| Industry | Hotel/Motel Chain |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1969 |
| Founder |
|
| Fate | Merged with Scottish Inns in 1985 |
| Successor | Hospitality International |
Red Carpet Inn is a chain of hotels and motels, with locations in the United States and Bahamas. Red Carpet Inn Brands are part of the Hospitality International system and are individually owned and operated.
In the late 1960s, Red Carpet Inns International, Inc., a Colorado corporation, acquired the Master Hosts Inns and Red Carpet Inn trademarks from Red Carpet Inns, Inc. In the summer of 1969, Tommy Tucker (one of the original founders of Quality Courts United, now known as Quality Inns), and Bill Harwood started Red Carpet Inns of America, Inc. In May 1972, Red Carpet Inns of America was headquartered in Daytona Beach, Florida.
In 1973, Red Carpet Inns of America, Inc. published a Travel Directory for its Master Hosts Inns and Red Carpet Inns and offered ‘instant’ reservations through a toll-free telephone number, referred to the “American Express Space Bank, one of the largest, fastest and best reservation systems in the world”. There were 57 Red Carpet Inn properties listed, some in key cities and popular attraction areas such as Tucson, Arizona; Little Rock, Arkansas; Denver, Colorado; Daytona Beach, Jacksonville and Orlando, Florida; Atlanta and Savannah, Georgia; Knoxville and Pigeon Forge, Tennessee; Houston, Texas; Richmond, Staunton, Virginia Beach and Williamsburg, Virginia.
Ownership changed around 1978, with Red Carpet Inns International’s headquarters being moved to Atlanta, Georgia. In 1980, Red Carpet Inns International published its International Travel Directory, listing 99 properties flying either the Red Carpet Inn or Master Hosts Inns flags, with 30 U.S. locations, throughout Canada and in Monterrey, Mexico. Football great, Johnny Unitas is also a spokesman for the company during this time period. [1] [2]
Red Carpet Inn merged with Scottish Inns in 1985 to form Hospitality International. [3] It continues as a Hospitality International brand.
A motel, also known as a motor hotel, motor inn or motor lodge, is a hotel designed for motorists, usually having each room entered directly from the parking area for motor vehicles rather than through a central lobby. Entering dictionaries after World War II, the word motel, coined as a portmanteau of "motor hotel", originates from the defunct motel named Milestone Mo-Tel in San Luis Obispo, California, which was built in 1925. The term referred to a type of hotel consisting of a single building of connected rooms whose doors faced a parking lot and in some circumstances, a common area or a series of small cabins with common parking. Motels are often individually owned, though motel chains do exist.
Holiday Inn is a chain of hotels based in Atlanta, Georgia and a brand of IHG Hotels & Resorts. The chain was founded in 1952 by Kemmons Wilson (1913–2003), who opened the first location in Memphis, Tennessee. The chain was a division of Bass Brewery from 1988-2000, Six Continents from 2000-03, and IHG Hotels & Resorts since 2003. It operates hotels under the names Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Holiday Inn Club Vacations, and Holiday Inn Resorts. As of 2018, Holiday Inn has hotels at over 1,100 locations.
Motel 6 is a chain of budget motels with locations 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's real estate business. Blackstone purchased the business in 2012 from Accor Hotels, and established G6 Hospitality as the management company for Motel 6 and Studio 6.
Days Inn is a hotel chain headquartered in the United States. It was founded in 1970 by Cecil B. Day, who opened the first location in Tybee Island, Georgia. The brand is now a part of the Wyndham Hotels and Resorts, headquartered in Parsippany, New Jersey, which used to be a part of Cendant. As of December 31, 2023, Days Inn includes 1,501 locations worldwide with 114,216 rooms.
Drury Hotels Company, LLC is an American hospitality company that operates a chain of mid-scale limited service hotels under the brands Drury Inn and Suites, Drury Inn, Drury Suites, Drury Plaza Hotel, and Pear Tree Inn. As of 2022, the chain operates more than 150 locations in 26 states. It is wholly owned by the Drury family and is headquartered in metropolitan St. Louis, Missouri.
