History
The Red Roof Inn chain began in Columbus, Ohio. The company was founded by Jim Trueman in 1972 with the intention to provide guests with a clean, comfortable room at an affordable price. The oldest hotel (Inn #3) is still operating as a Red Roof Inn, located on East Cork Street in Kalamazoo, Michigan. It was built in 1973 and last renovated in 2004.
The original slogan was "Sleep Cheap." T-shirts were sold on property with this slogan, and they became popular. With the increase of prices due to inflation in 1987 and 1988, the prices of the chain, while still lower than most of its direct competitors like Budgetel (now Baymont) and Days Inn, were too high to be cheap. Thus, the slogan was changed to "Hit The Roof."
In the late 1990s, actor Martin Mull starred in a series of television and radio advertisements for Red Roof Inn.
Accor acquired Red Roof Inns in 1999 for $1.115 billion, adding 324 properties and 37,208 rooms.
In April 2007, Accor announced the sale of Red Roof Inns to Citigroup Global Special Situations Group and Westbridge Hospitality Fund LP for $1.3 billion. As part of the sale, some locations will be re-branded as part of Accor's flagship North American brand, Motel 6, which Accor will focus exclusively on the North American market after the sale is complete.
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