Who Remembers HoJo Restaurants

[Kniwt]

Are there any Howard Johnson hotels left?

They are a Wyndham brand.

Although, in most cases, they're not original HoJo properties -- it's just another of the bazillion brands that Wyndham uses, often rebranding properties when the standard of accommodation there goes up or down.

And, at least in the parts of the West where I've stayed at HoJo, they tend to be at the very low end of Wyndham's "elegance" scale. Usually among the lowest rates, older properties, and often with a sizable contingent of what we euphemistically call "long-term guests." Usually a couple steps below modern Motel 6s.

That said, I've never been robbed, raped, drugged, or killed while staying at a HoJo.

And as others have pointed out, the old-style HoJos often have park-at-your-door and no corridors at all. In the Covid era, that's a big, big, big plus for me, and I'm willing to put up with the quirks of a low-end property so I don't have to get near other guests.

[hbelkins]

And I don't know nearly enough about HVAC systems at hotels to say this for sure, but I would think the smell would drift to other rooms through the ventilation ducts.

Most of the interior-corridor places where I've stayed have a single-unit HVAC system that's installed beneath the window. There's no interconnection with the systems in other rooms.

[And as others have pointed out, the old-style HoJos often have park-at-your-door and no corridors at all. In the Covid era, that's a big, big, big plus for me, and I'm willing to put up with the quirks of a low-end property so I don't have to get near other guests.

I've seen similar sentiments expressed by others, and I can't wrap my head around this at all.

The odds of anyone catching it from a brief, fleeting encounter with someone in a hotel are infinitesimally small. You're more likely to win the lottery than to catch a bug from passing someone in a hotel corridor or even riding in an elevator with them.

[Alps]

And I don't know nearly enough about HVAC systems at hotels to say this for sure, but I would think the smell would drift to other rooms through the ventilation ducts.

Most of the interior-corridor places where I've stayed have a single-unit HVAC system that's installed beneath the window. There's no interconnection with the systems in other rooms.

[And as others have pointed out, the old-style HoJos often have park-at-your-door and no corridors at all. In the Covid era, that's a big, big, big plus for me, and I'm willing to put up with the quirks of a low-end property so I don't have to get near other guests.

I've seen similar sentiments expressed by others, and I can't wrap my head around this at all.

The odds of anyone catching it from a brief, fleeting encounter with someone in a hotel are infinitesimally small. You're more likely to win the lottery than to catch a bug from passing someone in a hotel corridor or even riding in an elevator with them.

Let's not try to play health professionals here.

[thenetwork]

In their heyday, HoJos dominated Northern Ohio if you were traveling the Ohio Turnpike:

The Turnpike had HoJo restaurants at all of their service plazas at one time.  In addition, you'd be hard-pressed to NOT find a HoJo restaurant and/or hotel within a mile of most of the original Turnpike exits.

[abefroman329]

In their heyday, HoJos dominated Northern Ohio if you were traveling the Ohio Turnpike:

The Turnpike had HoJo restaurants at all of their service plazas at one time.  In addition, you'd be hard-pressed to NOT find a HoJo restaurant and/or hotel within a mile of most of the original Turnpike exits.

My dad told me a story of Howard Johnson himself getting his hands on the first Interstate Highway map and building restaurants and hotels at locations that, at the time, were in the middle of nowhere, but suddenly became useful once the Interstates came through, but I have no idea if it's true.

[Flint1979]

The Econo Lodge located at M-84 (Westside Saginaw Road) and I-75 (Exit 160) in Bay City is an original Howard Johnson's. It was attached to the restaurant that I mentioned already. It's two levels and outside corridors but it hasn't been a HoJo's in probably 30-40 years.

[Dirt Roads]

In their heyday, HoJos dominated Northern Ohio if you were traveling the Ohio Turnpike:

The Turnpike had HoJo restaurants at all of their service plazas at one time.  In addition, you'd be hard-pressed to NOT find a HoJo restaurant and/or hotel within a mile of most of the original Turnpike exits.

Somebody needs to help me remember, but weren't all the service plazas on the Pennsylvania Turnpike also equipped with HoJo restaurants.  I was working on the railroad in Western Pennsylvania when the restaurant at the service plaza at New Staunton switched over to a McDonalds.  I was disappointed at first, but quickly found that it was easier to deal with the Turnpike service plaza than the inconvenient fast foods at the New Stanton exit (especially since I was usually heading south on US-119 to Connellsville).

[Flint1979]

Howard Johnson's in it's heyday was all over the place. I used to think that it was just a restaurant because the one here was just a restaurant but the one in Bay City had a motel attached so that was when I realized they were a hotel chain too. The one in Saginaw has been closed for 25 years this April and I can still remember going there. It was open 24 hours and a very popular dining spot especially in the middle of the night when the bars let out they had the buffet up and running and everyone ate off it. I think it's rather sad to see the end of Howard Johnson's.

[thenetwork]

When my dad was working for the phone company in the late 70s/early 80s, he volunteered to work on a long-term project in Florida.  They put him up for a long-term stay at a HJ in West Palm Beach/Lake Worth one block from the ocean.  This particular HoJo was in 2 separate buildings on either side of the cross-street that ended at the ocean boulevard.

One perk he got was to get us a free/reduced cost vacation for 2 weeks in Feb 1980. We flew down from Ohio, and we spent a few days at Disney World while there.

Not sure if that hotel is still there, or if it was bulldozed for luxury WPB condos, but it was a nice property at the time.

Other memorable HJ's I remember staying at were in Corbin, Ky and Framingham, Mass.