American Hotel Register Company

History and Background

American Hotel was founded in 1865 as a publisher of hotel travel directories and railroad maps. It was incorporated in 1896 with its current name as a manufacturer of its patented hotel registers. Around the turn of the century it was acquired by Thomas F. Leahy. His son, James F. Leahy Sr. took over after his death in 1932. James expanded the company from a printing company to a direct marketing, catalog company selling hotel specific products like luggage carts & racks as well as maids carts. By the time of James Sr.'s death in 1986, his three sons, James Jr., Thomas, and Patrick had started growing the business from a direct marketing company to a full distribution, service based organization. By the end of the century they had 10 different distribution centers around the country and in Hawaii. American Hotel Register is now a full service distribution company that services all aspects of the hospitality industry. They have also expanded into government, healthcare, funeral, and higher education markets over the last 10 years. For many years, American Hotel was located in Northbrook, IL next to the (now former) Glenview Naval Air Base, but by the late 1990s had outgrown this location, prompting them to move to a larger facility in Vernon Hills, IL, where they have been located since 1998. Today, Jim Leahy Jr., is Chairman of the company and Tom Leahy serves as Vice Chairman. In April 2014, Angela Korompilas was named President of American Hotel, extending her 18-year career with the company.