Motel 6

The first Motel 6 in Santa Barbara, California remains in business.

Motel 6 is a major chain of budget motels with more than 1,000 locations in the United States and Canada, and is the largest owned and operated hotel chain in North America. It is currently owned and operated by Accor Hotels, although it was announced on May 22, 2012 that The Blackstone Group agreed to acquire the chain for $1.9 billion. The sale is currently expected to be completed in October 2012.

History

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

Becker and Greene had specialized in building low-cost housing developments, 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 TVs instead of the free color TVs found in the more expensive motels, along with functional interior decor (to reduce the time it took to clean the rooms). The first location in Santa Barbara had no restaurant on-site, a notable difference from other hotels of the era; most locations to this day 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 they 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 1970's Motel 6 opened its largest location, Motel 6 Tropicana, amid the glittery lights of Las Vegas, Nevada. Additionally, the chain moved east and opened a location in sunny Ft. Lauderdale, Florida in 1972. Perhaps the most notable Motel 6 accomplishment at this time was in 1974 when Motel 6 received its first Mobil Travel Guide Quality Rating designation.

By 1980 Motel 6 had reached 300 locations and introduced rentable color-TVs in guest rooms. These rooms cost 25 dollars a night nationwide. Rooms also had telephones (with free local and toll free calls, and long distance calls charged to a major credit card), towels, soap, cabinets, and free wake-up calls. The chain did not provide extras that might increase costs, like hair dryers, continental breakfasts, or clock radios. But free coffee was served in the morning in the lobby. In most locations, an outdoor pool and a guest laundry were also offered. Many Motel 6 locations now have mini-fridges available for an additional daily fee.

In 1983 Motel 6 got Mouse Ears and opened its Disney World Main Gate location in Kissimmee, Florida. A few years later in 1986, Motel 6 began its award-winning "We'll leave the light on for you®" advertising campaign featuring the voice of Tom Bodett.

Motel 6 was sold to Kohlberg Kravis Roberts in 1985, and in 1987 Motel 6 turned 25 years old.

A typical roadside Motel 6 location

Although room rates have risen with inflation, Motel 6 corporate policy states that it will always have the lowest price of any national chain. Depending on the particular location and season, rooms now cost from $29 to $100 a night. Prices are typically advertised on a brightly-lit sign visible from nearby highways; most of its locations are located on or near major interstate highways.

Market share declined throughout the 1980s, in part because of increased competition from other budget hotels. However, throughout the 1990's Motel 6 experienced many exciting opportunities. In 1990, the company was bought by the French-based Accor. In 1991, Motel 6 purchased the Regal 8 motel chain. Then in 1992, Motel 6 aired its first TV commercial and celebrated its 30th birthday. In 1993, they opened their first high-rise location - Motel 6 LAX in Los Angeles, California.

Unlike the majority of motel chains, Motel 6 allows pets, and directly owns and operates most of its locations. However, in order to expand more rapidly outside of its traditional Western United States base, the chain did start franchising in 1994. Accor management also took over motels that had previously been franchised by other chains. Motel 6 also began to renovate all bedrooms, sold off under-performing locations, and upgraded door locks and other security measures. Newer properties, as well as acquisitions, have interior corridors. Its competitors include Budget Host, Econo Lodge, and Super 8 Hotels. Then, in 1999, Motel 6 launched Studio 6 Extended Stay suites which featured fully equipped kitchenettes and were designed for longer stays.

With the turn of the millennium came even more expansions. 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 their 40th anniversary at their first location in Santa Barbara, California.

A few years later in 2006, Accor and Motel 6 used their success for a good cause and invested more than $6 million in properties to help rebuild New Orleans and Gulfport following Hurricane Katrina. The Motel 6 founder William Becker died of a heart attack at the age of 85 the next year.

In 2009 Motel 6 introduced their first, newly constructed Phoenix prototype in Northlake, Texas, with energy-saving features and a modern, new design. Additionally, they opened up their 1,000th property in Biloxi, Mississippi, and introduced a new logo that reflected the modern look of the new room design.

Recently, Motel 6's new room design won the 2010 Travel + Leisure Design Award for Best Large Hotel, and in 2011 Motel 6 opened its 1,100th location in Cleburne Texas.

Advertising campaign

Motel 6 may be best known for a series of humorous radio and television ads featuring the folksy voice of writer and National Public Radio commentator Tom Bodett, with the tagline "We'll leave the light on for you". Produced by Dallas advertising agency The Richards Group, the campaign has been running since 1986. The first spots were conceived and written by David Fowler. The music in the background of the commercials was written by Tom Faulkner and is played on the fiddle by Milo Deering. The song won the 1996 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. Furthermore, the original idea for the current Holiday Inn Express campaign was developed by Motel 6 in the early 1980s.

For its 50th anniversary in 2012, Motel 6 began using the motto, "50 Years, the Light's Still On."

A new look

In 2009, Motel 6 began a system-wide renovation program to update the look and amenities of all bedrooms. Features include: modern furnishings influenced by European and boutique hotels; flat-screen televisions; brighter paint accents and soft goods packages; wood floors; increased storage space; ergonomic workspace and Wi-Fi access; updated bathrooms with glass shower doors and granite countertops. The updated rooms will rent for no more than the cost of their older rooms. On January 30, 2009, Motel 6 opened their 1,000th location (property #1113) in Biloxi, Mississippi, which was the first to feature this new look. Locations with these updated rooms can be identified by the "Refreshed" logo located on the property's page at motel6.com. The original logo was optional in 2011 while the new logo ended.

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.

In popular culture

• The band Yo La Tengo wrote and perform a song called "From A Motel 6" that is set inside a Motel 6 room. The title may be a play on the Bob Dylan song "From a Buick 6".
• In the Simpsons episode "Sideshow Bob Roberts", when the family's house faces demolition for the construction of the Matlock Expressway, Lisa despairs that they will be forced to live in a Motel 6 which Bart counters with the lament that Homer wouldn't be able to afford $6 a night.
• Justice Sandra Day O'Connor made a mention of Motel 6 in her dissent regarding private property rights in the U.S. Supreme Court's Kelo v. City of New London decision. Justice O'Connor stated "The specter of condemnation hangs over all property. Nothing is to prevent the State from replacing any Motel 6 with a Ritz-Carlton, any home with a shopping mall, or any farm with a factory."
• At Camp Nama, a secret detention, interrogation, and torture facility run by an army commando unit known as Task Force 6-26, some detainees were held in an area known as Motel 6, consisting of crudely built plywood shacks reeking of urine and excrement.
• The short story All That You Love Will Be Carried Away by Stephen King takes places exclusively at a Motel 6 near Lincoln, Nebraska.
• Seattle disc jockey Bob Rivers lampooned the Motel 6 ads by Tom Bodett on his second album of Christmas song parodies, I Am Santa Claus. It features a narrator describing the amenities of "Manger 6" and declares, "We'll leave a star on for ya."

External links

• Motel 6 website
• Studio 6 website