Page 25 - JOAMay2021

Standing Out from the Crowd National Brand-Building

Motels began to increase their capacity and In 1951, residential developer Kemmons
revenue abilities by adding additional floors to Wilson turned a problem he experienced on a
their structure, expanding public interior space road trip—inconsistent accommodations—into
to include meeting rooms and banquet facilities, the first Holiday Inn motel. which he opened on
and adding restaurants, coffee shops, and gift Route US 70 from Memphis to Nashville. He
shops to provide guests with added amenities and adopted the name from the 1942 musical film,
a more attractive alternative to another motel Holiday Inn. Every new Holiday Inn would have
down the road. TV, air conditioning, a restaurant, and a pool; all
It took less than half a century for roadside would meet a long list of standards so a guest in
lodging to go from rustic and hard-to-find to Memphis would have the same experience as
over-saturated, especially along some of the more someone in Daytona Beach, Florida, or Akron,
popular auto travel routes that were cropping up Ohio. Holiday Inn was first to deploy an IBM-
across the country. Now, motel and lodging owners designed national room reservations system in
needed to work for the customer’s attention. 1965 and opened its 1000th location by 1968.
To attract the attention of post-war travelers An example of growing another national chain
who now had a choice, many motel operators for travelers started in 1925 when Howard
turned to neon road signs and kitschy themes tied Deering purchased a small corner pharmacy in
to roadside attractions. They created theme Quincy, Massachusetts. Deering devised a new
cottages like “rustic” or “western,” and rooms ice cream that would make his recently installed
built to resemble a country cottage or a concrete soda fountain the busiest part of his drugstore.
tepee appropriated from Native American The new recipe which contained increased butter-
culture. The manager’s office and sign began to fat made his new Howard Johnson’s ice cream
take on more ostentatious forms, as did the signs Rocket Motel with its eye-catching rocket sign more flavorful and a hit with customers. The
that started dotting the roadside landscape popularity of Howard Johnson’s ice cream
directing travelers where to go. inspired Johnson to open franchised restaurants that would feature his
Mid-century motels styled themselves as roadside resorts, offering ice cream and offer roadside favorites such as fried clams, baked beans,
luxuries previously available only at expensive hotels, like swimming chicken pot pies, frankfurters, and soft drinks. By 1954, there were 400
pools. This was also the age of the “Tiki” craze, inspired by soldiers Howard Johnson’s restaurants in 32 states. This was one of the first
returning from the Pacific theater of World War II. Motel owners built nationwide restaurant chains. They were ideally positioned, by location
huge, culturally insensitive depictions of Polynesian gods that loomed and brand awareness, to branch out into the lodging business.
over pools and restaurant buffets. Native American-themed motels In 1954, the company opened the first Howard Johnson’s motor
were also plentiful. lodge in Savannah, Georgia. The company employed architects to
oversee the design of the rooms and gate lodge to integrate their motel
From One-of-a-Kind to a Recognized Haven into the look, color, and design of the now well-known Howard
Johnson’s restaurants. When Howard Johnson Company went public
With motel-type establishments now an expected part of the tourist in 1961, there were 88 franchised Howard Johnson’s motor lodges
experience, motel chains were in a position to gain the upper hand by across 32 states.
offering travelers a recognized place to stay in a sea of the unknown.
Many of the earliest motel
chains were tied to a single own-
ership group operating under a
common brand across properties.
These hotels were designed to look
the same and provide a consis-
tent guest experience. Alamo
Plaza Hotel Courts, founded in
1929 in East Waco, Texas, was
one of the earliest motel chains in
the country with seven motor
courts by 1936 and more than
twenty by 1955. With Simmons
furniture, Beautyrest mattresses
on every bed, and telephones in
every room, the Alamo Plaza
rooms were marketed as “tourist
apartments” under a slogan of
The Stars Motel, Chicago, Illinois “Catering to those who care.” In 1955, there were more than 20 locations in the Alamo Plaza Courts chain.
In 1935, building contractor
Scott King opened King’s Motor Court in San Diego, California, While the number of motels in the United States reached a peak
renaming the original property Travelodge in 1939 and extending the of 61,000 establishments in 1964, the decline in the last half-
name to the two dozen more similarly-designed motel-style properties century has been steady, and can be attributed to the rise and prolifer-
he built over the next five years. Travelodge is still a recognized name ation of brand hotels, and more recently, the Internet, where travelers
to look for when on the road among auto tourists. can instantly compare options before they hit the road, from price
With demand growing, especially after the war, franchising became to amenities, and read the feedback from previous guests. Yet, for
the key to funding the development and expansion of conveniently- all their kitchy-ness, dated appeal, and rustic charm, motels remain
located properties. Mom and pop motel owners were either being a part of our 20th century landscape and childhood travel memories.
bought out for their location and existing facility, or driven out of the As reminders, we cherish everything from motel ashtrays and embroi-
market by the brand motels that started dominating the roadside land- dered towels to menus, placements, postcards, tableware, roadside
scape. The days of unique and quirky were over. The experience now souvenirs, and everything else we picked up and experienced along
was all about consistency, comfort, and amenities. the way.

May 2021 23