Cheri and Don Eaton

The best ambassadors for a brand are happy members or franchisees. That’s the premise of a unique appointment at Americas Best Value Inn, the Vantage Hospitality chain known for its flexibility, innovation and member involvement.

Don and Cheri Eaton, owners of the 45-room Americas Best Value Inn & Suites in Thief River Falls, MN, recently joined the corporate team as directors of development in the mountain north region of the U.S. The pair continues to own and operate their hotel, which they’ve owned for 14 years and converted to ABVI four years ago.

“We love this brand, we love the other owners and we love the four guys who own the company,” says Don Eaton. “Since we’ve been members we’ve talked about the brand to other hotel owners about joining ABVI so it just made sense for us to take on this role also.”

The Americas Best Value Inn & Suites in Thief River Falls, WI

The Eaton’s work as development directors isn’t a part-time gig by any means. The pair covers seven states—North and South Dakota, Wyoming, Idaho, Montana, Utah and Colorado—and spends, on average, a couple weeks a month spreading the gospel of ABVI throughout the West. They find it easy to connect with other hoteliers they meet on the road since many of them are also husband-and-wife teams.

“Often, when we walk into a property one of us will immediately strike a chord with one of the owners, giving us an opportunity to talk about ABVI,” says Don. “Also, Cheri and I have expertise in different areas of the business so between us we’re able to chat about any aspect of the owners’ operations.”

“As owners and managers ourselves, we do exactly what all other owners do and we have the same issues and concerns,” says Cheri Eaton. “They listen to us because we are them. They appreciate that we speak from experience.”

And, as Vantage founder, President & CEO Roger Bloss says, the Eatons gain in other ways from the position. “They learn a lot when they’re visiting other hotels,” he says. “They’re able to get new ideas on how to operate and can bring a fresh set of eyes back to their own hotel.”

The Eatons, who have been married for 33 years and have owned businesses for most of that time, say they’re lucky to have a trusted and experience staff to take care of their property while they’re away beating the drum for ABVI.

Bloss says he would consider placing other ABVI owners in the development process if the opportunity was right. “Like everything in business, it all comes down to people working with people,” he says. “We’re extremely fortunate to have folks like Don and Cheri as members and as part of our development team.”