Summary: <br> {caption}Almost overnight, the roadside motel is a hot commodity. Travelers are going by car and when they stop they want the safest stay possible so they’re gravitating to exterior-corridor accommodations.{/caption}<br> Nostalgia for road tripping steers travelers to safe-haven motels<br> ishal Patel and Sunny Patel live in Tucson, Arizona, and wanted to develop a hotel that captured the outdoorsy ethos of the Sunset State.<br> A couple years ago, they acquired an economy motel along a main street in downtown Tucson with plans to redevelop it into a hip gathering place for locals and visitors.<br> The fact that the property is exterior corridor played into the partners’ buying decision.<br> Today, as the coronavirus pandemic has made health and safety the number-one amenity sought by guests, Vishal and Sunny have hit pay dirt.<br> Exterior corridor properties shunned over the past decade by many major franchisers have a new shine as travelers shy away from close human contact in fear of contracting COVID-19, the virus caused by the new coronavirus.<br> {caption}SUNSHINE + SAFETY: Vishal Patel and Sunny Patel opened their independent boutique hotel, The Tuxon, at the height of the coronavirus pandemic. The exterior-corridor property has attracted guests who have made safety and security top priorities during their stay. Having outside access to their rooms is a favored amenity.{/caption}<br> The 112-room independent motel, renamed <a href="https://www.thetuxonhotel.com/">The Tuxon</a>, caters to visitors’ heightened awareness of how the illness is spread. The design goes a long way to ease guests’ worry that they’ll unwittingly be exposed to the virus.<br> <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryan-tubaugh-6252ba11/">Bryan Tubaugh</a> is executive vice president at <a href="https://focushospitalitymanagement.com/">Focus Hospitality Management</a>, manager of The Tuxon. He said while the hotel’s outdoor accessibility is definitely a selling point to travelers, it’s usually not until after guests arrive do they realize the benefit of being able to access their room without going through a lobby.<br> “One of the things that we’re finding is guests don’t really choose the hotel because of the exterior corridor. However, when they arrive they realize, ‘Oh, my goodness, this is something we should take into consideration the next time we travel,’” Tubaugh said.<br> Because guests can drive to their room’s front door, use mobile check-in and even order food and beverage via an app, the services create an “Aha moment” because of the safety it all provides, he said.<br> LISTEN: ‘ALLURE OF THE DOOR’: Hospitality leaders celebrate the comeback of exterior-corridor hotels that give travelers a greater sense of control during the coronavirus pandemic and advise on how you can prepare your property to receive guests who value safety and certainty.<br> The Tuxon is a conversion project. It was once a Motel 6. After a few weeks of watching the COVID-19 outbreak’s impact on travel and guest preferences, the owners decided to add an indoor-outdoor bar and lounge to the original plans. They also were able to expand the floor space to adhere to social-distancing guidelines.<br> The hotel has gated access that assures only staff and guests are on property, which adds an extra element of safety in the coronavirus age.<br> Besides the hotel’s layout and messaging that promotes safety, Arizona’s reputation for wellness is also a big selling point.<br> “It’s funny, a lot of business travelers in the past would really frown on exterior corridor and now … we can really tie that into the natural outdoor setting that Arizona has to offer from the marketing standpoint,” Tubaugh said.<br> “The messaging is saying we’re offering a safe environment while also the safety and wellbeing from being outside.”<br> <br> {caption}”THE CAR IS KING’: MMGY Intelligence reports prospective travelers plan to go by pers...
