After three electrical fires in 2002, the former Ramada Inn has cleaned up the ashes with a new contemporary look and a new name —the Howard Johnson Inn.
Today, the hotel at 1100 Trowbridge Road officially becomes a Howard Johnson hotel.
Open and running since Oct. 21, the hotel has 55 rooms, a meeting room, indoor pool and exercise facility.
The hotel operated without an official name w hile waiting for franchise agreements with Howard Johnson to be negotiated.
After the 2002 fires, owners of the structure decided to demolish more than half of the hotel, downsizing it from 130 rooms to 55 in order to be "a boutique hotel where people can feel at home," said general manager Julie West.
The first fire took place in Oct. 2002, and the hotel closed shortly afterward. Two fires followed and renovations began in Nov. 2003, West said.
The changes were completed in Nov. 2005 and everything except the bathtubs was replaced.
"Everything is brand new, the dry-walling, the bedding," said co-owner Tass Mekani of West Bloomfield. "The only thing that hasn't changed is the structure."
Front desk agent Shelly Robinson said she has big expectations of the hotel because of its close proximity to MSU.
"It used to have a reputation as being a pretty busy hotel and I'd like to bring it back to that," Robinson said.
Located about a block from MSU, near U.S. 127, the hotel features Jacuzzi suites, remote-controlled heat and air conditioning and a large atrium that could be used for events.
"The renovations are outstanding because it's like a brand new place, yet different from any other hotels in the area," said Ruth Drury of DeWitt.
Drury and her husband Bill Drury rented a block of rooms for their annual New Year's Eve party last week.
"The atrium and the pool are in the same area yet you don't feel as though you're right on top of each other," Ruth Drury said.
The hotel features a deluxe continental breakfast and also has "the biggest (hotel) swimming pool in the region" Mekani said.
West said 75 percent of clientele are visitors to the university.
A special $73-rate is offered to Big Ten students and their families.
However, hotel policy prohibits anyone under 21 to stay at the inn without a parent present, West said.
"The reason we have the 21-and-up policy is to omit underage drinking," said West. "There are exceptions for students visiting the campus (for academic reasons)."
The East Lansing Howard Johnson Inn will add to the company's more than 450 hotels worldwide.
For more information call (517) 351-5500.
