Cecil B. Day

Cecil Burke Day (December 10, 1934 – December 15, 1978) 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. After the Marine Corps, Day studied at the Georgia Institute of Technology; he was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity and graduated with a degree in Industrial Management in 1958.

Day owned real estate in Atlanta, Georgia. He sold a duplex for $4,000,000 and used the funds to open the first Days Inn hotel, which was located on Tybee Island, Georgia. Day coined the phrase "budget-luxury" and expanded his hotel chain with great success building a large network of franchise hotels.

Day had five children and was Southern Baptist. He died of cancer in 1978.

The Cecil B. Day Graduate and Professional Campus of Mercer University, the Cecil B. Day School of Hospitality Administration at Georgia State University, the Cecil B. Day Butterfly Center, and the Day Chapel at Atlanta's Perimeter Church^[2] are named in his honor.

References