Monday, December 15, 2008

The stories behind the names

Being in the travel industry, it's interesting to see the stories and history behind many of the hotels and chains that we work with. Many of these stories are very detailed, and many have a past that most folks would only dream of being a part of.

My curiosity for such history was piqued this weekend as I was traveling down the interstate with my wife. We were passing an exit filled with all the usual signs for all the usual hotels, and she turned to me and asked where some of them came up with their names -- specifically, Motel 6 & Super 8.

I admit I was clueless. We see signs for these budget chains at just about every interstate exit in the US, but I wondered how they came up with their names? I figured, at first, it must have something to do with the location of the original locations (maybe located on a "Highway 8" in some small town). Well, I was wrong.

The Super 8 chain was named because the rooms were originally priced at $8.88. The Motel 6 chain, when first opened in 1962, offered rooms for a mere $6.00 per night. Genius!

Such a simple explanation, yet it never crossed my mind!

So, next time you are on the road, or reading up on a hotel, take the time to find out about the history of that hotel and/or its parent chain -- you might just be surprised!

Resideo offers info & online booking for many Super 8 and Motel 6 hotels in the US.


Sources:
Super 8
Motel 6

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