Shopping on line can be easy, simple and save you lots of money. It can also take a lot of your time, frustrate you, and result in unwanted purchases. Now the same can be said for regular high street shopping, but with the vast opportunity presented by the Internet it will pay you to spend a few minutes reading this and understanding how to better optimize your Ramada shopping experience:
1. Compare - without doubt the biggest advantage that the Ramada offers shoppers today is the ability to compare thousands of Ramada at a time. This is a great thing, but not necessarily all the time! Too much can be daunting at times so take advantage of the great comparison sites and where possible let them do the hard work for you.
2. Research - if it has been said it will be on the internet. Ignorance is no longer a justifiable reason for buying the wrong thing. Take the time to research in detail everything that you could possible want to know about
3. Testimonials - don't know anybody that has bought a Ramada? Wrong! If the Ramada is good the internet will let you know. Use the Internet as a friend and get testimonials before you buy.
4. Questions - Got a question about Ramada then search the Forums, FAQ's, Blogs etc. Don't be afraid to ask .....
5. Reputation - Never heard of the company selling Ramada? Don't worry, no reason why you should know every company in the world, but you know someone that does! Use the internet to find out what people are saying about Ramada and build up a picture of their reputation for sales, returns, customer service, delivery etc.
6. Returns - still worried that even after all of the above your Ramada wont be what you want? Check out the returns policy. There is so much competition now that someone, somewhere is bound to offer the terms that you are comfortable with.
7. Feedback - happy with your Ramada then let people know, after all you are depending on others people input in your buying decision, so why not give a little back.
8. Security - check for the yellow padlock on the Ramada site before you buy, and the s after http:/ /i.e. https:// = a secure site
9. Contact - got a question about Ramada, or want to leave a comment then check out the sites contact page. Reputable companies have them and respond.
10. Payment - ready to pay for your Ramada, then use your credit card or PayPal! Be aware of companies that don't accept them, there may be genuine reasons but given the huge amount of choice you have when buying online there is no reason at all not to buy via credit card or PayPal.
Ramada is a hotel chain owned and operated by Wyndham Worldwide.
History
The lodging chain was founded in
1954 by longtime
Chicago restaurateur Marion W. Isbell (1905-1988) and a group of investors including Michael Robinson of
McAllen, Texas who later went on to start
Rodeway Inns in the early 1960s; and
Del Webb of Phoenix, who owned the
New York Yankees and went on to establish his own lodging chain, Hiway House, in 1956. Other original investors of Ramada Inns included Bill Helsing, Isbell's brother-in-law; Max Sherman of Chicago, a produce operator dubbed "The Tomato King"; Chicago attorneys Ezra Ressman and Mort Levin; and Frank Lichtenstein and Robert Rosow of San Antonio, Texas.
Ramada opened its first hotel – a 60-room facility – on
U.S. Route 66 at
Flagstaff, Arizona in 1954 and set up its headquarters in Phoenix, Arizona, where the chain built the Sahara Hotel on North 1st Street downtown in 1956 (which later became the Ramada Inn Downtown) and a 300-room Ramada Inn in the 3800 block of East Van Buren in 1958 that would become the chain's flagship property and headquarters. Mr. Isbell, like his contemporary, Kemmons Wilson, the founder of the
Holiday Inn hotel chain, devised the idea of building and operating a chain of roadside motor hotels while he was on a cross-country trip with his wife, Ingrid, and their three children. On that trip, Isbell noted the substandard quality of roadside motor courts along US highways at the time. He saw the possibility in the developing market for a chain of roadside motor hotels conveniently located along major highways which would provide lodgings with hotel-like quality at near-motel rates plus amenities such as
TV, air conditioning, swimming pools and on-premises restaurants.
The name "Ramada" was coined from the Spanish definition of "shady resting place." Through its early years until the early 1970s, a typical Ramada Inn was built of colonial Williamsburg-style architecture to set their hotels apart from the standardized architectural designs used by competitors such as Holiday Inn and
Howard Johnson's. Ramada's logo, from its start in the 1950s until around 1976, featured a friendly bald innkeeper, dubbed "Uncle Ben". He sported an apron (later a suit and tie) and held a top hat in one hand and in the other hand, a red trumpeted banner that read "Ramada Inn Roadside Hotels" (simply Ramada Inn in 1974-76 logo revision). From 1976 to 1982, the chain's logo was a simple rounded rectangle that read "Ramada Inn" in the same gothic Western style lettering of the original design. From 1982 to 2004, Ramada changed to a revised, rounded rectangular design with more modern lettering (see top logo in upper right sidebar).
The chain at one point was owned by
Ramada Inns, Inc., a holding company created by Isbell to oversee Ramada's various divisions including hotel operations, franchising, real estate, and equipment purchasing. Under Isbell's leadership, Ramada grew into one of the nation's largest lodging chains during the
1960s and 1970s with 100 Ramada Inns in operation by 1964, which grew to 250 in
1970 and nearly 650 by
1976. By the late '70s, Ramada ranked as the second largest hotel chain in the U.S. behind industry leader Holiday Inn. Also during the 1970s, Ramada expanded into worldwide operation by opening new hotels in various European nations and on other continents.
