Motel 6

Motel 6
Private
Industry Motel
Founded 1962 (1962)
Founders William Becker and Paul Greene
Headquarters Carrollton, Texas, U.S.
Number of locations
 1,420
Area served
 United States, Canada
Key people
 Rob Palleschi (CEO)
Owner The Blackstone Group
Website www.motel6.com
The first Motel 6 in Santa Barbara, California, remains in business.

Motel 6 is an American privately owned hospitality company with a chain of budget motels in the United States and Canada. Motel 6 also operates Studio 6, a chain of extended stay hotels. The hotel brand is owned by The Blackstone Group, which established G6 Hospitality as the management company for Motel 6 and Studio 6.

History

Motel 6 was founded in Santa Barbara, California, in 1962, by two local building contractors, William Becker and Paul Greene.[1] The partners developed a plan to build motels with rooms at bargain rates. They decided on a $6.00 room rate per night (equivalent to $49 in 2017[2]) that would cover building costs, land leases, and janitorial supplies; hence the company name "Motel 6".[3]

Becker and Greene had specialized in building low-cost housing developments,[4] and they wanted to provide an alternative to other major hotel chains, such as Holiday Inn, whose locations were becoming increasingly upscale in quality and price in the 1960s, after starting out with a budget-oriented concept. Becker and Greene spent two years formulating their business model and searched for ways to cut costs as much as possible. During the chain's early years, Motel 6 emphasized itself as a "no-frills" lodging chain with rooms featuring coin-operated black-and-white television receivers instead of the free color televisions found in the more expensive motels, along with functional interior decor, to reduce the time it took to clean the rooms.[4] The first location in Santa Barbara had no restaurant on-site, a notable difference from other hotels of the era; to this day most hotels have no on-site dining, though there is usually a choice of restaurants nearby.

As the 1960s progressed, the Motel 6 idea became very popular in the lodging industry, and other chains began to imitate the concept, as Motel 6 was slowly beginning to take a small share of the market away from the traditional hotels. In 1965 Motel 6 opened its 15th property, and first location outside of California, in downtown Salt Lake City, Utah. Realizing the need to move quickly, Becker and Green set out on an ambitious expansion program and had opened its 25th location in Gilroy, California, by 1966. The occupancy rate by then was about 85 percent, well above the industry average, and as a result of their success, Motel 6 became an attractive acquisition target. Becker and Greene sold the chain to an investment group in 1968.

In the early 1970s Motel 6 opened its largest location, Motel 6 Tropicana, in Las Vegas, Nevada. Additionally, the chain moved east and opened a location in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in 1972. By 1980 Motel 6 had reached 300 locations. It was sold to Kohlberg Kravis Roberts in 1985, who moved the chain away from its "no frills" approach and began including amenities such as telephones and color television.[4]

A Motel 6 in Lima, Ohio

Market share declined throughout the 1980s, in part because of increased competition from other budget hotels. During this time span, it bought out the Sixpence Inn chain in the western U.S., and Envoy Inn (formerly Bargaintel)[5] in the Midwestern United States and Pennsylvania.[6] Regal 8 Motels were acquired in 1991.[4] In 1990, the company was bought by the French-based Accor. In 1993, it opened its first high-rise location — Motel 6 LAX in Los Angeles, California.

Unlike the majority of hotel chains, Motel 6 directly owns and operates most of its locations. However, to expand more rapidly outside of its traditional Western United States base, the chain started franchising in 1994. Accor management also took over motels that had been franchised by other chains. Motel 6 began to renovate all bedrooms, sold under-performing locations, and upgraded door locks and other security measures. Newer properties, as well as acquisitions, have interior corridors. Its competitors include America's Best Value Inn, Days Inn, Econo Lodge, and Super 8 Motels. In 1999, Motel 6 launched Studio 6 Extended Stay, hotels with suites that are designed for longer stays and feature kitchenettes.

In 2000 Motel 6 went international by opening its first location outside the U.S. in Burlington, Ontario, Canada. Then, in 2002 Motel 6 celebrated its 40th anniversary at its first location in Santa Barbara, California.

In 2006, Accor and Motel 6 invested more than $6 million in properties to help rebuild New Orleans and Gulfport following Hurricane Katrina. One of the Motel 6 co-founders, William Becker, died of a heart attack at the age of 85 the next year.[7]

In October 2012, Accor Hotels concluded the sale of the Motel 6 chain to The Blackstone Group for $1.9 billion.

In September 2017, immigration attorneys accused Motel 6 desk clerks at two locations in the area of Phoenix, Arizona of notifying U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement when guests checked in with identification from Mexico.[8] The attorneys said that court records showed that federal immigration agents arrested at least 20 people the Motel 6 locations over the course of seven months in 2017.[9] Motel 6 said that the practice was "implemented at the local level without the knowledge of senior management"[10] and every location had been given a directive that they were "prohibited from voluntarily providing daily guest lists to ICE." Additionally, Washington state filed a lawsuit in January 2018 against Motel 6 for giving the names of thousands of motel guests to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers.[11]

Services

Motel 6 says its goal is to offer "clean, comfortable rooms at the lowest price of any national chain."[3] The chain is notable for what services it does and does not charge customers for.

Motel 6 advertises room prices as single occupancy and charges a fee for each additional adult in a room. Most other hotel chains in the United States include double occupancy in the cost of the room. There is no charge for children under the age of 17 when staying in the same room as an adult family member.

Nearly all locations are pet-friendly, and unlike most national hotel chains, Motel 6 does not charge a pet fee (Although, Studio 6 locations charge an average of $10 per day).[3]

Rooms generally do not include alarm clocks, coffeemakers, or facial tissues. Customers are only provided bar soap in the bathroom and no shampoo, conditioner, or body lotion. Hotel lobbies offer free morning coffee, but no breakfast is provided.

