Fallon’s Motel 6 spruces up with a trendier look

Spruced up rooms and a more modern look are giving the Motel 6 chain a trendier feel including the franchise in Fallon.

Owner Jay Bhakta, who bought the motel in 2015 after serving as a managing partner since 2002, said remodeling 41 rooms was a big project that began in December and finished four months later.

“The rooms are trendy, more modern,” he said after a ribbon cutting ceremony conducted by the Fallon Chamber of Commerce. “Fallon has a nice motel.”

Bhakta said the motel is located on South Taylor Street (U.S. Highway 95) near the fairgrounds and is the closest accommodations to Naval Air Station Fallon. Bhakta said he also feels Fallon is a good, quiet city to spend the night.

“That’s why I bought the motel, basically,” he said. “Many people prefer a quiet place in a small town.”

For the past 24 years, Bhakta has been involved with the motel and hospitality business, starting in California before moving to the Silver State. He said Motel 6 is a good chain and is keeping up to meet the travelers’ demands, especially with its remodeled rooms. Motel 6 touts itself as having the lowest prices of any national chain.

Cheryl Laylon, director of operations who covers the northern tiers of both Nevada and California, said the chain is almost finished remodeling its corporate and franchise motels. The chain has been in existence since 1962 when two contractors began Motel 6 in Santa Barbara, Calif., by developing a plan to build motels with rooms priced at bargain rates.

“We’re almost done with all the Motel 6s,” said Laylon, who has been with the motel chain for 20 years and resides in Reno. “This is the last remodel we have done.”

Laylon said the remodeling consists of adding more color to the rooms, replacing older televisions with HD sets and switching the carpeting to flooring.

“The changes make the rooms more comfortable, a fresher feeling,” she said.