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 Formerly known as the Atlanta Route 66 Motel,
Holkar recently became a member of the Choice Hotel’s franchise,
thus the change of name.
Gaurav purchased the motel in 2007 and at that time it was a part of
the America’s Best franchise. In 2009 he left that franchise and
since then the Atlanta Motel has operated as an independent entity,
not associated with any name brand.
Since 2015, with help from his brother Deepak and support from
people such as Atlanta Mayor Fred Finchum and Logan County Economic
Development Partnership Director Bill Thomas, Gaurav has been
working to get his motel in a position to become a member of the
Choice family.
Deepak explained this week that there were some big turning points
in the brothers’ efforts, perhaps the most important of which was
the decision to dedicate the issue to God, and let Him take control
of the outcome. Deepak, who is a Methodist pastor serving local
churches, explained that as young men the thoughts were on owning a
business, becoming successful, and making money. He said God had
been left out of the equation to a certain point. But when the
brothers worked together to turn the matter over to the Lord, things
started going right.
Gaurav explained that within the Choice family, a motel does not ask
to be a part of the franchise then bring itself up to Choice
standards. Instead, the Holkars had to work to bring the motel up to
Choice standards, and maintain those standards, showing Choice that
they were dedicated to offering the type of motel and the kind of
customer experience that Choice demands and customers expect.
The brothers explained that there will be many
benefits to being a part of the Choice family. One of the most
important is that it puts them into a nation-wide network of motels.
When people shop for motels for their trips, they search websites,
often by brand. Now when travelers search for Choice motels in Logan
County, the Roadway Inn in Atlanta will be among those that show up.
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For travelers, the change means that if they take
advantage of Choice Rewards, then stays at the Roadway Inn will
count on their reward points. This is a big plus for those traveling
Route 66 across the country. Deepak explained that if they choose to
stay at Choice motels throughout their trip, for example from
Chicago to California, they can gather several points and those
points can be translated into free nights stays along their journey.
For the motel, being a part of Choice also means that they are
included in national advertising and promotions so it increases
their visibility not just in Logan County but all around the
country.
Deepak said that another nice thing about the Choice brand is that
the customers are the inspectors. Choice asks for customers to
report about their experiences at their motels. So, Deepak said it
isn’t like they have an inspection twice a year, it is like they are
having an inspection every day of the year with every customer who
comes in the door. This means they are continuously going to be
motivated to have a clean, friendly, comfortable atmosphere for
their customers.
After the ribbon cut at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, guests will be invited
to linger for light refreshments and have a chance to visit with
Gaurav and Deepak.
Inside the motel, Gaurav said that they have worked to give the
interior a fresh new look, and when guests come on Tuesday they are
looking forward to sharing tours of the facility and giving local
folk a good view of the standards that are being maintained.
The brothers are very excited about having the opportunity to share
their motel with the local community, and are hopeful that many will
come out Tuesday evening.
[Nila Smith]
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