The inside story of InterContinental Hotels' quest to export 1960s American glamor to the world

(CNN) — Every time InterContinental Hotel interior designer Neal Prince stepped off a Pan Am aircraft in a new destination, he'd head straight to the city center for inspiration.

Prince would dip in and out of local galleries, stores and markets, befriending collectors and local artists, looking for objects, art and ideas to incorporate into that city's InterContinental outpost.

Texas-born Prince was director of interior and graphic design at InterContinental from 1961 to 1985. Tasked with imagining interiors for more than 135 hotels across the globe, Prince wanted each hotel, in each destination, to feel specific, beautiful and evocative.

In an era before hotel brands like Hilton and Sheraton had begun looking beyond US borders, InterContinental was "the first international hotel chain," M. C. Huhne, author of "Pan Am: History, Design and Identity" tells CNN Travel.

The InterContinental Hotel brand was established 75 years ago by Juan Trippe, founder of Pan American Airways, at the request of US President Franklin D. Roosevelt. In his book, Huhne explains that Roosevelt wanted to increase business with Latin American countries post-war, and business accommodation was needed.

Trippe, meanwhile, wanted to ensure that his air crews and passengers had a luxury hotel waiting for them wherever they went, especially as Pan Am introduced new destinations to its global flight schedule.