#TheRootTrip: In Irving, Texas, There’s a Black-Owned Franchise Hotel Hidden in Plain Sight 

Until the passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, most hotels and motels actively discriminated against blacks. And hotel and motel ownership was a rare instance unless the building was completely built by the African-American hotel owner from the ground up (more on that later). The idea that blacks would own a corporate hotel franchise…

Until the passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, most hotels and motels actively discriminated against blacks. And hotel and motel ownership was a rare instance unless the building was completely built by the African-American hotel owner from the ground up (more on that later). The idea that blacks would own a corporate hotel franchise was unthinkable.

Video will return here when scrolled back into view
Trump’s Tariffs Might Stick Around. What Should We Buy Now?
Trump’s Tariffs Might Stick Around. What Should We Buy Now?

And yet, in 2017, we have a number of African-American investors who own multiple hotel properties across the country, and you probably didn’t even know it. In total, African-American investors own more than 1,000 different hotels across the country, and Wednesday night, I spent the night in one of them.

Right next to the Dallas/Fort Worth Airport in Irving, Texas, sits the 153-room Courtyard Marriott at 4949 Regent Blvd., owned by Marriott International’s first African-American franchisee, Bill Deramus. The Prairie View A&M grad now leads Capstone Development, which now owns 25 major hotel franchises across the country.

My experience? Excellent. The albacore tuna croissant sandwich with red quinoa salad (yeah, I know, but I’m from California, so sue me) was perfect. They had a full bar, and although I didn’t have a drink, I could see rolling in here just to chill and watch a game. It was first class all the way, and I added another $199 to my black business spending. Three days in and I’m at $273, with more to come.

Straight From The Root

Sign up for our free daily newsletter.