Motel 6
Encyclopedia
Motel
A motor hotel, or motel for short, is a hotel designed for motorists, and usually has a parking area for motor vehicles...
s with more than 1,000 locations in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
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...
, and is the largest owned and operated hotel chain in North America. It is owned and operated by Accor Hotels.
History
Motel 6 was founded in Santa Barbara, CaliforniaSanta Barbara, California
Santa Barbara is the county seat of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Situated on an east-west trending section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States, the city lies between the steeply-rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean...
, 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
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
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
Holiday Inn
Holiday Inn is a brand of hotels, formally a economy motel chain, forming part of the British InterContinental Hotels Group . It is one of the world's largest hotel chains with 238,440 bedrooms and 1,301 hotels globally. There are currently 5 hotels in the pipeline...
, 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. Becker and Green set out on an ambitious expansion program and had 26 locations in operation 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 1970s, the coin-operated black-and-white TVs were replaced by free color TVs that received local over the air channels, plus HBO and later ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
and CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
at no extra cost. By the 1980s these rooms cost 25 dollars a night nationwide. Rooms also have telephones (with free local and toll free calls, and long distance calls charged to a major credit card), towels, soap, cabinet
Cabinet (furniture)
A cabinet is usually a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors or drawers for storing miscellaneous items. Some cabinets stand alone while others are built into a wall or are attached to it like a medicine cabinet. Cabinets are typically made of wood or, now increasingly, of synthetic...
s, and free wake-up calls. The chain does not provide extras that might increase costs, like hair dryers, continental breakfasts, or clock radios. But free coffee is served in the morning in the lobby. In most locations, an outdoor pool and a guest laundry are also offered. Many Motel 6 locations now have mini-fridges available for an additional daily fee.
Motel 6 was sold to Kohlberg Kravis Roberts in 1985, and in 1988 began its now-legendary "We'll leave the light on for you" advertising campaign (see below).
Market share declined throughout the 1980s, in part because of increased competition from other budget hotels. The company was bought by the French-based Accor
Accor
Accor is Europe's leading hotel group , part of the CAC 40 index , and operates in over 90 countries. Headquartered in Courcouronnes, Essonne, France, near Évry, France, the group owns, operates and franchises 4,229 hotels ranging from economy to luxury on five continents .Previously, the group...
in 1990. In 1991, Motel 6 purchased the Regal 8 motel chain.
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
Western United States
.The Western United States, commonly referred to as the American West or simply "the West," traditionally refers to the region comprising the westernmost states of the United States. Because the U.S. expanded westward after its founding, the meaning of the West has evolved over time...
base, the chain did start franchising
Chain store
Chain stores are retail outlets that share a brand and central management, and usually have standardized business methods and practices. These characteristics also apply to chain restaurants and some service-oriented chain businesses. In retail, dining and many service categories, chain businesses...
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
Econo Lodge
Econo Lodge is an economy motel chain based in the United States and Canada. Econo Lodge is the second largest brand in the Choice Hotels system. It is one of the best known brands in its category and aims to provide affordable rooms to budget travelers. Econo Lodge properties contain a minimum of...
, and Super 8 Hotels.
Motel 6 founder William Becker died on April 2, 2007, aged 85, of a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
.
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 BodettTom Bodett
Thomas Edward "Tom" Bodett is an American author, voice actor and radio host. He is also the current spokesman for the hotel chain Motel 6, whose commercials end with the phrase, "I'm Tom Bodett for Motel 6, and we'll leave the light on for ya."-Career:...
, with the tagline "We'll leave the light on for you". Produced by Dallas advertising agency The Richards Group
The Richards Group
The Richards Group is an American advertising agency. It is the largest independently owned agency in the country. . Working with founder, Stan Richards, there are 29 creative group heads....
, the campaign has been running since 1988. The music in the background of the commercials was written by Tom Faulkner
Tom Faulkner
Tom Faulkner , known as "Long Tom", was a noted English cricketer of the mid-Georgian period.A Surrey man, he was a prominent single wicket player who frequently played in challenge matches at the Artillery Ground....
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.
A new look
In 2007, Motel 6 began a systemwide 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-FiWi-Fi
Wi-Fi or Wifi, is a mechanism for wirelessly connecting electronic devices. A device enabled with Wi-Fi, such as a personal computer, video game console, smartphone, or digital audio player, can connect to the Internet via a wireless network access point. An access point has a range of about 20...
access ($2.99 per day); 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
Biloxi, Mississippi
Biloxi is a city in Harrison County, Mississippi, in the United States. The 2010 census recorded the population as 44,054. Along with Gulfport, Biloxi is a county seat of Harrison County....
