Business feature: Budget Inn getting new look, name

The new owner of the Budget Inn on Mabry drive is giving the hotel a new look and a new name.

CNJ staff photo: Gabriel Monte

Construction crews work on the facade of the Budget Inn on Mabry drive. Construction started in January and is expected to finish in two months. The hotel was purchased by a new owner last year and will be converted to a Travelodge franchise, according to hotel manager Ashish Bhakta.

Once renovations are completed, the Budget Inn will be a Travelodge franchise, according to hotel manager Ashish Bhakta.

The property was built in 1959 and has had several names, according to Curry County Assessor Tim Lyman.

Renovations began in January and completion is estimated to be in two months, according to Bhakta.

Updates to the hotel include combining rooms to make bigger ones, installing new carpeting and furniture and repainting the interior and exterior of the hotel. A canopy is being constructed over the hotel office. Some rooms will feature kitchenettes and safe boxes, Bhakta said.

Bhakta said regular hotel customers include contractors traveling to Clovis for work and visitors of local tournaments for sports such as softball.

At present, half of the property has been closed off because of the renovation. Once construction ends, the hotel will have 67 rooms, said Bhakta.

Another change to the hotel is the replacement of the outdoor swimming pool in the center of the parking lot with a barbecue patio.

"We wanted to make a really good hotel, that's why we did the exterior, too," he said.

Once construction has been completed, Bhakta said there could be an opening for six more employees. Job positions include desk clerks, housekeepers and maintenance personnel. At present the hotel has three employees.

"It depends on business picking up," he said of when hiring could start.

New owner Henry Bhakta purchased the property last year and also owns the Day's Inn Suites and the Econo Lodge on Mabry drive.