McIntosh Inn: The Hotel Brand That Got Away
Apr 3, 2018, 2:21 pm
#2
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: home = LAX
Posts: 25,933
http://mcintoshinn.com
but it's now a domain up for sale. And that link is at a LinkedIn page, but I'm not a LinkedIn member, so I can't explore further.
But anyway, if they surrendered their website, it sure looks like they went "poof", since different McIntosh Inn properties became different brands (another one became a Holiday Inn Express, for example).
Oct 6, 2019, 8:18 am
#3
formerly Will Stonehocker
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2017
Posts: 587
Like that one in Princeton that is now a Comfort Inn...
i read somewhere that mcintosh inn started in 1974. does anyone know what they were like at one point? my mom used to work near one in east brunswick, back when she was an educator.
i read somewhere that mcintosh inn started in 1974. does anyone know what they were like at one point? my mom used to work near one in east brunswick, back when she was an educator.
The name McIntosh Inn kind of sounds like Macintosh computers, lol.
Last edited by FlyinHawaiian; Oct 6, 2019 at 2:09 pm Reason: consecutive posts merged
Oct 8, 2019, 4:55 pm
#4
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: Newton Centre, MA, USA
Programs: DL 2MM Gold, AA Plat Pro; Hilton Lifetime Diamond, Bonvoy Lifetime Titanium (via SPG), IHG Plat
Posts: 2,192
My gut feeling is that Choice Hotels probably bought the McIntosh Brand and merged the hotels into whichever of its existing brands made the most sense (since a quick Google Search show a bunch of previously McIntosh Inns as being either Comfort Inn or Quality Inn). But I can find no proof of this theory of mine.
Oct 8, 2019, 5:15 pm
#5
formerly Will Stonehocker
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2017
Posts: 587
My gut feeling is that Choice Hotels probably bought the McIntosh Brand and merged the hotels into whichever of its existing brands made the most sense (since a quick Google Search show a bunch of previously McIntosh Inns as being either Comfort Inn or Quality Inn). But I can find no proof of this theory of mine.
Oct 9, 2019, 7:08 am
#6
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: Newton Centre, MA, USA
Programs: DL 2MM Gold, AA Plat Pro; Hilton Lifetime Diamond, Bonvoy Lifetime Titanium (via SPG), IHG Plat
Posts: 2,192
Oct 9, 2019, 5:35 pm
#7
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: home = LAX
Posts: 25,933
I've seen plenty of threads on FlyerTalk about hotels which went through double conversions (program A to program B to program C).
If it's near your mom's office, perhaps you know where to find a series of old phone books (say, at a local library?), to look up the history of that location over time, to see if it went through more than one conversion? Or perhaps go to that hotel during a weekday and see if the manager knows something about the hotel's history?
Oct 9, 2019, 5:40 pm
#8
formerly Will Stonehocker
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2017
Posts: 587
Could it be that this particular property converted twice, once from McIntosh Inn to Choice, and then from Choice to Best Western?
I've seen plenty of threads on FlyerTalk about hotels which went through double conversions (program A to program B to program C).
If it's near your mom's office, perhaps you know where to find a series of old phone books (say, at a local library?), to look up the history of that location over time, to see if it went through more than one conversion? Or perhaps go to that hotel during a weekday and see if the manager knows something about the hotel's history?
I've seen plenty of threads on FlyerTalk about hotels which went through double conversions (program A to program B to program C).
If it's near your mom's office, perhaps you know where to find a series of old phone books (say, at a local library?), to look up the history of that location over time, to see if it went through more than one conversion? Or perhaps go to that hotel during a weekday and see if the manager knows something about the hotel's history?
Oct 9, 2019, 5:44 pm
#9
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: home = LAX
Posts: 25,933
Well, you need to do some research to figure out some of these questions, rather than only relying on memories (yours and others) when they seem to conflict.
Oct 9, 2019, 7:07 pm
#10
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: Newton Centre, MA, USA
Programs: DL 2MM Gold, AA Plat Pro; Hilton Lifetime Diamond, Bonvoy Lifetime Titanium (via SPG), IHG Plat
Posts: 2,192
It could be that McIntosh Inns just folded and some hotels joined the Choice (Comfort / Quality) Chain while this one chose to join Best Western (possibly because there was already a Comfort Inn nearby). I can find some Internet pages that have this phone number listed just as "East Brunswick Inn". Whatever happened seemed to happen in late 2004 or 2005.
Oct 10, 2019, 4:57 pm
#11
formerly Will Stonehocker
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2017
Posts: 587
It could be that McIntosh Inns just folded and some hotels joined the Choice (Comfort / Quality) Chain while this one chose to join Best Western (possibly because there was already a Comfort Inn nearby). I can find some Internet pages that have this phone number listed just as "East Brunswick Inn". Whatever happened seemed to happen in late 2004 or 2005.
Re: the Comfort Suites in East Brunswick, that hotel appears to be from the mid-2000's (2005, I think), but I can't find the exact year it opened.
As for what used to be a McIntosh Inn in Lawrenceville New Jersey (right outside Princeton), that hotel went to Comfort Inn and then downgraded itself to Quality Inn. If I'm not mistaken, that hotel appears to be from the mid-2000's.
And for that former McIntosh Inn in Mount Laurel New Jersey, that is now a Rodeway Inn. If my research proves me correctly, that hotel appears to be from the 1970's.
Last edited by FlyinHawaiian; Oct 10, 2019 at 6:38 pm Reason: consecutive posts merged
Oct 26, 2020, 8:44 pm
#12
Join Date: Oct 2020
Posts: 1
I stayed at a Mcintosh in Frazer / Malvern PA in 1989 and it remained one for a decade before becoming a Holiday. There was one in North Wilmington DE that became the independent INN at Wilmington for years before very recently becoming a Holiday. So I think you are off the mark with a complete takeover by Choice, but I'm very interested. Did they get sued by Apple Macintosh? Or was it just a bad business? There is still a Mcintosh in Media PA but it lacks the apple branding so no clue if related. But I seem to remember several others around Southeastern Pennsylvania and northern Delaware. I can't believe they haven't left any footprint or explanation.
Oct 26, 2020, 9:07 pm
#13
formerly Will Stonehocker
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2017
Posts: 587
I stayed at a Mcintosh in Frazer / Malvern PA in 1989 and it remained one for a decade before becoming a Holiday. There was one in North Wilmington DE that became the independent INN at Wilmington for years before very recently becoming a Holiday. So I think you are off the mark with a complete takeover by Choice, but I'm very interested. Did they get sued by Apple Macintosh? Or was it just a bad business? There is still a Mcintosh in Media PA but it lacks the apple branding so no clue if related. But I seem to remember several others around Southeastern Pennsylvania and northern Delaware. I can't believe they haven't left any footprint or explanation.