Friendship Inn was an American

motel A motel, also known as a motor hotel, motor inn or motor lodge, is a hotel designed for motorists, usually having each room entered directly from the Parking lot, parking area for motor vehicles rather than through a central Lobby (room), lo ...

chain. Established as a

referral chain A referral hotel chain is a type of hotel franchise. It is a type of hotel that operates independently but maintains affiliation with a given chain. To stay within the chain, the hotel must meet certain minimum criteria. History The referral chain ...

based in

Salt Lake City, Utah Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the county seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Salt ...

in 1961, Friendship Inns of America did not require its members to meet the same restrictive standards or high membership fees as many competing chains of the time. As a result, the Friendship Inn branding spread rapidly, with 771 member locations in 1974, largely older independent motels with low prices and limited amenities. The chain's logo, which remained the same throughout its lifetime, was a

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon f ...

designed by a British heraldry expert. In 1985, the referral chain was converted into a corporate franchise, managed by the new Friendship Inns Franchising Corporation based in

North Bergen, New Jersey North Bergen is a township in the northern part of Hudson County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 63,361, an increase of 2,588 (+4.3%) from the 2010 census count of 60,773, ...

. By 1989, the number of Friendship Inn franchises had fallen to 129. That same year, the Friendship Inn was acquired by Econo Lodges of America, which in turn was bought out by Quality Inns International (later

Choice Hotels Choice Hotels International, Inc. is an American multinational hospitality company based in North Bethesda, Maryland. The company, which is one of the largest hotel chains in the world, owns various hotel brands ranging from upscale to economy. ...

) in 1990. In 1997, the Friendship Inn brand was eliminated, with its locations being converted to the

Rodeway Inn Rodeway Inn is a chain of hotels in the United States and Canada. Founded by Michael Robinson in 1962, the franchise is now led by Choice Hotels corporation. As of June 30, 2020, there are 578 Rodeway Inn locations in North America, with appro ...

brand."Choice Hotels International, Inc. 1997 Annual Report to Stockholders"
via EDGAR,

Securities and Exchange Commission The United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is an independent agency of the United States federal government, created in the aftermath of the Wall Street crash of 1929. Its primary purpose is to enforce laws against market m ...

. Retrieved May 30, 2024.

References

{{Hotel chains Motels in the United States Hotels established in 1961 Choice Hotels brands American companies established in 1961 1961 establishments in Utah American companies disestablished in 1997

See also

References