Wise purchases former Days Inn, changes name
TOM PINNEY/DAILY FORUM
A new name Pictured is the new sign for the Country Hearth Inn at 222 East Summit Drive in Maryville. The former America’s Best Value Inn became a Country Hearth Inn after owner Wise Motels, Inc. acquired the former Days Inn and Suites on East First Street and decided to move the franchise name to the new property.
After roughly two and a half years, the former Days Inn and Suites at 1700 East First Street has a new name and a new owner.
On Dec. 15, Atlantic, Iowa-based Wise Motels, Inc. officially purchased the Days Inn and Suites. Wise then decided to rebrand the hotel as an America’s Best Value Inn and Suites, changing the existing America’s Best Value Inn at 222 East Summit Drive to a Country Hearth Inn.
This is Wise Motels’ third hotel property owned in Maryville. He said it made sense to purchase the property when it came up for sale.
“Whenever you can expand your presence in a market, it helps provide better service coming to Maryville,” owner Kelly Wise said. “The market has been good in Maryville, so it made sense to purchase the Days Inn.
“The rebranding was easy since Country Hearth Inn and America’s Best Value Inn and Suites are both owned by the Red Lion Motel Corporation. The former Days Inn and Suites is a larger property and America’s Best Value Inn and Suites has more name brand recognition, so that’s why we decided to move the brand name to the bypass and make the existing America’s Best Value a Country Hearth.”
Because Red Lion Motel Corporation owns both franchise names, the only changes that needed to be made to what is now the Country Hearth Inn were logos and signs.
The name and ownership are just about the only changes at the former Days Inn and Suites, as Wise chose to keep general manager Linda Christensen and her crew in their positions.
“As a competitor, Linda was good at her job,” Wise said. “It made sense to keep her on as my employee because she knows what she’s doing.”
Christensen became the general manager of the Days Inn and Suites when it was purchased in 2014 by Hospitality Operating Management, LLC. Before coming to Maryville, she managed a Microtel and a University Inn in Ames, Iowa.
Altogether, Christensen has been in the hotel business for quite some time.
“I was the assistant general manager at this property when it was a Microtel 20 years ago,” Christensen said. “I was actually born and raised in the area; in fact, what used to be my family farm is now in Mozingo Lake.”
Christensen said she was excited for the changes.
“The system is much more user friendly, and all my staff came with me through the ownership change,” Christensen said. “There’s a lot less stress now.
“When we were put up for sale and the owner was anxious not knowing who was going to buy the property, we all got stressed out about it. Now, that burden and stress is gone, and we can focus back on giving top-notch service like we always have.”
Wise said the property will remain open as renovations take place.
“We’ll be working as the year goes on, putting in new bedding, carpeting, drapes, and putting flat-screen televisions in all of the rooms,” Wise said. “We’ll still be renting rooms, however; the workers won’t even be noticeable to our guests.”
Wise is aiming to have renovations complete by this fall.
TOM PINNEY/DAILY FORUM
New name and ownership Atlantic, Iowa-based Wise Motels, Inc. purchased the Days Inn and Suites at 1700 East First Street and named it as its America’s Best Value Inn and Suites franchise. Wise Motels, Inc. retained the former Days Inn and Suites’ staff and management.