Shilo Inns is a mid-priced hotel chain operating 43 hotels predominantly on the west coast of the United States, with a large concentration of locations in the state of Oregon

Oregon

Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...

. It competes primarily with mid-range, family hotels such as Comfort Inn and Best Western

Best Western

Best Western International, Inc. is the third largest hotel chain, with over 4,195 hotels in nearly 80 countries. The chain, with its corporate headquarters in Phoenix, Arizona, operates more than 2,000 hotels in North America alone. Best Western has a marketing program involving placement of free...

, and today is one of the largest independently owned and operated Hotel companies in the Western United States.
Hotels are frequently 2-3 stories and of a gray and blue color scheme, although there are exceptions. Most properties feature swimming pools, spas, and saunas and all now feature free high speed internet and are dog friendly. Selected properties offer room service and a continental breakfast. Some also include a full service Shilo Restaurant, and hotels in Beaverton

Beaverton, Oregon

Beaverton is a city in Washington County, Oregon, United States, seven miles west of Portland in the Tualatin River Valley.As of the 2010 census, the population is 90,267. This makes it the second-largest city in the county and Oregon's sixth-largest city...

, Klamath Falls

Klamath Falls, Oregon

Klamath Falls is a city in Klamath County, Oregon, United States. Originally called Linkville when George Nurse founded the town in 1867, after the Link River on whose falls this city sat, although no falls currently exist; the name was changed to Klamath Falls in 1892...

, and Portland

Portland, Oregon

Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...

, Oregon feature cigar bars. In 2000 it was announced that the hotel chain would be partnering, at least at some locations, with Elmer's restaurants. Elmer's is a western US (mostly in Oregon) general dining restaurant, comparable to Denny's

Denny's

Denny's is a full-service coffee shop/family restaurant chain. It operates over 1,500 restaurants in the United States , Canada, Curaçao, Costa Rica, Honduras, Jamaica, Japan , Mexico, New Zealand, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates.Denny's is known for always being...

.

History

Shilo Inns was founded by Mark Hemstreet in 1974. Hemstreet was known for funding conservative political causes and candidates. This funding has been seen as an issue for boycotts of the hotel chain but may have played into the chain's financial fortunes. The first location opened in Portland, Oregon, and reached 47 locations in 2001. The company began franchising locations in July 2001. In March 2002, 27 Shilo Inns sought voluntary Chapter 11 reorganization protection, due to adverse effects on the travel industry stemming from the September 11 terrorist attacks. On March 31, 2003, however, the company successfully emerged from bankruptcy. By June 2007, the company operated 43 hotels all located in the Western United States

Western United States

.The Western United States, commonly referred to as the American West or simply "the West," traditionally refers to the region comprising the westernmost states of the United States. Because the U.S. expanded westward after its founding, the meaning of the West has evolved over time...

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