Sheraton Hotels and Resorts is an American international hotel chain owned by Marriott International. As of June 30, 2020, Sheraton operates 446 hotels with 155,617 rooms globally, including locations in North America, Africa, Asia Pacific, Central and South America, Europe, the Middle East and the Caribbean, in addition to 84 hotels with 23,092 rooms in the pipeline.
Choice Hotels International, Inc. is an American multinational hospitality company based in North Bethesda, Maryland. The company, which is one of the largest hotel chains in the world, owns several hotel brands ranging from upscale to economy. As of the third quarter 2023, Choice Hotels franchised nearly 7,500 hotels, representing nearly 630,000 rooms, in 46 countries and territories.
Travelodge or Travelodge by Wyndham refers to several hotel chains around the world. Current operations include the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Spain, Ireland, New Zealand, Australia and several countries in Asia. As of December 31, 2018, it had 435 properties with 31,005 rooms.
Hampton by Hilton, formerly Hampton Inn or Hampton Inn & Suites, is an American chain of hotels trademarked by Hilton Worldwide. The Hampton hotel brand is a chain of moderately priced, budget to midscale limited service hotels with limited food and beverage facilities. Most Hampton hotels are independently owned and operated by franchisees, though a few are managed by Hilton. Hampton by Hilton is one of the largest hotel franchises in the U.S. As of March 2024, the Hampton franchise includes 3,000 hotels in 40 countries and territories.
Knights Inn is an American full-limited service hotel chain owned by Red Lion Hotels Corporation and based in Denver, Colorado. Knights Inn used to be built with all-exterior corridors and medieval-inspired architecture, but the chain now has updated options for all Knights Inn properties.
Rodeway Inn is a chain of economy-priced hotels in the United States and Canada. Founded by Michael Robinson in 1962, the franchise is now led by Choice Hotels corporation.
Vantage Hospitality Group Inc. was an American hotel corporation, operating hotels in the United States and internationally. Its brands include Best Value Inn and Lexington by Vantage. In 2016, Vantage Hospitality Group was acquired by Red Lion Hotels Corporation.
A referral hotel chain is a type of hotel franchise. It is a type of hotel that operates independently but maintains affiliation with a given chain. To stay within the chain, the hotel must meet certain minimum criteria.
Scottish Inns is a motel chain in the United States. It is a brand of Hospitality International.
Imperial 400 was an American motel chain. It was founded in 1959 by Bernard Whitney in Los Angeles, California. Its properties were typically two-story buildings with "gull wing" shaped roofs over the lobby. It was a limited-service hotel chain, competing mainly with Travelodge.
Budget Host is an American lodging chain.
The American Hotel and Lodging Association is an industry trade group with thousands of members including hotel brands, owners, management companies, Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs), independent hotels, bed and breakfasts, state hotel associations and industry partners and suppliers. Its role at various times has included the publication of hotel directories, market research, support of standardization efforts, public or political advocacy for the interests of hotel owners and the establishment or promotion of training programs and facilities for hotel personnel.
Hospitality International is a chain of hotels and motels in the United States and Canada. Their brands include Red Carpet Inn and Scottish Inns.
Friendship Inn was an American motel chain. Established as a referral chain based in Salt Lake City, Utah in 1961, Friendship Inns of America did not require its members to meet the same restrictive standards or high membership fees as many competing chains of the time. As a result, the Friendship Inn branding spread rapidly, with 771 member locations in 1974, largely older independent motels with low prices and limited amenities. The chain's logo, which remained the same throughout its lifetime, was a coat of arms designed by a British heraldry expert. In 1985, the referral chain was converted into a corporate franchise, managed by the new Friendship Inns Franchising Corporation based in North Bergen, New Jersey. By 1989, the number of Friendship Inn franchises had fallen to 129. That same year, the Friendship Inn was acquired by Econo Lodges of America, which in turn was bought out by Quality Inns International in 1990. In 1997, the Friendship Inn brand was eliminated, with its locations being converted to the Rodeway Inn brand.
