Motel 6
An American budget motel chain operating in the United States and Canada.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Motel 6 is an American economy-lodging brand founded in Santa Barbara, California, in 1962 by building contractors William W. Becker and Paul Greene. The founders designed the business around a deliberately low-cost operating model and initially charged six dollars per night, which supplied the brand with its name. Their concept responded to a lodging market in which established chains such as Holiday Inn were becoming more expensive and more upscale. Motel 6 emphasized clean, functional rooms and limited amenities rather than full-service hospitality. Early properties commonly omitted restaurants, used coin-operated black-and-white televisions, and employed simple interiors intended to reduce construction, housekeeping, and maintenance expenses. The first Motel 6 opened on June 1, 1962, at 443 Corona del Mar in Santa Barbara. The format gained traction quickly: the chain opened its fifteenth property, and its first outside California, in Salt Lake City in 1965, followed by further expansion across the western United States. By 1966, the company had reached 25 locations and reported occupancy of approximately 85 percent. The founders sold the business to an investment group in 1968. During the 1970s the chain expanded into major tourism and population centers, including Las Vegas and Fort Lauderdale, and it reached approximately 300 locations by 1980. Ownership changed several times as the brand matured. Kohlberg Kravis Roberts acquired Motel 6 in 1985 and introduced selected amenities, including telephones and color television, moving the chain beyond its earliest no-frills presentation. During the 1980s and early 1990s, competition from other economy brands put pressure on its market position. Motel 6 acquired or absorbed several smaller motel networks, including Sixpence Inn, Envoy Inn, and Regal 8 Motels. Accor acquired the company in 1990, continued its property modernization program, and opened the first high-rise Motel 6 at Los Angeles International Airport in 1993. Franchising began in 1994 to accelerate growth beyond the chain's traditional western base. The brand broadened its lodging offer in 1999 with Studio 6, an extended-stay concept featuring suite-style rooms and kitchenettes. Motel 6 entered Canada in 2000 with a property in Burlington, Ontario. Under Accor, the company also undertook renovations and property upgrades, including the Phoenix Project, a system-wide modernization program launched in 2008. The program replaced dated furnishings and equipment while favoring durable, energy-efficient, and easy-to-clean designs that could support the brand's value positioning. Accor sold Motel 6 and its related operations to The Blackstone Group in 2012 for $1.9 billion. Blackstone operated the business through G6 Hospitality as a stand-alone lodging platform. Motel 6 remained positioned around affordable rooms, broad roadside accessibility, and a recognizable national advertising identity rather than extensive resort or food-and-beverage services. Its long-running radio campaign, voiced by Tom Bodett and built around the promise "We'll leave the light on for you," has been central to its brand recognition since 1986. In September 2024, OYO announced an agreement to acquire Motel 6 and Studio 6 from Blackstone in an all-cash transaction valued at $525 million. OYO's parent company, Oravel Stays, announced completion of the purchase on December 17, 2024, and appointed Sonal Sinha as chief executive of G6 Hospitality. In 2024, Motel 6 and Studio 6 together operated approximately 1,500 locations in the United States and Canada. The brand continues to serve price-sensitive travelers through a mixture of company-operated and franchised properties.
History
Motel 6 began in 1962 when William W. Becker and Paul Greene, two Santa Barbara building contractors, developed a low-cost motel format. After roughly two years of planning, they opened the first property on June 1, 1962, at 443 Corona del Mar in Santa Barbara. The original six-dollar room rate was intended to cover construction, land, and basic operating costs. The founders kept expenses low through compact, practical rooms, limited decoration, coin-operated black-and-white televisions, and the absence of an on-site restaurant. The concept attracted travelers who wanted a dependable room without the amenities and prices associated with increasingly upscale hotel chains. Motel 6 expanded beyond California in 1965 with a Salt Lake City property and reached 25 locations by 1966. Its reported occupancy at that stage was approximately 85 percent. The founders sold the chain to an investment group in 1968, beginning a succession of ownership changes as the brand grew nationally. Expansion continued through the 1970s, including a large Las Vegas property and an entry into Florida. The chain had about 300 locations by 1980. Kohlberg Kravis Roberts acquired Motel 6 in 1985 and began adding amenities such as telephones and color televisions. The business faced stronger competition during the decade, leading to acquisitions of smaller motel chains and a gradual shift from its most austere original format. Accor acquired Motel 6 in 1990. Under Accor, the company renovated rooms, sold weaker properties, improved locks and security systems, and opened the brand's first high-rise property at LAX in 1993. Franchising began in 1994, allowing faster expansion outside the western United States. In 1999, the company introduced Studio 6 for longer stays, with suite layouts and kitchenettes. Motel 6 entered Canada in 2000 through a Burlington, Ontario, location. The company launched the Phoenix Project in 2008 to modernize rooms across the system. The redesign replaced older furnishings and equipment with more durable, energy-conscious, and maintainable features while preserving the chain's low-cost operating model. Accor sold Motel 6 to The Blackstone Group in 2012 for $1.9 billion, and Blackstone operated it through G6 Hospitality as an independent lodging business. The chain's most durable marketing asset has been its radio advertising. Since 1986, commercials voiced by Tom Bodett have used the line "We'll leave the light on for you." The campaign became closely identified with the brand and received industry recognition, including a Clio Award in 1996. Motel 6 has nevertheless faced criticism over customer satisfaction and, more seriously, privacy and immigration-enforcement controversies. In 2017, two Phoenix-area properties were accused of voluntarily sharing guest information with ICE; subsequent litigation produced settlements in Arizona and Washington. In 2024, OYO's parent company, Oravel Stays, completed the acquisition of G6 Hospitality, which controlled Motel 6 and Studio 6. Sonal Sinha was appointed chief executive. The two brands collectively operated approximately 1,500 properties across the United States and Canada at that time.
