History
The Howard Johnson® story began with a small-town soda fountain in 1925, and just ten years later, Howard Dearing Johnson left his entrepreneurial mark on the world with the creation of the first franchised restaurant. In 1954, the brand expanded into lodging with the opening of its first franchised motor lodge in Savannah, Georgia. HFS (now Wyndham Hotel Group) acquired the lodging component of the business in 1990. Today, the chain has over 475 hotels around the globe, and the Howard Johnson name is one of the most recognized brand names in lodging.
