Holiday Inn ______ innovations that were revolutionary for the times but which subsequently became standards for chain operations.
A、created
B、designed
C、pioneered
D、provided
【正确答案】：C
【题目解析】：选项C，“pioneered”的意思是“开创”或“领先”，强调在某个领域或方面成为先驱或领导者。在这里，它正好描述了假日酒店作为先驱，率先引入了对于当时来说具有革命性的创新，这些创新后来成为了连锁经营的标准。因此，C选项符合题意。