Oklahoma: A Story Through Her People

JOHN Q. HAMMONS HOTELS, INC.
Among the city’s premier hotels and its
only AAA-rated four diamond hotel, Tulsa’s
Renaissance Hotel and Convention Center, a
member of John Q. Hammons Hotels, Inc.,
is a treasured asset. From its luxuriously
appointed guest rooms to well-designed
work stations and its award winning Cyprus
Grille Restaurant/Merlot’s Lounge, the hotel
proudly reflects the historic principles of its
owner, John Q. Hammons.
In the 1950s, Hammons recognized a
growing need for quality hotels throughout
the United States. As a successful real
estate investor and developer, he had the
experience and knowledge required to
achieve his lofty ambitions and, in 1958,
partnered with Roy Winegardner to purchase
ten Holiday Inn Hotel franchises. These
properties were immediately successful and
served as an early indicator of Hammons’
future success in the industry.
The partners went on to found
Winegardner and Hammons, Inc., and
developed a total of sixty-seven Holiday
Inn Hotels. In 1969, Hammons formed an
additional company, John Q. Hammons
Hotels, Inc., and relied on his own strategies
and acumen for site selection. The company’s
portfolio quickly grew to include Embassy
Suites, Marriott, Sheraton and
Radisson Hotels as well as several
independently branded hotels
and resorts.
In 1994, Hammons took his
company public and launched a
new era of hotel development.
Today, the company is once again
privately owned, currently operating
seventy-eight hotels in twentyfour
states.
The Marriott Franchise joined
the JQH portfolio in 1996. JQH
now manages sixty-five hotels in
twenty-three states, with more than
9,000 associates. The portfolio
includes 15,000 guest rooms, and 2
million square feet of event space.
Hammons died peacefully on
May 26, 2013, at the age of ninetyfour.
His greatest passions were hotel
development and sports, and he
remained active in the business until the age
of ninety-one.
Over the course of his impressive fifty-two
year career in the lodging industry, Hammons
developed 210 hotel properties in forty
states and was honored with numerous
lifetime achievement awards including the
ALIS (American Lodging Investment Summit
Award), which recognized his contributions
to the industry and community.
Today, the company remains headquartered
in Springfield, Missouri and is online
at www.jqhhotels.com. Its Tulsa Renaissance
is devoted to offering traditional service to
a contemporary clientele, with gracious
accommodations in elegant European style.
The hotel, which includes Oklahoma’s largest
ballroom, is ideally located in the heart of
the city’s shopping and dining district
and surrounded by restaurants, entertainment
venues, and Oklahoma’s largest
shopping mall.
Adhering to the highest standards of
hospitality, the Renaissance staff is committed
to providing flawless service, extraordinary
amenities, and a “bring you back
again” experience.
O K L A H O M A : A S t o r y T h r o u g h H e r P e o p l e
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