Marion W. Isbell served as president and CEO of Ramada until 1970, when he resigned the presidency and turned it over to his son, William M. Isbell. The senior Isbell continued as the chain's CEO until his retirement in 1972 and then chairman of the board until 1979. William M. Isbell would serve as Ramada's president and CEO until 1981.
Ramada developed a chain of restaurants, which were located inside the hotels, similar to the
Howard Johnson's restaurants. Ramada operated them under various names including Uncle Ben's Kitchen, Ramada Pancake Cottage and Chez Bon, as well as other names used by individual local Ramada Inn franchises. The company-owned Ramada restaurants became defunct in 1990, though the franchised hotels continue to include on-premises dining facilities. The chain has different hotel "tiers" based on price and services offered. Ramada Limiteds are budget-oriented properties, typically with no on-site restaurant, though a pool and continental breakfast are standard. Ramada Inns are full-service properties with restaurants, exercise centers, room service, and free breakfast items. Ramada Plaza Hotels are lower "upscale" properties offering business centers, enhanced room service, and concierges at many locations. Ramada Resorts are located in tourist destinations and high-traffic locations.
Around 1980 the company formed a division, Adamar of New Jersey (Ramada spelled backwards - the name Adamar had been used by the chain as early as 1970 for Ramada's hotel supply division), to manage some of its casino operations. As the lodging business suffered from the devastating effects of the early 1980s recession, Ramada retrenched some of its operations by selling off its older company-owned hotels as well as dropping some older and less profitable franchisees. It tightened the quality standards of the remaining franchised inns and hotels while plunging further into the casino and luxury hotel market and leaving behind its old image as a chain of roadside hotels.
In an attempt to revive the company's lagging business,
Ramada Inns, Inc. in 1989 decided to split its hotel/restaurant businesses and its gaming businesses. The Ramada hotels and restaurants were sold for $540 million to New World Development Company and the gaming business which included Tropicana Casino Resort Atlantic City and the Tropicana Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada as well as the Ramada Express in
Laughlin, Nevada, Casino Aztar Evansville in
Evansville, Indiana and
Casino Aztar Caruthersville in Caruthersville, Missouri were spun off to a new company called
Aztar. In the original deal for the gaming business Ramada shareholders were supposed to get $7 in cash per share plus half a share of the new Aztar Corporation. However, this changed quickly to a new deal where shareholders would receive $1 per share plus one share of Aztar Corporation. In the late 1990's Ramada was sold to
Cendant of New York, New York.
Under Cendant's (and now Wyndham's) ownership, Ramada franchises Ramada Inn, Ramada Limited, Ramada Plaza and Ramada Suites in the United States of America and
Canada. Ramada itself no longer directly or indirectly owns or operates any of the Ramada hotels. Outside of the U.S. and Canada, Ramada hotels are owned and operated or franchised by Ramada International, which until recently, was owned by rival hotel operator Marriott International. However, in 2004, Ramada International was purchased by Cendant Corporation, giving Cendant the worldwide rights to the Ramada name. Ramada International remains separate from the Ramada operations in the United States and Canada. In 2006, Cendant spun off its hotel operations, including Ramada, to Wyndham Worldwide.
See also
External links
- Ramada (U.S.A. & Canada) official website
Ramada is a hotel chain owned and operated by
Wyndham Worldwide.
History
The lodging chain was founded in
1954 by longtime Chicago restaurateur Marion W. Isbell (1905-
1988) and a group of investors including Michael Robinson of
McAllen, Texas who later went on to start Rodeway Inns in the early 1960s; and
Del Webb of Phoenix, who owned the New York Yankees and went on to establish his own lodging chain, Hiway House, in 1956. Other original investors of Ramada Inns included Bill Helsing, Isbell's brother-in-law; Max Sherman of Chicago, a produce operator dubbed "The Tomato King"; Chicago attorneys Ezra Ressman and Mort Levin; and Frank Lichtenstein and Robert Rosow of
San Antonio, Texas.
Ramada opened its first hotel – a 60-room facility – on
U.S. Route 66 at
Flagstaff, Arizona in 1954 and set up its headquarters in Phoenix, Arizona, where the chain built the Sahara Hotel on North 1st Street downtown in 1956 (which later became the Ramada Inn Downtown) and a 300-room Ramada Inn in the 3800 block of East Van Buren in 1958 that would become the chain's flagship property and headquarters. Mr. Isbell, like his contemporary, Kemmons Wilson, the founder of the
Holiday Inn hotel chain, devised the idea of building and operating a chain of roadside motor hotels while he was on a cross-country trip with his wife, Ingrid, and their three children. On that trip, Isbell noted the substandard quality of roadside motor courts along US highways at the time. He saw the possibility in the developing market for a chain of roadside motor hotels conveniently located along major highways which would provide lodgings with hotel-like quality at near-motel rates plus amenities such as TV,
air conditioning, swimming pools and on-premises restaurants.
