Days Inn
Encyclopedia
Days Inn is a motel
chain headquartered in the United States
. Founded in 1970, it is now a part of the Wyndham Hotel Group, based in Parsippany, New Jersey, which was formerly a part of Cendant
. It is described by its president, Clyde Guinn, as striving to provide the "best value under the sun".
Days Inns worldwide locations include:
, Georgia
by Cecil B. Day
, a real estate developer who later achieved note as a prominent Christian philanthropist. The name was thought up by Day's friend Mannin Purvis of Savannah, Georgia
who was the head of advertising for the Savannah Morning News
. This first Days Inn has been purchased and renamed. Through the 1970s hotel guests could take home a paperback Bible
(usually the ABS
Good News Bible
New Testament
) from their guest rooms for free.
During the chain's early years, many Days Inns featured Tasty World Restaurants and Gift Shops, along with on-site gasoline
pumps to sell unbranded fuel to motel guests at lower prices than nearby Texaco
or Exxon
stations. During the first energy crisis of 1973-74 when gasoline rationing was prevalent in many areas of the U.S., Days Inn guests could not only reserve lodging but also a few gallons of gasoline for their vehicles upon checking in.
One of the first successful hotel brands, Days Inns of America Inc. began franchising hotels in 1972 and within eight years created a system of more than 300 hotels in the United States, Mexico, and Canada
.
Stanley S. Tollman and Monty D. Hundley via the Tollman-Hundley Hotel Group
became the largest franchisees in the 1980s including buying Days Inn of America. They took it into bankruptcy in 1991. They then sold it to Hospitality Franchise Systems in 1991. Tollman and Hundley would be indicted on federal bank fraud and tax fraud charges that they had not disclosed all assets in the process. Hundley was convicted and sentenced to eight years in prison and ordered to pay more than $110 million in restitution. Tollman fled to London in 2002 where he fought extradition for many years. In 2008 Tollman agreed to a plea deal that would allow him to return home in exchange for more than $100 million.
There are now more than 1900 Days Inn hotels worldwide, serving millions of guests each year. Competitors include AmericInn Hotels, Sleep Inn, and Red Roof Inn
for limited-service properties; Red Carpet Inn/Suites for certain full-service properties. Though its sister brand, Travelodge
, also fits into this segment, it is primarily geared more toward active, outdoor, or adventure-oriented families.
Days Inns is a motel chain. The motel brands of Days Inn include:
The brand is now owned by Wyndham Worldwide Corporation and is in the process of a major upgrade.
Motel
A motor hotel, or motel for short, is a hotel designed for motorists, and usually has a parking area for motor vehicles...
chain headquartered in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Founded in 1970, it is now a part of the Wyndham Hotel Group, based in Parsippany, New Jersey, which was formerly a part of Cendant
Cendant
Cendant Corporation was a New York-based provider of business and consumer services, primarily within the real estate and travel industries. In 2005 and 2006, Cendant broke up and spun off or sold its constituent businesses...
. It is described by its president, Clyde Guinn, as striving to provide the "best value under the sun".
Days Inns worldwide locations include:
- ArgentinaArgentinaArgentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
- CanadaCanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
- ChinaPeople's Republic of ChinaChina , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
- EgyptEgyptEgypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
- IndiaIndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
- IrelandIrelandIreland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
- ItalyItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
- JordanJordanJordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
- MexicoMexicoThe United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
- PakistanPakistanPakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
- PhilippinesPhilippinesThe Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
- South AfricaSouth AfricaThe Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
- United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
- United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, including Puerto RicoPuerto RicoPuerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an... - UruguayUruguayUruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
History
Days Inn was founded in 1970 on Tybee IslandTybee Island, Georgia
Tybee Island is an island and city in Chatham County, Georgia near the city of Savannah in the southeastern United States. It is the easternmost point in the state of Georgia. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 2,990. Tybee Island is an island and city in Chatham County, Georgia near...
, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
by Cecil B. Day
Cecil B. Day
Cecil Burke Day was the founder of Days Inn Hotels. Day studied at Mercer University in Macon, Georgia, but withdrew prior to graduation to join the United States Marine Corps...
