One of the lesser known chains, the Imperial 400 stretched across the land, and up into Canada. Mostly gone now. According to “The Motel in America” (Johns Hopkins Press) the chain opened a new unit every ten days in its first year, but overexpansion did it in.

I stayed at one on a post-high-school trip to Minnesota; it was located right by the University of Minnesota, so I could see where I’d be spending the next four years. (Hah!) We had great sport with the slogan, we did:

We said this to one another in horrid Scottish burrs as often as possible.