The organization that today is the IHG Owners Association was established in 1955 and was the first association of owners in the hotel industry.  

In 1955, just three years after founding the Holiday Inn brand, Kemmons Wilson created an organization of Holiday Inn owners, charged with reviewing issues important to the Holiday Inn hotel system. These owners worked closely with representatives from the Holiday Inn corporate staff to tackle the issues associated with operating a successful hotel operation—everything from standards to Rules of Operation and marketing programs.

One year later, the National Association of Holiday Inns was officially born. From that point, all license agreements indicated that every owner was eligible to become a member of the Association.

Our organization changed its name in 1963 to the International Association of Holiday Inns (IAHI), to reflect the geographic expansion of the membership. Today we are known as the IHG Owners Association, and we represent nearly 3,000 members who own and operate hotels under all IHG brands and in every operating region.

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