range from the humorous to the touching.

       "After college I headed west and stayed at Holiday Inns across the
       country. Knowing at the end of each day's drive a clean room, soft bed
       and a Holiday Inn towel awaited me. Over the years my Holiday Inn
       towels have seen me through thick and thin. I arrived in LA and started
       working immediately. They were the first towels in my apartment, held
       roses in the backseat for girlfriends, camped in Sequoia and comforted
       cats to the vet. Better than Downey; softer than Charmin - I love my
       Holiday Inn towels. Thanks for the memories."
       J. Gondek, Saugus, CA

       "Ironic our towel was borrowed after leaving Give Kids the World. My
       daughter had a small medical crisis on the way home. We stayed in a
       Holiday Inn overnight while awaiting a procedure at a local hospital.
       Before leaving, I grabbed a towel so my daughter could lay her head
       down in route to hospital. She loved the feel of it and rubbed it
       throughout the procedure and it made everything 'all better'. The towel
       came home with us along with lasting memories of once in a lifetime
       trip to GKTW."
       G. Kish, Scranton, PA

Peter Greenberg, travel editor of NBC's "Today" show and the author of Hotel Secrets from the Travel Detective, wrote the foreword for the book and admits that even he has Holiday Inn towels, which conjure up memories of a "particularly interesting" business trip in 1972.

Copies of About the towels are available at www.holiday-inn.com/towels beginning today. Once again, the Web site will include a forum for people to share their towel stories -- how they got them and where they've been all these years. For every story collected, Holiday Inn will donate one dollar to Give Kids The World. In addition, the first 1,000 people who purchase the book will receive a limited-edition Holiday Inn keepsake hand towel. About the towels, we forgive you: Absorbing Tales of Borrowed Towels retails for $25.00.

About Give Kids The World
Founded in 1986 by Holiday Inn franchisee Henry Landwirth, Give Kids The World Village is a 51-acre, non-profit resort that creates magical memories for children with life-threatening illnesses and their families. Wish-granting organizations coordinate transportation to Orlando, while Give Kids The World provides accommodations at its whimsical resort, attractions tickets and meals for a week-long fantasy vacation. Since its founding in 1986, Give Kids The World has welcomed families from all 50 states and 50 countries. http://www.gktw.org

About Holiday Inn
Holiday Inn Hotels & Resorts is part of the InterContinental Hotels Group family of brands with global headquarters in the U.K. and American headquarters in Atlanta. With more than 1,500 properties worldwide and more than 1,000 in the U.S., Holiday Inn is the most recognized lodging brand in the world. 


 
Contact:
Holiday Inn Hotels and Resorts
www.holiday-inn.com

 
Also See: Holiday Inn Wants Confessions, Declares Amnesty Day for Towel Snatchers / August 2003
Kemmons Wilson Dies at Age 90; Established First Holiday Inn Hotel in 1952 / Feb 2003


To search Hotel Online data base of News and Trends Go to Hotel.Online Search

Home | Welcome! | Hospitality News | Classifieds | Catalogs & Pricing | Viewpoint Forum | Ideas/Trends
Please contact Hotel.Online with your comments and suggestions.