John Q. Hammons, one of the most prominent luxury hotels and resort developers in the U.S. breathed his last on Sunday, May 26 aged 94. He passed away peacefully at the Elfindale Manor Nursing Home in Springfield, Missouri, according to several media reports.
Hammons had over 50 years of experience in the hospitality industry and developed around 200 hotels over the period. His development portfolio includes Marriotts, Holiday Inns, Embassy Suites and Radissons as well. He also explored other real estate avenues like building golf courses, resorts, restaurants and convention centers.
Hammons was a teacher who earned a meager $40 per month sometime in the early nineties. He first started off his real estate career after the world war two. His first project was building suburban residential structures in Missouri in the late 1940s. He slowly extended his expertise into shopping malls and apartment complexes. In 1958, he purchased ten Holiday Inn franchisees with a partner, Roy Winegardner.
In 1969, he formed the John Q. Hammons Hotels and led it to become one of the largest private and independent hotel management companies. Currently, the company manages and operates about 78 hotels in 24 states and employs more than 8500 associates.
Over the years, Hammons amassed a lot of money and he became a frequent poster boy for Forbes Magazine, appearing on the list of the World's Richest Men, very often. In 2002, he had said to a biographer:
"I swore I would never be poor".
Hammons story is a typical "rags to riches" tale. Growing up in the depression era, he understood the value of money and the pain of poverty. He was a enthusiastic philanthropist too. He never forgot to donate large amounts to hospitals and schools. He also funded the Hammons Heart Institute and Hammons Life Line helicopter for St. Johns Regional health Center in Springfield.
"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. 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, Jacqueline Dowdy, CEO of John Q. Hammons Hotels and Industries said in a statement.
Dowdy herself has been the center of a major Hammons controversy. Apparently, after she took charge of the company in 2010(after 40 years of service in the firm with Hammons), a few friends of Hammons had appealed to the court to appoint him a public guardian as Dowdy had prohibited anybody from meeting Hammons, or even talking to him on the phone.
Hammons is survived by his wife, Juanita K. Hammons, 64, who has been admitted in an Alzheimer's Institute.
Check out a video on remembering Hammons, below: