Red Roof Inn is an American economy

hotel chain A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suite (hotel), suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a d ...

based in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

with over 600 properties globally, primarily in the Midwest, Southern, and Eastern United States. Red Roof Inn is a pet-friendly hotel chain.

History

Foundation and early years

The earliest iteration of the Red Roof Inn was founded in

Columbus, Ohio Columbus (, ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Ohio, most populous city of the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 United States census, 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the List of United States ...

, in 1973. Its founder was American businessman and automobile racing team owner

Jim Trueman James R. Trueman (May 25, 1935 – June 11, 1986) was an American businessman and automobile racing team owner. His most successful business ventures were Red Roof Inn motels and the Truesports racing team. Bobby Rahal won the 1986 Indianapo ...

. Trueman died in 1986. The company remained in the hands of the Trueman family for eight years after his death. In 1994, The

Morgan Stanley Morgan Stanley is an American multinational investment bank and financial services company headquartered at 1585 Broadway in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. With offices in 42 countries and more than 80,000 employees, the firm's clients in ...

Real Estate Fund purchased Red Roof from the Trueman family. In 1997, they began to franchise the company with their first franchised location in

Branson, Missouri Branson is a city in the U.S. state of Missouri. Most of the city is situated in Taney County, Missouri, Taney County, with a small portion in the west extending into Stone County, Missouri, Stone County. Branson is in the Ozarks, Ozark Mountain ...

. In 1999, the company was purchased from the Morgan Stanley Real Estate Fund by French hospitality management company

Accor Accor S.A. is a French multinational hospitality company that owns, manages and franchises hotels, resorts and vacation properties. It is the largest hospitality company in Europe, and the sixth largest hospitality company worldwide. Accor ope ...

. At the time of the purchase, the Red Roof Inn had 324 locations and 37,208 rooms. Accor, which owned various hotel brands including

Motel 6 Motel 6 is an American chain of motels with locations in the United States and Canada. The chain was founded in Santa Barbara, California, in 1962 by William W. Becker and Paul Greene, and derives its name from the fact that rooms initially cos ...

, purchased the Red Roof Inn for $1.115 billion. As a result of the purchase, Accor became the third largest chain in guestrooms worldwide at the time. In April 2007, Accor announced the sale of Red Roof Inn to

Citigroup Citigroup Inc. or Citi (Style (visual arts), stylized as citi) is an American multinational investment banking, investment bank and financial services company based in New York City. The company was formed in 1998 by the merger of Citicorp, t ...

Global Special Situations Group and Westbridge Hospitality Fund LP for $1.3 billion. As part of the sale, some locations were converted to Accor's other North American brand,

. Accor planned to focus their efforts in the North American accommodation market exclusively on the Motel 6 brand after the sale was complete. In 2013, the company began a $150 million investment to upgrade and renovate the existing hotels nationwide with the new NextGen room design. The NextGen design featured wood-like flooring, upgraded bedding, wireless internet, flat screen TVs,

granite countertop A countertop, also counter top, counter, benchtop, worktop (British English) or kitchen bench (Australian or New Zealand English), bunker (Scottish English) is a raised, firm, flat, and horizontal surface. They are built for work in kitchens o ...

s, and

vessel sink A sink (also known as ''basin'' in the UK) is a bowl-shaped plumbing fixture for washing hands, dishwashing, and other purposes. Sinks have a tap (faucet) that supplies hot and cold water and may include a spray feature to be used for faster ...

s in the bathroom. To coincide with the 40th anniversary of the launch of the brand, a semi truck with an exact model of the new room type toured the country. After the sale from Accor, the franchising unit was placed into a separate business entity, Red Roof Franchising, LLC, in 2021.

Corporate property management spin-off

Since inception, Red Roof Inn has owned and managed a number of properties directly. With the purchase of the brand from Accor, individual inns were placed into portfolios purchased by investment groups such as Five Mile Capital Partners, LLC., while Red Roof retained management by 2021. Through sales of individual inns for various reasons, the managed properties were whittled down to 67 by September 2020, when they were removed from under the Red Roof Inn Inc. umbrella and managed by a newly formed entity named RRI West Management, LLC. Some administrative functions remained in New Albany, Ohio, while others moved to El Cajon, California. RRI West became the single largest franchisee of the Red Roof brand.

