Exel Inn was an American

lodging Lodging refers to the use of a short-term dwelling, usually by renting the living space or sometimes through some other arrangement. People who travel and stay away from home for more than a day need lodging for sleep, rest, food, safety, shelt ...

chain based in

Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the county seat of Dane County and the capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census the population was 269,840, making it the second-largest city in Wisconsin by population, after Milwaukee, and the 80th ...

. It was founded as Interstate Inn in 1972 by David Stauffacher. The first one was located on East Towne Boulevard in Madison. Stauffacher changed the motel's name to Exel Inn in 1974 after he was unable to get a copyright for the chain's original logo, which incorporated the

Interstate Highway System The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, commonly known as the Interstate Highway System, is a network of controlled-access highways that forms part of the National Highway System in the United States. T ...

shield. Throughout the chain's history, Stauffacher operated it with his family. In 2008, Stauffacher sold the chain, which at the time comprised 22 hotels, to

Wyndham Worldwide Travel + Leisure Co. (formerly Wyndham Destinations, Inc. and Wyndham Worldwide Corporation) is an American timeshare company headquartered in Orlando, Florida. It develops, sells, and manages timeshare properties under several vacation ownershi ...

. Wyndham re-branded all 22 properties to

Days Inn Days Inn is a hotel chain headquartered in the United States. It was founded in 1970 by Cecil B. Day, who opened the first location in Tybee Island, Georgia. The brand is now a part of the Wyndham Hotels and Resorts, headquartered in Parsippany ...

Baymont Inn & Suites Baymont Inn & Suites is a hotel franchise owned by Wyndham Hotels & Resorts and based in the United States. As of December 31, 2018, it has 513 properties with 40,541 rooms. History The chain began as an idea by the former CEO of Marcus Cor ...

, Super 8 Motel,

Howard Johnson's Howard Johnson's, or Howard Johnson by Wyndham, is an American hotel chain and former restaurant chain. Founded by Howard Deering Johnson in 1925 as a restaurant, it was the largest restaurant chain in the U.S. throughout the 1960s and 1970s, ...

, or

Travelodge Travelodge (formerly TraveLodge) refers to several hotel chains around the world. Current operations include: the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Spain, Ireland, New Zealand, Australia and several countries in Asia. However, ma ...

References

{{Hotel chains Defunct hotel chains Defunct companies based in Wisconsin Hotels established in 1972 Hotels disestablished in 2008 1972 establishments in Wisconsin 2008 disestablishments in Wisconsin Wyndham brands 2008 mergers and acquisitions