Compadre Properties Open Accors' 100th Franchised Motel 6 in Ruidoso, New Mexico / July 2000

Hotel Online Special Report

Compadre Properties Open Accors' 100th Franchised
Motel 6 in Ruidoso, New Mexico

DALLAS - July 10, 2000 -- Accor Economy Lodging (AEL), parent company of budget lodging leader Motel 6, today announces a major milestone in its four-year history of franchising its brand: the opening of the 100th franchised Motel 6 property.

Located in the beautiful resort area of Ruidoso, N.M., at 412 U.S. Highway 70 West, the newly built Ruidoso Motel 6 features 83 rooms and is owned by Ron Hyden and Nafanit Bhatka of Compadre Properties, based in Carlsbad, N.M.

The newest Motel 6 will appeal to leisure travelers looking to enjoy nature, Southwestern history, local culture or gaming and pari-mutuel racing. For hiking enthusiasts, the property is located just a half mile from the mountainous National Forest. The motel is also just two miles from Ruidoso Down, home of the world�s richest quarter horse race, as well as the attractions of Casino Apache, Hubbard Museum of the American West, and Billy the Kid Casino. In addition, it is 10 miles from Ski Apache and the Spencer Theater for the Performing Arts.

The Ruidoso property utilizes the brand�s �Motel of the 21st Century� design, which offers several major features that distinguish Motel 6 from most other economy brands: interior corridors, state-of-the-art heating and cooling systems, dataports in every room, computerized front desk and back office systems, swimming pools and electronic door locks.

Motel 6, which was launched in 1962 in Santa Barbara, Calif., began selectively franchising in 1996. From the inception of its franchising program, Motel 6 has chosen to work only with experienced franchisees in key secondary and tertiary markets around the country.

�We are very proud and excited to be the owners of the 100th franchised Motel 6,� Hyden said. �This is a great milestone for the brand and with the support and guidance we have received from Motel 6, we feel like we are part of a wonderful family.�

Said Bhatka, �This property, with its consistent service and quality, and wonderful price value, will attract all travelers coming to the Ruidoso area. As an operator of three Motel 6 properties, we know the importance of the brand name. Motel 6 is an American icon.�

According to David O�Shaughnessy, AEL�s executive vice president of franchising and quality, �By working only with excellent, experienced franchisees who understand Motel 6�s mission of bringing quality budget lodging to all travelers, we have been able to reach the milestone of the 100th franchised property in just a few years.�

With both company-owned and franchised properties in the United States and Canada, Motel 6 offers the best price of any national lodging chain. Motel 6 also offers free local phone calls and no long distance access charges, free morning coffee, 24-hour-a-day faxing service at the front desk, and free HBO and ESPN, with remote-controlled television sets. Most of the brand�s more than 850 properties feature swimming pools, guest laundries and electronic door locks.

Motel 6 is one of three brands operated by AEL, the nation�s largest operator of economy lodging properties. AEL is the North American economy lodging

Who is Tom Bodett?

One day David Fowler, a creative director from the Richards Group Advertising agency,was driving down the Dallas Parkway in his pickup truck listening to the public radio station his receiver had been stuck on for months. Suddenly a homely voiced monologue emerged from his dusty dashboard. He heard the name, Tom Bodett, and thought, �Gosh, if I only had an account for a national budget motel brand with a sense of humor and humility, I could make a heck of an advertising campaign with this guy.� Enter Motel 6,and the rest, as they say, is history. Thirteen years of award winning advertising later, Tom is still speaking out of America�s dusty dashboards and television screens about life as a road warrior, and the merits of Motel 6.

division of Paris-based Accor S.A., the world�s third-largest hospitality company. Accor, whose 125,000 associates are active in 140 countries throughout the world, is a global leader in the travel, tourism and corporate services industry with three principal international businesses: hotels (more than 3,300 world-wide) and travel agencies; restaurants and casinos; and, business services (cards and vouchers) with Accor Corporate Services.

In addition to Motel 6, AEL operates the Red Roof Inns and Studio 6 brands. Studio 6 is a new extended-stay lodging concept. In aggregate, the three flags comprise more than 10% of the entire U.S. economy lodging sector with more than 1,120 properties, representing more than 112,000 rooms, throughout the 48 contiguous states.

###

Contact:
Accor Economy Lodging, Dallas
Suzanne Cottraux, 972/702-3900
http://www.motel6.com/

Also See	Accor Hotel Activities 1st Qtr Sales Up 31.5%, Significant Increase from New Business Development / May 2000
	Accor Completes $1.1 Billion Sale Leaseback Program for Motel 6 / Oct 1998

To search Hotel Online data base of News and Trends Go to Hotel.Online Search