Many Motel 6 locations charge customers for wireless internet access, typically $3 per night for basic access and $5 per night for premium high bandwidth service suitable for streaming. Nearly all other hotel chains in the U.S. provide at least basic internet access for free, although some do charge, or require membership in a rewards program for access to premium services.[12]

Studio 6 (extended stay)

Since 1999, Motel 6 also operates Studio 6, a chain of extended stay hotels that offer more amenities than a standard Motel 6 location, while also offering weekly and monthly rates. Studio 6 provides an expanded kitchenette area, including a full-sized refrigerator, coffeemaker, toaster, microwave oven, electric cooktop and a set of dishes/utensils, in all its rooms. Studio 6 allows pets with certain restrictions. Studio 6 hotels are located in 15 U.S. states and Canada. Its competitors include Extended Stay Hotels, and Choice Hotels' Suburban Extended Stay Hotels. Some Studio 6 locations have been converted from other brands, such as Homestead Studio Suites.

Room renovations

A photo of the interior of a Motel 6 room located in Santa Barbara, California.
An updated Motel 6 room in Santa Barbara, California...
A photo of the interior of a Motel 6 room located in Braintree, Massachusetts
...and one in Braintree, Massachusetts

In March 2008, Motel 6 began a system-wide renovation program called the "Phoenix Project" to update the look and amenities of all bedrooms.[13]

Before the remodel most rooms had colorful road-trip inspired bed covers, carpeted floors, shower curtains, outdated CRT televisions and beige furnishings.[14][15] Stained carpets and dirty shower curtains were a common complaint on online customer reviews.

The remodel was designed with an eye towards not only modernizing rooms but keeping room rates low for years to come. Designers accomplished this by making the rooms more energy efficient, easy to clean, and easier to keep clean in the long term (keeping housekeeping and maintenance costs low).[16]

Rooms now feature modern furnishings influenced by European and boutique hotels, including platform beds with pillowtop mattresses, bright hues of orange, turquoise or lime green on accent walls and blankets, flat screen televisions, wood-effect flooring made from recycled materials, glass shower doors, and granite countertops for bathroom sinks.

The updated rooms rent for no more than the cost of the chain's older rooms.

Motel 6 completed the remodel project by the end of 2017.

The remodel earned Motel 6 Travel & Leisure magazine’s 2010 design award for Best Large Hotel.[17]

Advertising campaign

Beginning in 1986, Motel 6 has advertised through radio commercials featuring the voice of writer and National Public Radio commentator Tom Bodett, with the tagline "We'll leave the light on for you." These ads were created by Dallas advertising agency The Richards Group.[4] They feature a tune composed by Tom Faulkner, performed by him on guitar and Milo Deering on fiddle.[18] The first spots were conceived and written by David Fowler. In 1996, the ads won a Clio Award. The campaign itself has won numerous national and international awards and was selected by Advertising Age magazine as one of the Top 100 Advertising Campaigns of the Twentieth Century.[19]

References

  1. ↑ "History of Motel 6". www.fundinguniverse.com. Retrieved September 10, 2018.
  2. ↑ Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis Community Development Project. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. Retrieved January 2, 2018.
  3. 1 2 3 "FAQ". www.motel6.com. Motel 6. Retrieved September 10, 2018.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Jakle, John A.; Sculle, Keith A.; Rogers, Jefferson S. (1996). The motel in America. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 211–214. ISBN 0801853834. OCLC 34513125.
  5. ↑ "Bargaintel is now Envoy Inn". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. November 6, 1986. Retrieved September 10, 2018.
  6. ↑ Berg, Eric N. (November 26, 1989). "No-frills class gets crowded". Ocala Star-Banner. Retrieved September 10, 2018.
  7. ↑ McLellan, Dennis (May 12, 2007). "William Becker, 85; helped begin Motel 6, founded Arizona bank". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 20, 2015.
  8. ↑ Flaherty, Joseph; Farzan, Antonia Noori (September 13, 2017). "Attorneys Suspect Motel 6 Calling ICE on Undocumented Guests". Phoenix New Times. Retrieved September 13, 2017.
  9. ↑ Sanchez, Ray; McLean, Scott (September 15, 2017). "Motel 6 says it will stop sharing guest lists with ICE". CNN. Retrieved October 31, 2017.
  10. ↑ "Statement Regarding Recent Media Reports on Phoenix-area Location". Twitter. Motel 6. September 13, 2017. Retrieved October 31, 2017.
  11. ↑ Le, Phuong (2018-01-03). "Washington state AG sues Motel 6 over giving ICE info on 9,000 guests". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 2018-01-03.
  12. ↑ "Hotels with free Wi-Fi". Consumer Reports=July 11th 20, 2015.
  13. ↑ "Motel 6 tries an environmentally friendly re-design". budgettravel.com. Retrieved August 20, 2015.
  14. ↑ Higgins, Michelle (March 30, 2010). "Motel Chains Redecorate and Add Amenities". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 4, 2017.
  15. ↑ Gardner, Terry (March 28, 2016). "Motel 6 changes it up with renovated rooms that make budget look hip". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved May 4, 2017.
  16. ↑ "Motel 6 Brand Fact Sheet" (PDF).
  17. ↑ "T+L Design Awards 2010 - Best Large Hotel: Motel 6". Travel + Leisure. Retrieved May 4, 2017.
  18. ↑ "And Now a Few Laughs from Our Sponsor". google.com. Retrieved August 20, 2015.
  19. ↑ Bob Garfield (March 29, 1999). "Ad Age Advertising Century: The Top 100 Campaigns". adage.com. Retrieved August 20, 2015.

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