- 2024
OYO completes acquisition
[1]Oravel Stays completed its acquisition of G6 Hospitality and appointed Sonal Sinha as chief executive.
- 2012
Blackstone acquires Motel 6
[1]Accor sold Motel 6 to The Blackstone Group for $1.9 billion, with the chain placed within the stand-alone G6 Hospitality platform.
- 1999
Studio 6 launched
[1]The company introduced an extended-stay brand with suites designed for longer visits and equipped with kitchenettes.
- 1990
Acquired by Accor
[1]The French hospitality group acquired Motel 6 and later expanded its renovation, security, and franchising programs.
- 1985
Acquired by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts
[1]The new owner began moving the chain beyond its strictest no-frills format by adding selected room amenities.
- 1965
First property outside California
[1]Motel 6 opened its fifteenth property in downtown Salt Lake City, Utah.
- 1962
First Motel 6 opens in Santa Barbara
[1]William W. Becker and Paul Greene opened the first property at 443 Corona del Mar, using a six-dollar room rate that gave the chain its name.
Products and positioning
Affordable, no-frills lodging with broad roadside coverage, functional rooms, and a familiar value-oriented service proposition.
Budget accommodation · 1962
Motel 6 standard lodging
The core Motel 6 offer consists of basic short-term motel rooms aimed at price-sensitive travelers. Properties generally focus on functional accommodation, convenient locations, and limited ancillary services rather than restaurants, resorts, or extensive meeting facilities. Room configurations and amenities vary by property, especially between renovated, franchised, and older locations.
Extended-stay accommodation · 1999
Studio 6
Studio 6 is the company's extended-stay lodging concept. Its suites are designed for longer visits and generally include kitchenette facilities, giving guests more independence than a conventional budget motel room. The brand operates alongside Motel 6 under G6 Hospitality.
Controversies
2021
Jane Doe A.A. sues Motel 6 over alleged trafficking facilitation
A trafficking survivor, identified in the lawsuit as Jane Doe A.A., sued Motel 6 in Harris County, alleging that the motel helped facilitate repeated drug and sexual abuse when she was underage. The allegations are not presented as a court finding.
2019
Washington guest-list lawsuit settlement
Washington state reached a $12 million settlement with Motel 6 over allegations that guest names from properties in the state had been supplied to ICE.
2018
Arizona privacy and discrimination settlement
Motel 6 agreed to a $7.6 million settlement in litigation connected to the Phoenix-area disclosures and allegations of discrimination and privacy violations.
2017
Disclosure of guest information to immigration authorities
Attorneys alleged that employees at two Phoenix-area Motel 6 locations provided guest information to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, contributing to arrests of people identified through motel records. Motel 6 said the practice had been implemented locally without senior-management knowledge and directed properties not to voluntarily provide daily guest lists.
Marketing campaigns
- 1986We'll leave the light on for you
United States · Canada
Motel 6 began a long-running radio campaign featuring the voice of Tom Bodett and a homespun musical treatment. The message framed the chain as a dependable, welcoming, low-cost place to stop for the night.
Outcome. The campaign became one of the lodging industry's most recognizable advertising platforms, won a Clio Award in 1996, and was later included in Advertising Age's list of notable twentieth-century campaigns.
Brand decisions
2024
Sale of G6 Hospitality to Oravel StaysM&ABackground
Blackstone agreed to sell the Motel 6 and Studio 6 platform as OYO sought to expand its presence in North American lodging.
Action taken
Oravel Stays completed an all-cash acquisition of G6 Hospitality and appointed Sonal Sinha as chief executive.
Aftermath
Motel 6 and Studio 6 became part of the OYO group while continuing to operate under their established brand names.
Announced transaction value. $525 million (2024)
2012
Sale from Accor to BlackstoneM&ABackground
Accor divested Motel 6 as part of a broader ownership transition for the economy-lodging business.
Action taken
The Blackstone Group acquired Motel 6 and operated it through G6 Hospitality on a stand-alone basis.
Aftermath
The brand remained a focused economy-lodging platform until its later transfer to OYO's parent company.
Transaction value. $1.9 billion (2012)
2008
Launch of the Phoenix ProjectStrategyBackground
Many rooms had dated furnishings, CRT televisions, carpeted floors, and maintenance issues that conflicted with a modern value-lodging proposition.
Action taken
Motel 6 began a system-wide renovation program focused on updated rooms, energy efficiency, simpler cleaning, and lower long-term maintenance costs.
Aftermath
The program modernized the physical product while attempting to preserve affordable room economics.
Recent events
Survivor files sex trafficking lawsuit against Motel 6 defendants[3]
Reported:
A Texas survivor filed a lawsuit against Motel 6-related defendants, alleging that they knowingly benefited from sex trafficking activities. The lawsuit alleges that she was trafficked at a Motel 6 location in Spring, Texas; these are allegations, not a court determination.
- Unconfirmed
Jane Doe A.A. sues Motel 6 over alleged trafficking facilitation[2]
Reported:
A trafficking survivor, identified in the lawsuit as Jane Doe A.A., sued Motel 6 in Harris County, alleging that the motel helped facilitate repeated drug and sexual abuse when she was underage. The allegations are not presented as a court finding.
Motel 6 announced a partnership with Truckers Against Trafficking[4]
Reported:
Motel 6 announced a partnership with Truckers Against Trafficking as part of its efforts to combat human trafficking.
Sources4 sources
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