Dateline: March 3, 2005

Motels get new owners

By Roger Estlack, Clarendon Enterprise

Clarendon’s newest hotel is under new ownership this week after being open less than one year.

Steve Hall and his family have purchased the Best Western American Inn from Jimmy Sindah and his partners, and Hall says he likes everything about his new property.

“I looked at it for 20 minutes before I decided to buy it,” Hall said. “I had been looking at Clarendon as a potential site to build a hotel for some time, and now I’ve got a new one without the hassle of building it.”

Hall, his father Gerald, and his brother Mike have a combined 50 years of experience after opening and running the Best Western Country Inn in Vega since 1963.

Hall closed the deal with Sindah last Thursday and said he’s looking forward to moving to Clarendon.

“I really want to work with the community,” Hall said. “We want to provide the kind of hospitality that will make Clarendon proud.”

Hall says rates at the 50-room hotel will remain about the same, but he does intend to expand the continental breakfast and eventually change the name of the hotel to something more reflective of the local area.

“American Inn is a pretty common name,” he said.

Sindah, meanwhile, has also sold the local Western Skies Motel and is reported to be pursuing a new venture in the Waco area, building a new hotel in Hewitt.

The Western Skies’ new owner, G. Patel, says he took over on February 15 and doesn’t plan on making any major changes to the establishment.

“Jimmy made lots of improvements, so we’re going to keep it just the way it is,” Patel said.