Signature Inn Jeffersontown, Kentucky, and Grand Rapids, Michigan

For this update...two more locations I haven't been to

aerial imagery courtesy of Bing maps

map graphic courtesy of signature-inns.com at archive.org

The Louisville/Jeffersontown, Kentucky, Signature Inn was originally built as a Best Western in 1994.  Signature Inn purchased the hotel in 1997, and the hotel was co-branded as a Best Western Signature Inn until around 2002.

It's interesting to note that while Signature Inn did some exterior work to their other acquired hotels to give them a little Signature Inn flair, this one had none.  At first, I all but refused to believe that this was a Signature Inn and never would have, had it not been on their website.  A search of some newspaper articles helped fill in the missing pieces.

courtesy of newspapers.com

courtesy of newspapers.com

As of 2006, this 119-room hotel was known as a Jameson Inn.  It was one of the final seven hotels to be sold, which took place in December 2012 or January 2013.  Since then, it has been a Quality Inn.

aerial imagery courtesy of Bing maps

The Grand Rapids, Michigan, location opened in 1987.  This is one of what I call the "Mystery 7;" that is, one of the seven locations I wasn't aware of when I began this Signature Inn adventure.  Throughout this blog, I have been adding locations in roughly the order they were built/purchased; unfortunately this is the best place I could fit this location.

This hotel began its life all the way back in 1968 as a Howard Johnson motor lodge.  Signature Inn purchased the property in 1987 and demolished the gate lodge in favor of its own lobby design.  Along with a new lobby, an extra wing of guest rooms was built to the rear of the hotel.  It's the wing on the left in the aerial photo; from the air, it definitely looks like a Signature Inn wing.  Unfortunately, it doesn't match the rest of the hotel.  When Signature Inn was finished, the hotel had 120 rooms.

This hotel was sold in 1992 and became a Days Inn.  Since then, it had also been known as a LaQuinta Inn before its current branding as a Best Western.

imagery courtesy of Google Maps

imagery courtesy of Google Maps

This one I had a hard time believing was ever a Signature Inn due to the fact that it largely didn't look like one.  The photo above of the lobby helped confirm the fact that it was at one point, though the canopy had been renovated.  A kind reader sent me the following link from highwayhost.org:
http://www.highwayhost.org/Michigan/GrandRapids/East/East1.htm

Definitely an interesting read!  Thank you to whoever sumbitted that link!

sources for this post include highwayhost.org, signature-inns.com archived at archive.org, jamesoninns.com archived at archive.org, information found at newspapers.com, and imagery found through Google Maps and Bing Maps.  The dividing lines were also "borrowed" from Signature Inn's old site.

Photographs of other Signature Inn locations can be found here: Formerly Signature Inn by Ryan on Flickr

Signature Inn Auburn Hills, MI, and Knoxville, TN

Due to the lack of photographs of the Auburn Hills, Michigan, and Knoxville, Tennessee, locations, I have doubled them up on this post.

aerial imagery courtesy of Bing Maps

The Auburn Hills, Michigan, Signature Inn was built in 1989.  It was one of three inns that shared an updated design.  Like Middleburg Heights, which was covered in the previous post, it does not have that rectangular "box" running the whole length of the roof (the aerial view above shows not even a partial box), and the roof peaks above the stairwells are quite different.  In fact, the roof's peaked appearance from the ground is more of a false roof, as seen from the air.  It contains 124 rooms.

This hotel was part of the Signature Inn chain until late 1992 or early 1993.  After that, it became a Hampton Inn.  Below is an article announcing the switch:

courtesy of newspapers.com

Unfortunately, I couldn't get decent views even from Google Maps.  It appears that since the aerial view was taken, the roof was painted more of a tannish color.

The hotel has since switched over to a Quality Inn.

aerial imagery courtesy of Bing Maps

map graphic courtesy of signature-inns.com at archive.org

The Knoxville, Tennesee, location opened in 1989.  It was Signature's only Tennessee location and was one of three hotels built with an updated design.  This hotel has 124 rooms.

This location became a Jameson Inn sometime between June 2004 and May 2006.  The canopy was given a more colonial look (forgive me if I have the architectural style wrong) once it fell under the Jameson name.  Below is a look at the hotel shortly after its construction, courtesy of Merit Construction (sorry guys):

photo courtesy of Merit Construction

This hotel would remain under the Jameson name until December 2012 or January 2013, when the final seven Signature Inn locations were sold out of the chain.  Since the sale, the hotel has been a Baymont Inn & Suites.

sources for this post include the Knox County, Tennessee, auditor's website, signature-inns.com archived at archive.org, jamesoninns.com archived at archive.org, information found at newspapers.com, and imagery found through Merit construction, Google Maps and Bing Maps.  The dividing lines were also "borrowed" from Signature Inn's old site.

Photographs of other Signature Inn locations can be found here: Formerly Signature Inn by Ryan on Flickr