The family now owns two hotels in the Liberty area.

The family now owns two hotels in the Liberty area.
By CYNTHIA VINARSKY
VINDICATOR BUSINESS WRITER
LIBERTY -- The new owners of Days Inn Youngstown North want to put out the "No Vacancy" sign at their Liberty hotel, and they're banking on the Days Inn name and a revival in the economy to make it happen.
They've done their part to make the business a crowd pleaser, said general manager Vishant Desai, who bought the business on Motor Inn Drive with his uncle Mark Desai about a year ago.
Together the partners have invested $435,000 on an extensive interior and exterior renovation of the 26-year-old building.
Workers are putting the finishing touches on new exterior siding, and the project also included a new roof, new balconies, a refurbished lobby, new carpet, wallpaper and other decor in every room.
The new owners also added two jacuzzi rooms, expanded the business conference room, improved the breakfast service area and changed the exterior colors from green to burgundy and white.
"We wanted customers to see right away that we're all new, all over. We've changed our whole outlook," he said.
Originally from England, Vishant Desai said he came to Ohio about six years ago to work in hotel management in Columbus, took another post in Tulsa, Okla., and then moved to Youngstown to take a position at the Econo Lodge in Liberty.
Bought it: When the 60-room Liberty Econo Lodge went up for sale in 1995, he and his father Mansukh Desai decided to buy it. His father already was in the hotel business, but it was the younger Desai's first major business venture.
Vishant Desai said there are nine hotels in the half-mile section of Belmont Avenue adjacent to the Interstate 80 interchange in Liberty, so competition in the region is tough. The sluggish national economy and a general slowdown in the travel industry also have reduced profits for many hotels and motels.
Despite those drawbacks, when Desai heard that the 136-room Days Inn was available just a few blocks from the family's Econo Lodge, he was interested.
The co-owner said he and his partner decided to buy it, largely because of the strength and customer appeal of the Days Inn name.
Desai owns a Days Inn & amp; Suites in the Columbus area, and one of the seven hotels his partner owns is a Days Inn in Indianapolis, so both are familiar with the chain.
One of the largest, economy-class hotel chains, Days Inn has 1,900 properties in 12 countries.
Now that the renovation is complete, Desai said, the owners are working to renew old business relationships and to bring back some of the chain's regular customers.
Besides vacation and business travelers, the hotel was a regular stopping spot for military travelers and truckers in its heyday. "We used to be the No. 1 hotel around here, and we want to try to get those old customers back," he said.
vinarsky@vindy.com