, which was the first to feature this new look. Locations with these updated rooms can be identified by the "Remodeled" logo located on the property's page at motel6.com.
Studio 6 (extended stay)
Since 1999, Motel 6 also operates Studio 6, a chain of extended stay hotelApartment hotel
An Apartment Hotel is a serviced apartment complex that uses a hotel-style booking system. It is similar to renting an apartment, but with no fixed contracts and occupants can 'check-out' whenever they wish....
s that offer more amenities than a standard Motel 6 location, while also offering weekly and monthly rates. Studio 6 provides an expanded kitchenette
Kitchenette
A kitchenette is a small cooking area.In motel and hotel rooms, small apartments, college dormitories, or office buildings a kitchenette usually consists of a small refrigerator, a microwave oven or hotplate, and, less frequently, a sink...
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
Extended Stay Hotels
Extended Stay Hotels is a privately owned hotel brand that operates in the extended stay hotel market. The company is headquartered in Spartanburg, South Carolina....
and Choice Hotels' Suburban Extended Stay Hotels. Some Studio 6 locations have been converted from other brands, such as Homestead Studio Suites
Homestead Studio Suites Hotels
Originally called Homestead Village, it was started in 1992 by Security Capital in Santa Fe, New Mexico with its first properties located in Dallas and Houston. In 2001, Homestead was purchased by the Blackstone Group...
.
In popular culture
- The band Yo La TengoYo La TengoYo La Tengo, sometimes abbreviated as YLT, is an American alternative rock band formed in Hoboken, New Jersey in 1984. Since 1992, the lineup has consisted of Ira Kaplan , Georgia Hubley , and James McNew .Despite achieving limited mainstream success, Yo La Tengo has been called "the quintessential...
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 DylanBob DylanBob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
song "From a Buick 6From a Buick 6"From a Buick 6" is a song by Bob Dylan from his album Highway 61 Revisited, which was also released as a single on the B-side of Positively 4th Street...
". - In the SimpsonsThe SimpsonsThe Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
episode "Sideshow Bob RobertsSideshow Bob Roberts"Sideshow Bob Roberts" is the fifth episode of The Simpsons sixth season, and it originally aired on October 9, 1994. Kelsey Grammer returns as villain Sideshow Bob, who, in this episode, wins the Springfield mayoral election through electoral fraud. The episode was written by Bill Oakley and Josh...
", when the family's house faces demolition for the construction of the MatlockMatlock (TV series)Matlock is an American television legal drama, starring Andy Griffith in the title role of attorney Ben Matlock. The show originally aired from September 23, 1986 to May 8, 1992 on NBC, where it replaced The A-Team, then from November 5, 1992 until May 7, 1995 on ABC.The show's format was similar...
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'ConnorSandra Day O'ConnorSandra Day O'Connor is an American jurist who was the first female member of the Supreme Court of the United States. She served as an Associate Justice from 1981 until her retirement from the Court in 2006. O'Connor was appointed by President Ronald Reagan in 1981...
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 LondonKelo v. City of New LondonKelo v. City of New London, 545 U.S. 469 was a case decided by the Supreme Court of the United States involving the use of eminent domain to transfer land from one private owner to another to further economic development...
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 NamaCamp NamaCamp Nama is a military base in Baghdad, Iraq, originally built by the government of Saddam Hussein, from which its name derives, and now used by U.S. military forces. Purportedly, the original Iraqi name has been repurposed by U.S. personnel involved with the facility as an acronym standing for...
, a secret detention, interrogation, and torture facility run by an Army commando unit known as Task Force 6-26Task Force 6-26Task Force 6–26 is a United States Joint military/Government Agency unit; originally set-up to find "High Value Targets" in Iraq in the aftermath of Operation Iraqi Freedom. This Special Operation unit is very similar to Task Force 121 which was created to capture Saddam Hussein and high rank...
, 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 AwayAll That You Love Will Be Carried AwayAll That You Love Will Be Carried Away is a short story by Stephen King. It was originally published in the January 29, 2001 issue of The New Yorker magazine. In 2002, it was collected in King's collection Everything's Eventual.-Plot summary:...
by Stephen KingStephen KingStephen Edwin King is an American author of contemporary horror, suspense, science fiction and fantasy fiction. His books have sold more than 350 million copies and have been adapted into a number of feature films, television movies and comic books...
takes places exclusively at a Motel 6 near LincolnLincoln, NebraskaThe City of Lincoln is the capital and the second-most populous city of the US state of Nebraska. Lincoln is also the county seat of Lancaster County and the home of the University of Nebraska. Lincoln's 2010 Census population was 258,379....
, Nebraska.