At Motel 6, we've challenged ourselves to design a new-build property that is easy to develop and maintain, yet upgrades the guest stay experience over traditional "budget" designs. We're very proud of the outcome. The company and our franchisees are building several examples of this new prototype in various sizes and configurations throughout the country.
Of course, we've had an "unfair advantage" in developing this design. As the largest owner-operator of economy lodging in the country, we have 35 years of experience and over 30 million guests annually. Our operators know what's easy to clean and maintain, and what's not. Our guests know what they like, and what they don't. All that experience is reflected in this new design.
The traditional motel, with its exterior doors, has undeniable convenience in terms of guest access to and from an automobile. However, it has drawbacks which are increasing in importance to the motel operator and his guests. During entry and exit, the guestroom is "open to the world" and heat and cool escapes to the atmosphere. Except in "paradise climates," this consumes a lot of energy, and utilities are not getting cheaper. At Motel 6, with a large number of exterior-door motels, we have spent over 8% of our revenues on utility bills. Clearly, an interior-corridor design is a more efficient user of energy, and a convenience to guests in extreme weather. Access to rooms can be more carefully controlled. And, it is not more expensive to build!
Maintenance costs can be reduced also. An interior-corridor design does not expose every door to the weather, or place as much emphasis on proper door sealing. Interior hallways do not have to be cleared of snow, or their railings checked for security or constantly repainted to hide rust.
Every hotel or motel developer faces the same set of height design concerns. A tall building uses less land and is easier to see from a distance. A single-story building needs less emphasis on structural integrity but its "footprint" causes management, guest convenience, and land-cost problems. Starting with a clean sheet of paper, we studied all the alternatives, and we believe the three-story version of our prototype building hits the "sweet spot" among all the alternatives.
As the low-price leader, we are of course concerned with development cost. And in most areas, "stick" (wood-frame) construction is by far the most cost-efficient for motels, but its practical limit is a three-story design; buildings of four or five stories require more expensive concrete or masonry construction. Unless land cost is extremely high, the wood-frame building yields the most "bang for the buck." We recommend three stories for structures of 60 rooms or more, which saves over 6,000 square feet of land compared to a two-story equivalent.
Finally, it's very important that a potential guest exiting the freeway can see the property. Signs help, but a taller building can simply be seen from further away - even if it's on the less-expensive site behind a one-story restaurant. Our building design incorporates built-in signage opportunities.