Molinaro Koger (MK) announced they facilitated the marketing and sale of the former Fairfield Inn Virginia Beach Town Center on behalf of Virginia Beach Hotel, LLC. The well-located asset was acquired by Accor North America for an undisclosed sum and converted to their rapidly expanding Motel 6 brand.

“We are pleased to have facilitated the first corporate acquisition that Accor, the nation's largest owner/operator of economy lodging, has made in eight years,” commented Mark Morris, Senior Vice President for MK who marketed the hotel and structured the transaction.  “MK was pleased to exceed the seller’s expectations in a more difficult economic part of the cycle while successfully identifying Accor’s unique needs and assisting them with their new growth initiative.

“The Motel 6 Virginia Beach Town Center is located in one of the Mid-Atlantic region’s most vibrant commerce centers and afforded Motel 6 a chance to acquire a recently-renovated asset in a strong location,” added Mr. Morris. “We believe that Accor was an ideal acquirer for this asset and will benefit from adding this asset to their portfolio.”

Accor recently announced a corporate goal of 1,200 locations in North America by 2010. As a result, Motel 6 and Studio 6 are aggressively pursuing franchising and Accor is making strategic acquisitions in select locations.

"We are very excited to begin corporate development again, and this property is just the first of many select properties we hope to acquire in the next few years," said Olivier Poirot, CEO for Accor North America, Motel 6 and Studio 6. "By increasing the growth of both corporately owned and franchised locations in our network, Motel 6 / Studio 6 is getting closer to achieving the goal of reaching 1,200 North American properties by 2010."

Mr. Morris points to the increasing frugality of U.S. travelers and higher gas prices boding well for Accor’s expansion plans.  Additionally, the Motel 6 Virginia Beach Town Center offers a tremendous alternative to the other hotels in the Town Center district.