For nearly two decades, the Smith family spent their summers in Ocean City, Maryland.

"Nancy and I were married in 1981, and a few years later, we moved back to Virginia," says Michael Smith. "We didn't have a lot of money in those early years to stay at a hotel, so we would wake up early on a Saturday, drive to Ocean City and spend the day on the beach and boardwalk, and then come home in the evening."

1981 was also a special year for the Harrison family. That's when the family and their hospitality company Harrison Group – in operation since the 1950s – opened the beachside Holiday Inn Oceanfront on the coast of Maryland.

Equal parts idyllic and entertaining, the hotel and surrounding areas were, and still are, perfect for a family vacation – which is at the core of the Holiday Inn brand. Kemmons Wilson, the founder of Holiday Inn, wanted to create a chain of hotels that everyone would feel welcomed in because he, himself, couldn't find a place to stay while traveling with his kids.

Today the name Holiday Inn is synonymous with the term 'family-friendly.'

"We definitely have a connection to the brand and the Kemmons Wilson story of accommodating family travel. Our business was also founded to accommodate families on vacation," says G. Hale Harrison.

His cousin Ashley agrees, saying, "our day-to-day is making sure that families have the best vacation they have ever been on – we want families to feel welcome, and we want kids to feel welcome."

Nancy and Michael Smith's family grew over the years as the couple had children, and they began to spend longer vacations in Ocean City. Sometimes friends and other relatives would tag along, and in later years Nancy's mother also joined them on vacation.

But one thing remained constant: the family always stayed at the Holiday Inn Oceanfront.

Set in a quieter part of the boardwalk just steps from the beach, the hotel has outdoor and indoor pools, is home to a local Italian restaurant, and offers activities for children during summer months. The guest rooms are spacious and come with kitchenettes.

"It just had everything we needed,” says Smith. "And Nancy loved those holidays and she loved Ocean City since she was a kid. Her family lived near Washington D.C. so that is where she spent her summers growing up.”

Nancy Smith passed away last year, tragically, at only 60 years old. And the family didn't think twice about where they wanted to celebrate and remember Nancy.

“It wasn’t even a discussion. It was always going to be at Holiday Inn Oceanfront,” says Smith.

For G. Hale Harrison and Ashley Harrison, learning about the Smith family's connection to their hotel is humbling.

"It's deeply flattering to find that a family has created my memories like that,” says Ashley Harrison. "I can relate to their story, having grown up in hotels. I even learned to swim in one of our pools."

"The Smith family – their story is so beautiful and being a family-owned company ourselves, stories like that are why do what we do," adds her cousin G. Hale.

On July 13 – one year to the day Nancy Smith passed away – her family gathered at Holiday Inn Oceanfront to honor the life of a woman they loved.

"We walked on the beach that morning. My daughter had gathered seashells the day before, and we dug a hole in the sand, and each person shared a memory about Nancy and tossed the shell in. In the background, we had kids running around and playing – it's just what Nancy would have wanted," says Smith.

"After we spent time on the beach, we celebrated her life at an event that evening where we watched a movie my son-in-law put together. It was all photos of Nancy over the years set to music. Many of those pictures were of her at the beach. There was a lot of crying, some laughing – it was emotional."

Michael Smith says the hotel and its staff were terrific, handling the event with ease and sensitivity.

“We're honored that Mr. and Mrs. Smith enjoyed our hotel and allowed us to take care of them for so many years," says G. Hale Harrison. "Being a beach property and resort property, family vacations are our bread and butter and what we do every day."

Holiday Inn Oceanfront is slated to begin renovations this Fall so that the property can continue to deliver what guests want and need for years to come. (Click here to learn more about the property and book a stay.)

"We are proud to be a partner with IHG Hotels & Resorts and Holiday Inn for 40 years now and counting," says G Hale Harrison.

"The partnership with IHG is something we truly enjoy," adds Ashley Harrison. "We love doing business with IHG, and love when we have multi-generational family stories like this at our hotels."

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