East Ridge motel gets new name, upgrade with border zone assistance

Photo by Dave Flessner / The newly named Baymont by Wyndham motel at 6674 Ringgold Road, just off Interstate 75 in East Ridge, is the southern most motel at Exit 1 among nearly a dozen hotels or motels at the East Ridge exit. The motel was photographed Tuesday.

By Dave Flessner December 20, 2022 4 min read

One of East Ridge’s oldest motels has a new name and look after undergoing a $2.9 million upgrade that will be financed, in part, from the additional sales tax revenues it helps generate.

The newly named Baymont by Wyndham motel at 6674 Ringgold Road just off Interstate 75 in East Ridge took on the new franchise this month after completing a refurbishment of the 85-room motel. The inn is the southern most motel at Exit 1 among nearly a dozen hotels or motels at the East Ridge exit.

“With the upgrades we made and the new franchise affiliation with Baymont, we should be able to draw more guests and generate more revenue,” Pete Patel, the motel owner and general manager who bought the property in 2012, said in a phone interview.

Patel, who heads Darsh Hospitality LLC and also owns four other hotels or motels, said he thinks the Baymont by Wyndham franchise will work well at the exit as a mid-prized motel option compared with other higher-priced brands or discount properties in the area.