, a real estate developer who later achieved note as a prominent Christian philanthropist. The name was thought up by Day's friend Mannin Purvis of Savannah, Georgia
Savannah, Georgia
Savannah is the largest city and the county seat of Chatham County, in the U.S. state of Georgia. Established in 1733, the city of Savannah was the colonial capital of the Province of Georgia and later the first state capital of Georgia. Today Savannah is an industrial center and an important...
who was the head of advertising for the Savannah Morning News
Savannah Morning News
The Savannah Morning News is a daily newspaper in Savannah, Georgia. It is published by Morris Communications, Inc. The motto of the paper is "Light of the Coastal Empire and Lowcountry"...
. This first Days Inn has been purchased and renamed. Through the 1970s hotel guests could take home a paperback Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
(usually the ABS
American Bible Society
The American Bible Society is an interconfessional, non-denominational, nonprofit organization, founded in 1816 in New York City, which publishes, distributes and translates the Bible and provides study aids and other tools to help people engage with the Bible.It is probably best known for its...
Good News Bible
Good News Bible
The Good News Bible , also called the Good News Translation , is an English language translation of the Bible by the American Bible Society, first published as the New Testament under the name Good News for Modern Man in 1966...
New Testament
New Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
) from their guest rooms for free.
During the chain's early years, many Days Inns featured Tasty World Restaurants and Gift Shops, along with on-site gasoline
Gasoline
Gasoline , or petrol , is a toxic, translucent, petroleum-derived liquid that is primarily used as a fuel in internal combustion engines. It consists mostly of organic compounds obtained by the fractional distillation of petroleum, enhanced with a variety of additives. Some gasolines also contain...
pumps to sell unbranded fuel to motel guests at lower prices than nearby Texaco
Texaco
Texaco is the name of an American oil retail brand. Its flagship product is its fuel "Texaco with Techron". It also owns the Havoline motor oil brand....
or Exxon
Exxon
Exxon is a chain of gas stations as well as a brand of motor fuel and related products by ExxonMobil. From 1972 to 1999, Exxon was the corporate name of the company previously known as Standard Oil Company of New Jersey or Jersey Standard....
stations. During the first energy crisis of 1973-74 when gasoline rationing was prevalent in many areas of the U.S., Days Inn guests could not only reserve lodging but also a few gallons of gasoline for their vehicles upon checking in.
One of the first successful hotel brands, Days Inns of America Inc. began franchising hotels in 1972 and within eight years created a system of more than 300 hotels in the United States, Mexico, and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
Stanley S. Tollman and Monty D. Hundley via the Tollman-Hundley Hotel Group
Empire Resorts
Empire Resorts is a company that owns the Monticello Raceway racino in the Catskill Mountains from New York City.Headquartered in Monticello, New York, Empire is 78.6% owned by Kien Huat Realty Sdn Bhd of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.-History:...
became the largest franchisees in the 1980s including buying Days Inn of America. They took it into bankruptcy in 1991. They then sold it to Hospitality Franchise Systems in 1991. Tollman and Hundley would be indicted on federal bank fraud and tax fraud charges that they had not disclosed all assets in the process. Hundley was convicted and sentenced to eight years in prison and ordered to pay more than $110 million in restitution. Tollman fled to London in 2002 where he fought extradition for many years. In 2008 Tollman agreed to a plea deal that would allow him to return home in exchange for more than $100 million.
There are now more than 1900 Days Inn hotels worldwide, serving millions of guests each year. Competitors include AmericInn Hotels, Sleep Inn, and Red Roof Inn
Red Roof Inn
Red Roof Inn is an economy hotel chain in the United States. Red Roof Inn properties are often distinguished by the large dark-red shingle roof that gives them their name. There are over 340 Red Roof Inns, primarily in the Midwest, Southern, and Eastern United States...
for limited-service properties; Red Carpet Inn/Suites for certain full-service properties. Though its sister brand, Travelodge
Travelodge
Travelodge refers to several hotel chains around the world. Current operations include: the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Spain, the Republic of Ireland, New Zealand and Australia...
, also fits into this segment, it is primarily geared more toward active, outdoor, or adventure-oriented families.
Days Inns is a motel chain. The motel brands of Days Inn include:
- Days Inn/Inn & Suites - the most common variety, found around the world. They may be either full or limited-service. Some properties are only rooms; others have rooms mixed with suites.
- Days Hotel - the full-service variant found in high-traffic and large cities.
- Days Suites - an all-suites variant; may be either full or limited-service.
- Daystop, a budget chain common in the 1970s and 1980s; now discontinued.
- Days Lodge, a rare variant found formerly in resort and high-traffic locations; now discontinued.
The brand is now owned by Wyndham Worldwide Corporation and is in the process of a major upgrade.