Econo Lodge Birmingham
The Econo Lodge Birmingham (originally the Heritage House Motor Inn, then a Ramada Inn, and later the Days Inn Birmingham South) is a motel located at 1535 Montgomery Highway just off I-65 at the northern end of Lorna Road in Hoover. The motel has an outdoor swimming pool, a bar (Last Shot Lounge and, later, Barrister's Tavern) and a Waffle House on site. The Lamplighter restaurant opened there in 1975, and at one time Delta Air Lines staffed a ticket office at the hotel six days a week.
The two-story hotel was constructed with 100 rooms in 1966 with Paul Apostle as manager. It advertised "the South's most distinctive suites and conference rooms." In 1970 it was purchased by the Ramada Inn chain and renamed. On June 13, 1978 the motel was the scene of a standoff after a bank robbery. The suspects fled into the woods behind the property, but police believed they had holed up in a room, possibly having taken a maid as a hostage.
The motel was sold again to Days Inn in 1986. On January 16, 2010, four people died and a large portion of the motel was destroyed during an accidental fire. After an investigation it was determined that a maintenance worker had left incense burning in his room, which caused the fire. Chris Parekh was the owner and manager at the time.
The motel was changed to an Econo Lodge in July 2011.
References
- "Hoover will get new 100-unit motel." undated news clipping cited by Marilyn Davis Barefield (1992) A History of Hoover, Alabama and Its People. Hoover: Hoover Historical Society/Southern University Press ISBN 0876519419
- Walton, Val (January 21, 2010) "Hoover hotel fire apparently started with incense burning in maintenance man's room, federal official says." The Birmingham News
- Busch, Matthew (July 6, 2011) "Hoover Days Inn where fire deaths occurred changing to Econo Lodge." The Birmingham News
External links
- Econo Lodge - Birmingham AL website