As I am going through some of my late grandmother's items, I run across this folder from the Howard Johnson chain of hotels. The folder was from the Chattanooga, TN HoJo, which is now a La Quinta Hotel. She was in Chattanooga to visit her sister, my great-aunt, who lived in Tennessee at the time. I became interested in the history of Howard Johnson, both the hotels and the restaurants (one was located in Highland Park, Michigan, at the intersection of Woodward Avenue and California, next to what is now Highland Park City Hall). According to the site
HoJoLand, one Howard D. Johnson was in debt after his father's passing. He had taken over a pharmacy and ice cream parlor in Quincy, Massachusetts in the late 1920s. His restaurants grew and grew, and he even gave food to the troops during the second World War. In the 1970s, there were around 500 hotels with the Howard Johnson name. As of 2019, there is only one surviving Howard Johnson restaurant in
Lake George, New York. I find this folder interesting, as you do not see these types of folders in many hotels anymore, except for when you might need some local attractions during your stay. You still have phone directories, glasses and an ice bucket for your cold drink of water or whatever beverage you prefer, a
Gideons Bible or New Testament in the nightstand drawer, or a local tourism magazine/ My favorite part of this folder is the postcards and the questionnaire. There was even an old application for an American Express money card, which someone could use during their stay or eat at at any Howard Johnson Motor Lodge or restaurant across the country. Doubt that the card or application could be used today, at over 40 years old.
As I am going through some of my late grandmother's items, I run across this folder from the Howard Johnson chain of hotels. The folder was from the Chattanooga, TN HoJo, which is now a La Quinta Hotel. She was in Chattanooga to visit her sister, my great-aunt, who lived in Tennessee at the time. I became interested in the history of Howard Johnson, both the hotels and the restaurants (one was located in Highland Park, Michigan, at the intersection of Woodward Avenue and California, next to what is now Highland Park City Hall). According to the site HoJoLand, one Howard D. Johnson was in debt after his father's passing. He had taken over a pharmacy and ice cream parlor in Quincy, Massachusetts in the late 1920s. His restaurants grew and grew, and he even gave food to the troops during the second World War. In the 1970s, there were around 500 hotels with the Howard Johnson name. As of 2019, there is only one surviving Howard Johnson restaurant in Lake George, New York. I find this folder interesting, as you do not see these types of folders in many hotels anymore, except for when you might need some local attractions during your stay. You still have phone directories, glasses and an ice bucket for your cold drink of water or whatever beverage you prefer, a Gideons Bible or New Testament in the nightstand drawer, or a local tourism magazine/ My favorite part of this folder is the postcards and the questionnaire. There was even an old application for an American Express money card, which someone could use during their stay or eat at at any Howard Johnson Motor Lodge or restaurant across the country. Doubt that the card or application could be used today, at over 40 years old. 
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