The chain was founded in Santa Barbara, California, in 1962 by William W. Becker and Paul Greene, and derives its name from the fact that rooms initially cost only six dollars.

In September 2024, Oyo Rooms, an Indian hospitality chain, announced an agreement to acquire Motel 6 and Studio 6 in an all-cash transaction valued at $525 million.

[1] On December 17, 2024, OYO's parent company, Oravel Stays, announced that it had completed the purchase of G6 Hospitality, which until then controlled hotels under the Motel 6 and Studio 6 brands.

[2] Motel 6 was founded in Santa Barbara, California, in 1962, by two local building contractors: William Becker and Paul Greene.

They decided on a $6 room rate per night (equivalent to $60 in 2023[4]), which would cover building costs, land leases, and janitorial supplies.

[5] Becker and Greene had specialized in building low-cost housing developments,[6] and they wanted to provide an alternative to other major hotel chains, such as Holiday Inn, whose locations were becoming increasingly upscale in quality and price in the 1960s, after starting out with a budget-oriented concept.

Realizing the need to move quickly, Becker and Green set out on an ambitious expansion program and had opened its 25th location in Gilroy, California, by 1966.

It was sold to Kohlberg Kravis Roberts in 1985, who moved the chain away from its "no frills" approach and began including amenities such as telephones and color television.

[13] Motel 6 said the practice was "implemented at the local level without the knowledge of senior management"[14] and every location had been given a directive that they were "prohibited from voluntarily providing daily guest lists to ICE."

[17] On April 24, 2018, the American Customer Satisfaction Index published a study of America's most popular hotel chains, placing G6 Hospitality's Motel 6 at the bottom of the category for the second year in a row.

[19] In September 2024, Indian hospitality chain Oyo Rooms agreed to buy Motel 6 and Studio 6 in an all-cash deal worth $525 million.

[20] In March 2008, Motel 6 began a system-wide renovation program called the "Phoenix Project" to update the look and amenities of all bedrooms.

[21] Before the remodel, most rooms had colorful road-trip inspired bed covers, carpeted floors, shower curtains, CRT televisions and beige furnishings.