Days Inn

Not to be confused with 7 Days Inn.
Days Inn Worldwide, Inc.
Privately held company (subsidiary of Wyndham Worldwide)
Industry Hotel
Founded 1970
Founder Cecil B. Day
Headquarters Parsippany, New Jersey, U.S.
Key people
 Clyde Guinn (President)
Parent Wyndham Worldwide
Website www.daysinn.com

Days Inn Worldwide, Inc. is a hotel chain headquartered in the United States. Founded in 1970, it is now a part of the Wyndham Hotel Group, based in Parsippany, New Jersey, which was formerly a part of Cendant. It is described by its president, Clyde Guinn, as striving to provide the "best value under the sun".[1] Days Inn includes locations worldwide.[2]

History

Days Inn, Ann Arbor, MI. It was first built as a Howard Johnson's, another brand of Wyndham Worldwide.

Days Inn was founded in 1970 on Tybee Island, Georgia by Cecil B. Day, a real estate developer who later achieved note as a prominent Christian philanthropist. The name was thought up by Day's friend Mannin Purvis of Savannah, Georgia who was the head of advertising for the Savannah Morning News. This first Days Inn has been purchased and renamed. Through the 1970s hotel guests could take home a paperback Bible (usually the ABS Good News Bible New Testament) from their guest rooms for free.

During the chain's early years, many Days Inn's featured Tasty World Restaurants and Gift Shops, along with on-site gasoline pumps to sell unbranded fuel to motel guests at lower prices than nearby Texaco or Exxon stations.[3]

Days Inn of America Inc. began franchising hotels in 1972 and within eight years created a system of more than 300 hotels in the United States, Mexico, and Canada.

Stanley S. Tollman and Monty D. Hundley via the Tollman-Hundley Hotel Group became the largest franchisees in the 1980s including buying Days Inn of America. They took it into bankruptcy in 1991. They then sold it to Hospitality Franchise Systems in 1991. Tollman and Hundley would be indicted on federal bank fraud and tax fraud charges that they had not disclosed all assets in the process. Hundley was convicted and sentenced to eight years in prison and ordered to pay more than $110 million in restitution.[4] Tollman fled to London in 2002 where he fought extradition for many years. In 2008 Tollman agreed to a plea deal that would allow him to return home in exchange for more than $100 million.[5]

There are now more than 145,000 Days Inn guestrooms in over 1900 Days Inn hotels worldwide, serving millions of guests each year. Competitors include AmericInn Hotels, Fairfield Inn by Marriott, Sleep Inn, and Red Roof Inn for limited-service properties; Red Carpet Inn/Suites for certain full-service properties. Though its sister brand, Travelodge, also fits into this segment, it is primarily geared more toward active, outdoor, or adventure-oriented families.

Variations

This Days Inn in Lynchburg, Virginia is attached to a Daybreak Restaurant.

The hotel brands of Days Inn include:[6]

Daystop, a budget chain started in 1990 in Lakeville, Minnesota;,[7] and Days Lodge, a resort style concept, have both been discontinued.

References

  1. ↑ "Days Inn: Letter from the President". daysinn.com. Retrieved January 1, 2015.
  2. ↑ "Days Inn Locations". DaysInn.com. Retrieved December 25, 2014.
  3. ↑ Cecil, Burke Day, Jr. (2000). Day by Day: The Story of Cecil B. Day and His Simple Formula for Success. Jonathan David Publisher. ISBN 9780824604257. Retrieved January 1, 2015.
  4. ↑ "History of Empire Resorts, Inc. – FundingUniverse | International Directory of Company Histories, Vol.72. St. James Press, 2005 - (retrieved from fundinguniverse.com)". fundinguniverse.com. Retrieved January 1, 2015.
  5. ↑ Vivan S. Toy (March 18, 2010). "Maybe He'll Move to a Hotel". New York Times.
  6. ↑ "Days Inn: Days Hotels". daysinn.com. Retrieved January 1, 2015.
  7. ↑ Hotels: The Magazine of the Worldwide Hotel Industry 23. Cahners Pub. 1989. ISSN 1047-2975. Retrieved January 1, 2015.

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