John Q. Hammons⎯⎯founder of John Q. Hammons Hotels & Resorts⎯⎯died on Monday, May 27th at Elfindale Manor at the age of 94. He is survived by his wife Juanita K. Hammons.
Over his 52-year career, Hammons developed 210 hotel developments in 40 states and remained active in the hotel business until the age of 91. Following his service in the U.S. military, Hammons began building the first suburban housing in Springfield, Missouri in the late 1940s for G.I.s returning from World War II. He entered the hotel industry in 1958 and joined with Roy E. Winegardner to purchase their first 10 Holiday Inn franchises⎯⎯later forming Winegardner & Hammons Incorporated (WHI). By the late 1960s, WHI had constructed nearly three-dozen Holiday Inn hotels.
Hammons formed John Q. Hammons Hotels in 1969, which now operates 78 hotels and nearly 19,000 guestrooms and suites. He worked to enhance hotel brands such as Embassy Suites Hotels, Marriott, and Renaissance, and also developed independent hotels
Hammons and his wife were active in the Springfield community and donated generously to the city and other organizations over the last five decades. Some of his most notable efforts include the funding of the Hammons Heart Institute and Hammons Life Line helicopter for St. John’s Regional Health Center in Springfield and the Hammons Student Center and the Juanita K. Hammons Hall for the Performing Arts at Missouri State University.
“Hammons was a giant in the hospitality industry and was unwavering in his commitment to exceptional quality and service and to giving back to the community,” says Jacqueline Dowdy, CEO of John Q Hammons Hotels & Resorts. “He was a great mentor and friend and will be missed by all who came to know him, but his legacy will live on forever.”