The name "Ramada" was coined from the Spanish definition of "shady resting place." Through its early years until the early 1970s, a typical Ramada Inn was built of colonial Williamsburg-style architecture to set their hotels apart from the standardized architectural designs used by competitors such as Holiday Inn and Howard Johnson's. Ramada's logo, from its start in the 1950s until around 1976, featured a friendly bald innkeeper, dubbed "Uncle Ben". He sported an apron (later a suit and tie) and held a top hat in one hand and in the other hand, a red trumpeted banner that read "Ramada Inn Roadside Hotels" (simply Ramada Inn in 1974-76 logo revision). From 1976 to 1982, the chain's logo was a simple rounded rectangle that read "Ramada Inn" in the same gothic Western style lettering of the original design. From 1982 to 2004, Ramada changed to a revised, rounded rectangular design with more modern lettering (see top logo in upper right sidebar).
The chain at one point was owned by
Ramada Inns, Inc., a holding company created by Isbell to oversee Ramada's various divisions including hotel operations, franchising, real estate, and equipment purchasing. Under Isbell's leadership, Ramada grew into one of the nation's largest lodging chains during the 1960s and 1970s with 100 Ramada Inns in operation by
1964, which grew to 250 in 1970 and nearly 650 by 1976. By the late '70s, Ramada ranked as the second largest hotel chain in the U.S. behind industry leader Holiday Inn. Also during the 1970s, Ramada expanded into worldwide operation by opening new hotels in various European nations and on other continents.
Marion W. Isbell served as president and CEO of Ramada until 1970, when he resigned the presidency and turned it over to his son, William M. Isbell. The senior Isbell continued as the chain's CEO until his retirement in 1972 and then chairman of the board until 1979. William M. Isbell would serve as Ramada's president and CEO until 1981.
Ramada developed a chain of restaurants, which were located inside the hotels, similar to the Howard Johnson's restaurants. Ramada operated them under various names including Uncle Ben's Kitchen, Ramada Pancake Cottage and Chez Bon, as well as other names used by individual local Ramada Inn franchises. The company-owned Ramada restaurants became defunct in 1990, though the franchised hotels continue to include on-premises dining facilities. The chain has different hotel "tiers" based on price and services offered. Ramada Limiteds are budget-oriented properties, typically with no on-site restaurant, though a pool and continental breakfast are standard. Ramada Inns are full-service properties with restaurants, exercise centers, room service, and free breakfast items. Ramada Plaza Hotels are lower "upscale" properties offering business centers, enhanced room service, and concierges at many locations. Ramada Resorts are located in tourist destinations and high-traffic locations.
Around 1980 the company formed a division, Adamar of New Jersey (Ramada spelled backwards - the name Adamar had been used by the chain as early as 1970 for Ramada's hotel supply division), to manage some of its casino operations. As the lodging business suffered from the devastating effects of the early 1980s recession, Ramada retrenched some of its operations by selling off its older company-owned hotels as well as dropping some older and less profitable franchisees. It tightened the quality standards of the remaining franchised inns and hotels while plunging further into the casino and luxury hotel market and leaving behind its old image as a chain of roadside hotels.
In an attempt to revive the company's lagging business,
Ramada Inns, Inc. in 1989 decided to split its hotel/restaurant businesses and its gaming businesses. The Ramada hotels and restaurants were sold for $540 million to New World Development Company and the gaming business which included Tropicana Casino Resort Atlantic City and the
Tropicana Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada as well as the Ramada Express in
Laughlin, Nevada, Casino Aztar Evansville in Evansville, Indiana and Casino Aztar Caruthersville in Caruthersville, Missouri were spun off to a new company called Aztar. In the original deal for the gaming business Ramada shareholders were supposed to get $7 in cash per share plus half a share of the new Aztar Corporation. However, this changed quickly to a new deal where shareholders would receive $1 per share plus one share of Aztar Corporation. In the late 1990's Ramada was sold to Cendant of New York, New York.
Under Cendant's (and now Wyndham's) ownership, Ramada franchises Ramada Inn, Ramada Limited, Ramada Plaza and Ramada Suites in the
United States of America and
Canada. Ramada itself no longer directly or indirectly owns or operates any of the Ramada hotels. Outside of the U.S. and Canada, Ramada hotels are owned and operated or franchised by Ramada International, which until recently, was owned by rival hotel operator Marriott International. However, in 2004, Ramada International was purchased by Cendant Corporation, giving Cendant the worldwide rights to the Ramada name. Ramada International remains separate from the Ramada operations in the United States and Canada. In 2006, Cendant spun off its hotel operations, including Ramada, to
Wyndham Worldwide.
See also
External links
- Ramada (U.S.A. & Canada) official website
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