Admiral Benbow Inn

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Americas Best Value Inn & Suites, c. 2006
Tiffany Restaurant at The Admiral Benbow Inn

The Admiral Benbow Inn was a 4-story, 200-room hotel and convention center located at 260 Oxmoor Road near I-65 in Homewood.

Admiral Benbow Inns were founded in Memphis, Tennessee by Robert B. Wood and expanded in partnership with Interstate Inns Inc. of Memphis. The chain had 18 restaurants and 6 motels when the Mobile-based Morrison Cafeterias Consolidated Inc. agreed to purchase it in 1967. The deal closed in April 1968.

The Homewood hotel project was announced as a $4 million, 5-story, 300-room luxury hotel in September 1970. It was developed by Johnson Rast & Hays for Joseph Sandner Jr and a local group of investors. Harry D. Hester & Associates designed the building. The site, "along the crest of Red Mountain", was annexed into Homewood. Called the Admiral Benbow Inn of Two Cities, it was to have featured a rooftop restaurant with views of Birmingham and Homewood. The meeting facilities were to have included a 2,500-seat ballroom and display areas for trade shows. The parking area was designed for 500 cars.

The final project was reduced in scope to just four floors with 200 rooms and smaller convention facilities. In April 1972 the project was listed as having a construction cost of $1.5 million. It opened on December 1, 1972. It boasted the 150-seat restaurant, lounge, meeting facilities for 300, and an outdoor swimming pool. Edmondson Management Services of Memphis operated the hotel which was franchised to Morrison Inc.

The "Tiffany Restaurant"

The "Copper Top Lounge", named in honor of its copper-covered tables, was managed by Jim McGriff. Early bookings included the Tom & Marie Hoschar combo during opening week, and the Stan Kenton Orchestra in January 1973.

After the Tutwiler Hotel in downtown Birmingham closed in April [[1973], many of the staff found employment at the Admiral Benbow, and the Tiffany Restaurant began serving the Tutwiler's famous roast beef salad.

In May 1975 the Vulcan Corvair Enthusiasts hosted the national Corvair Society of America convention at the Admiral Benbow.

Since the 1970s, the hotel has operated under several other nameplates, including the Holiday Inn Homewood, Country Hearth Inn & Suites.

By 2011 it was owned by Dennis Patel, Shawn Patel and Mike Patel, and operated as Rodeway Inn & Suites and later as America's Best Value Inn & Suites

In March 2014, the Homewood City Council, citing over 150 police calls for various offenses including a a homicide and prostitution over the 32-month period since June 2011, voted to declare the business a public nuisance and revoke its business license.

The Patels filed a lawsuit against the city on March 21, and in May the owners and the city agreed to a settlement where the motel could continue to operate until July 31, by which time it would be sold to another party or closed. As the deadline loomed, the owners asked for a year's extension to comply, but on July 28 the Homewood City Council denied that request.

The property will be converted to mixed-use development and storage facilities.

References

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