SPEND A NIGHT, NOT A FORTUNE
At the dawn of the 1970s, the motel industry was at a crossroads. Big motel chains had spent the 1960 building large, fancy motels with opulent cocktail lounges and restaurant attached.
As the economy struggled, occupancy fell in those motels. To combat this problem the motels would charge more to make up for the lost revenue. There is where a new concept is lodging kicked in.
No frills,budget motels began to spring up on highways and freeways all over the US. These budget motels appealed to salesmen and “to the family en route to a destination, including campers.”
Chains like Motel 6, Imperial ‘400’, Days Inn, Scottish Inns, Happy Inns, Friendly Inns, Family Inns, Regal 8, Thr-Rift Inns, Chalet Motor Lodges, and Econo-Travel Motor Hotels charged between $6 and $10 a night .These motels were not equipped with swimming pools, did not have a restaurant or bar as part of the and many did not include television, just a simple room for the budget conscious traveler.
Econo-Travel Motor Hotels started in Virginia around 1968 and by 1971 there 64 motels. This directory, from the fall/winter of 1974-75, is the chain at its apex. A few years later many of these motel would close and the franchise would be rebranded as Econo Lodge and then later sold.
As always:
Green Link – Motel still there and it is still an Econo Lodge
Blue Link – Motel building still standing, no longer an Econo Lodge
Red Link – Building razed
ALABAMA
BIRMINGHAM
103 Green Springs Hwy.
PHENIX CITY
1506 Phenix City By-Pass.
FLORIDA
ALACHUA
I-75 & U.S. 441 at Alachua
COCOA BEACH
5500 N. Atlantic Ave.
DAYTONA
2250 Volusia Ave.
FORT MYERS
1089 U.S. 41 Hwy N.
GAINESVILLE #1
700 NW 75th St.
GAINESVILLE #2
2649 SW 13th St.
JACKSONVILLE
6560 Ramona Blvd.
LAKE WALES
Rt. 60 & Hwy. 27
MELBOURNE
10911 W. New Haven Avenue
NATIONAL GARDENS
U.S. 1 & I-95
NORTH PALM BEACH
757 U.S. 1 North
ORLANDO #1
5870 S. Orange Blossom Trail
ORLANDO #2
9401 S. Orange Blossom Trail
ST. AUGUSTINE
I-95 & St. Rt. 16 near Holiday Inn
TAMPA
11414 Central Ave.
WILDWOOD
W. Hwy 44 between I-75 & Fla. 41
GEORGIA
ATHENS
2715 Atlanta Hwy.
ATLANTA
4230 Wendell Dr. SW
AUGUSTA
Molly Pond Road & U.S. 1
COMMERCE
I-85 & St. Rt. 441
SAVANNAH SOUTH
I-95 & U.S. 17 S
INDIANA
FORT WAYNE
1401 W. Washington Center Rd.
KENTUCKY
BEREA
I-75 Southbound Off-Ramp
BOWLING GREEN
U.S. 31 & I-65 Southbound off-ramp/connector
MADISONVILLE
U.S. 41 Pennyrile Parkway Exit
LOUISIANA
SLIDELL
I-59 & Hwy. 190 across from Ramada Inn
MARYLAND
EASTON
U.S. 50 next to H&G Restaurant
MISSISSIPPI
TUPELO
767 E. Main St.
MISSOURI
SIKESTON
I-55 & Hwy. 60/62
NORTH CAROLINA
ASHEBORO
220 By-Pass & 49A
ASHEVILLE
190 Tunnel Rd.
DURHAM
2337 Guess Rd.
GOLDSBORO
U.S. Hwy 70 E. near Air Base
GREENSBORO
1747 McKnight Mill Rd.
GREENVILLE
810 Memorial Dr.
KINSTON
U.S. 258 & Rt. 11
RALEIGH
5110 Hollyridge Drive
ROANOKE RAPIDS
1615 Roanoke Rapids Rd.
ROCKY MOUNT
I-95 & U.S. 301 Connector
SELMA/SMITHFIELD
I-95 at U.S. 70-A (Pine Level Exit)
WASHINGTON
U.S. Hwy 17N at city limits
WILMINGTON
4118 N. Market St.
OHIO
FINDLAY
316 Emma St.
GROVE CITY/COLUMBUS
2890 Marlane Dr.
LIMA
1800 Harding Hwy.
PENNSYLVANIA
HARRISBURG
650 Reily Street
READING
2310 Fraver Dr.
SOUTH CAROLINA
CHARLESTON #1
4500 Arco Lane
CHARLESTON #2
5169 Rivers Ave.
CHARLESTON #3
2237 Savannah Hwy
COLUMBIA #1
1617 Charleston Hwy.
COLUMBIA #2
127 Morninghill Dr.
DILLON
Rt. 9 exit of I-95
GREENVILLE
536 Wade Hampton Blvd.
HARDEEVILLE
I-95N & U.S. 17
TENNESSEE
GREENEVILLE
11E. By-Pass
JACKSON
1943 Hwy. 45 By-Pass
KINGSPORT
1704 E. Stone Dr.
TEXAS
COLLEGE STATION
2007 Texas Ave.
WACO
500 E. I-35
VIRGINIA
ASHLAND
I-95 & U.S. Rt. 54
BLACKSBURG
3333 S. Main St. (No clue but it is definitely gone)
BRISTOL
912 Commonwealth
CHARLOTTESVILLE
2014 Holiday Dr.
CHESAPEAKE #1
1439 George Washington Hwy.
CHESAPEAKE #2
3244 Western Branch Blvd.
CHESAPEAKE #3
4725 W. Military Hwy.
CHRISTIANSBURG
I-80 & U.S. 460 & 11
CULPEPER
U.S. 15 & U.S. 29 (No Clue)
DANVILLE
1390 Piney Forest Rd.
HAMPTON #1
2708 W. Mercury Blvd.
HAMPTON #2
1781 N. King St.
HARRISONBURG
I-81 Exit 64 E; Rt. 33E
LEXINGTON
U.S. 11N, Near Holiday Inn
LYNCHBURG
2400 Stadium Rd.
MARTINSVILLE
800 S. Virginia Ave. (Not Sure)
NEWPORT NEWS
11845 Jefferson Ave.
NORFOLK #1
865 N. Military Hwy.
NORFOLK #2
3343 N. Military Hwy.
NORFOLK #3
1111 E. Ocean View Ave.
NORFOLK #4
1050 Tidewater Dr.
NORFOLK #5/VIRGINIA BEACH
5819 Northampton Blvd.
PETERSBURG
25 S. Crater Rd.
PORTSMOUTH
1015 Broad St.
RICHMOND #1
5408 Williamsburg Rd.
RICHMOND #2
6523 Midlothian Turnpike
RICHMOND #3
2125 Willis Rd.
ROANOKE #1
6221 Thirlane Rd, NW
ROANOKE #2
3816 Franklin Road, SW
SALEM
1535 E. Main St.
SOUTH HILL
I-85 at U.S. 58, near Holiday Inn
STAUNTON
On U.S. 250, W of I-81
VIRGINIA BEACH #1
3637 Bonney Rd.
VIRGINIA BEACH #2
5173 Shore Dr.
WILLIAMSBURG #1
216 Parkway Dr.
WILLIAMSBURG #2
Rt. 60 W, ½ mi. W of Pottery Factory
WINCHESTER
I-81 at Rt. 50 (Exit 80)
WOODBRIDGE
13317 Gordon Blvd. (Building still standing but boarded up)
WYTHEVILLE
1190 E. Main St.
WEST VIRGINIA
BLUEFIELD
3400 Cumberland Rd.