In this section I will introduce myself how I entered this humongous cave of mid and upper scale hotel development of JQH.

I immigrated from the Netherlands with a culinary/hotel management degree. I started out working for a Denver based restaurant chain. Then I started to work as a cook at a 5 diamond and 5 star rated Hotel, (Regency), then at Stapleton Plaza Hotel. Their Sous-Chef told me, he needed help at his new appointed Executive Chef's position at the Radisson Resort in Scottsdale, Arizona. My first experience with Curtis Carlson's Radisson Hotels, which their logo states, "We're Not Just A Chain, But a Collection", has intrigued me to further investigate the hotel industry. They use to own all hotel properties, till a guy from the Old Ramada de-funked company convinced Curtis Carlson to go ahead and start franchising the label. And above statement just disappeared.

My first opportunity was, when I returned to Denver, and read an ad in the paper, that a new hotel developer is opening up a 237 rooms, Holiday Inn and needed a sous-chef. I applied and got immediately hired! We were cooking and dishing out food for various booked banquet functions, while construction was still going full time around us.

Can you imagine how my curiosity opens up new doors of experience? Wandering through a building still in open space, rooms & suites with no doors, nor furniture installed? Restaurant and lounge was not even finished? Trailers on the parking lot reads: "Kipp & Moore Construction Company". Well, less then a year later, JQH bought them over, paid Moore off and made Loyd Kipp his V.P. of Construction. Next JQH property built, showed new green trailers, with the "John Q. Hammons Construction Company ",on them. Yep, the front desk sign shows; This Hotel is Owned & Operated by John Q. Hammons Hotels, under a franchise agreement with Holiday Inns, Inc. Inc. Yep, he owned them all, till later years, he decided to go public on the Stock Exchange.

He, (JQH), once came in the kitchen, but I did not recognized him. He introduced himself and told me...is this not a great hotel? Since then, I came to know him by his preference of his breakfast. As simple as he was...so was his breakfast, which on a daily basis consist of coffee, prune juice and raisin bran, and yes, don't forget his daily Wall Street Journal. Then he says, Harry, call the front desk, so their van driver may take me to the airport. That was my introduction to the Hammons system.

At that time, I came deeply involved with his Vice-President Of Operations, second in command! Mr. Joe E. Cooper. He watched me closely how my work ethics was, and we had almost daily conversations. This hotel property came to be a very pretty busy venture. Well, their only competition at that time, was a Days Inn. No competition at all. Till later they over built that area with many hotels/motels. Terrance J. Bichsel was my general manager, coming down from their Portland,Oregon airport hotel property, who later became the right hand man from JQH. Mr. Joe Cooper came to me with a blue print of the food and beverage area, and ask me to make any changes needed to make operations smoother. From equipment to flooring to drainage and tile flooring, I was so busy in making this concept work for many more property planning for JQH. One day Mr. Cooper promoted me to their hotel in Cheyenne, Wyoming, as their new Executive Chef. But that did not last too long, I had to train my replacement and was assigned to trouble shoot many of properties in opening stages. Living in Denver, I helped opening up JQH-Hotels in Fresno, CA., Tucson, AZ, Albq., NM, Springfield, MO., and many more...

It has been a very exciting and fast pace learning experience for me. Then came a time that Joe Cooper got an offer. to be a VP for the Ramada, Inc in Phoenix, AZ. And I became their Asst. GM/Food& Beverage Director for their property in Tyler, Texas. My general manager, Terrance J. Bichsel, became their right hand of JQH. Yes, if you don't get involved with their politics, promotion with them is like an open wide book. Little did I know, that Ramada was about to sell their properties, and decided to 100% franchise their brand name. Ramada had a lot of turmoil, and there is where me and Mr. Cooper parted our ways. An offer came in to work for Brock Hotels, at that time the largest franchisee of the Holiday Inn Group. I was sent out to help organize 2 of their Holiday Inns in Peoria, IL. The downtown property and their brandywine property. Before I knew, I was introduced to Robert Brock, their main man of Brock Hotels Inc. at their Irving, Texas corporate office. My God, more doors of exciting field of hospitality opened up. Their 700 rooms Hotel Property across the highway from their home office were in desperate need of stabilization. 

(Please see next page for Brock Hotels.)

From Winegardner & Hammons to;

John Q. Hammons Industries to:

John Q. Hammons Hotels & Resorts, Inc.