Howard Johnson Motor Lodge and Restaurant located at 155 Riverside St. in Portland,ME. The motor lodge which opened in 1971 was not constructed with a gate lodge instead the place simply relied on the orange roofed restaurant next door and the Howard Johnsons name to bring in both sleepy and hungry travelers alike. In 1974 a Red Coach Grill was constructed on the large property to accompany the restaurant and motor lodge already in operation. The restaurant remained open until the mid early 1990s and by 1997 had become independently owned and was operating under the name Exit 8 Diner. By 2002 the restaurant was remodeled to become a Friendlys Restaurant which operated until 2012. The restaurant was closed for about one year before reopening as a breakfast and lunch restaurant operating under the name The Egg and I. The Red Coach Grill closed by the early 1990s and was converted into an independently owned restaurant which operated under the name Port West Seafood Bar and Grill. By 2000 the restaurant was renamed Verrillos Bar and Grill which like its previous tenant was no longer under the ownership of Howard Johnsons. In 2013 the restaurant was renamed once again this time as Seasons Grille. Interestingly the restaurant was acquired by Howard Johnson and while it was still operating under the name Seasons Grille was under full ownership of the Wyndham group (HJ parent company). In 2014 the motor lodge dropped the Howard Johnsons name after 43 years and was rebranded as a Ramada Inn. The lobby and rooms will still resemble that of Howard Johnsons and some signs most notably a commemorative plaque given to the property in the late 1970s for outstanding service will remain hanging in the lobby. The switch to the Ramada name was a bit of a shock considering this was a remarkably intact and long lived Howard Johnsons location and could have been a location to launch a "planned" revival of the iconic Howard Johnsons brand mentioned by Wyndham Worldwide in February 2014. The manager stated that the property was rebranded under the Ramada name due to large meeting rooms and conference centers on the site and that the Howard Johnsons name was more "family oriented" whereas Ramada would be more appealing to businesses wanting to hold large conferences and have an adjoining banquet center (Seasons Grill) to accommodate the business traveler. Im not too concerned about this property going downhill as Ramada is still a brand owned by Wyndham and that the staff all of whom have been working at the motor lodge for more than five years seem to be okay with the new brand.
Posted on: Fri, 12 Sep 2014 18:55:40 +0000
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