International expansion

Red Roof opened its first international location in

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

in September 2015. The

Curitiba, Brazil Curitiba () is the capital and largest city in the state of Paraná (state), Paraná in Southern Brazil. The city's population was 1,773,718 , making it the List of cities in Brazil by population, eighth most populous city in Brazil and the larg ...

hotel was followed by the opening of a second hotel in Vitoria, Brazil, which opened in April 2016 in partnership with the Brazil-based Nobile Hotels. Red Roof Franchising, LLC, working along with Nobile, plans on developing 35-40 properties across Brazil over the next 25 years. In July 2016, Red Roof expanded to Japan by opening a hotel in the Namba area of

Osaka, Japan is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third-most populous city in Japan, following the special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a populatio ...

. In partnership with Paragon Hotels, Red Roof planned on opening a series of new-build hotels in major tourist locations across

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

. That deal has since failed to materialize. The hotel brand, partnered with FANS International Hospitality Group, intends to grow the brand starting with a location in

Calgary, Alberta Calgary () is a major city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a Metropolitan area, metropolitan population of 1,481,806 making it the List of ...

. This is the first of multiple hotel properties planned to be converted in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

over the next five years.

Brands

Red Roof Inn
The first Red Roof Inn location opened in Columbus, Ohio in 1973, charging guests just $8.50 a night. Red Roof PLUS+
Red Roof PLUS+ was launched in early 2014, as a higher-tier extension and not a separate brand. The Red Roof Plus concept is labelled as "Upscale Economy." In addition to the all new "NextGen" design, the Plus+ property offers a select number of Premium Rooms that feature additional amenities such as upgraded bath towels, high end bedding, Seattle's Best in-room coffee, and a snack box with water, orange juice, popcorn, trail mix and granola bars. The Red Roof PLUS+ is highlighted by a bright red lighted canopy at the entrance to the lobby. The Red Collection
In 2018, Red Roof announced the launch of their first soft brand, The Red Collection, a chain of midscale hotels in downtown urban areas featuring modern decor inspired by the city where it is located. The flagship location, The St. Clair Hotel - Magnificent Mile, opened in 2018 in Downtown

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

. The brand quickly expanded to include State House Inn in

Springfield, Illinois Springfield is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Illinois. Its population was 114,394 at the 2020 United States census, which makes it the state's List of cities in Illinois, seventh-most populous cit ...

and Lord & Moris Times Square Hotel in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. In June 2020, The State House Inn left The Red Collection and joined Trademark By Wyndham association. HomeTowne Studios by Red Roof
In 2018, Red Roof Inn launched HomeTowne Studios by Red Roof, which is a brand with a focus on accommodating longer-term guests. Formerly Crossland Economy Studios, and then Home Towne Suites, HomeTowne Studios by Red Roof underwent a phased launch of over 30 properties across more than 20 markets with nearly 4,000 rooms. As of 2021, there are 54 locations.

Controversies & Legal Issues

Sex Trafficking Negligence Lawsuits

The Red Roof Inn corporation has had several legal cases involving their alleged negligence towards

sex trafficking Sex trafficking is human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation. Perpetrators of the crime are called sex traffickers or pimps—people who manipulate victims to engage in various forms of commercial sex with paying customers. Se ...

victims that were brought into their hotels. According to

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

, the chain is undergoing 42 federal lawsuits as of July 2024. These lawsuits allege, amongst a series of serious allegations, that the company "...turned a blind eye and profited from ex trafficker'sabuse for years." Another lawsuit, which related to similar alleged conduct by the company from 2009 to 2018, was settled in June 2024.

References

External links

* * {{Citigroup Motels in the United States Hotel chains in the United States Hospitality companies of the United States Franchises Companies based in the Columbus, Ohio metropolitan area Hotels established in 1973 1973 establishments in Ohio 1999 mergers and acquisitions Citigroup American corporate subsidiaries