These days, folks checking into a motel room want to find more than a Gideon bible. They want to open the door to style.

They want color and texture, granite counter tops and a flat-screen TV.

Frank Niemeir/fniemeir@ajc.com (ENLARGE)

The L-shaped eating area features upholstered bar stools and a granite counter top. Because the average stay is just 1.3 nights, the new design features a smaller microwave and refrigerator than found in older rooms. The savings from switching to smaller appliances allow use of upgrade materials such as granite and stainless steel, Patel said.

Frank Niemeir/fniemeir@ajc.com (ENLARGE)

The eight-foot desk has space, power plugs and data ports for two. The rounded ends give the room a sleeker look, Patel said. The absence of sharp corners also makes the room a bit safer, she noted.

Frank Niemeir/fniemeir@ajc.com (ENLARGE)

The furniture in the relaxation zone does double duty. The sofa pulls out to create a bed. The vinyl upholstered ottoman is firm enough to serve as a coffee table.

Frank Niemeir/fniemeir@ajc.com (ENLARGE)

A translucent screen now divides the sleeping area from the rest of the suite. Older rooms are divided by the counter and hanging cabinets of the kitchen area. The new design is brighter, Bijal Patel said.

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And they want it at even a budget motel just off the interstate.

So Bijal Patel sketched sizzle into to her design of a Microtel Inn suite. Then she learned she had to add one more element: indestructibility.

"I learned I must design any surface, including a nightstand, to be strong enough for a 300-pound person to sit on it — because they will," Patel said.

Apparently a quick study, Patel finished second last year in a Microtel-sponsored design contest among students at the Atlanta campus of the Savannah College of Art and Design. Although she finished second, she won the big prize: a job after graduate school as design director for US Franchise Systems, an Atlanta-based company that develops Microtel Inns & Suites budget motels and Hawthorn Suites extended-stay hotels.

Her design is the template for renovation of existing Microtel motels and new construction, including a motel that opened in June in Woodstock in Cherokee County.

"Designing a hotel room is completely different than designing a house," said Patel, 26, who now is developing the prototype design for Hawthorn Suites.

The design of a motel room has to have broad appeal, accommodate heavy use and make the job of the housekeeping staff as easy as possible. And it has to be fairly cheap to execute.

The budget for paint, carpet, furniture, lighting, appliances, bedding and, yes, the 32-inch flat-screen TV is $7,800.

Fortunately, paint is cheap. Patel's design uses accent colors to provide pop.

"We wanted to move away from the feeling of being in a beige box," she said.

The suite is divided — using color, built-in furniture and a translucent screen — into four zones for sleeping, eating, working and relaxing.

Patel's design reflects a new emphasis on design in the hotel industry, said Ed Watkins, editor of Lodging Hospitality, a trade publication.

High-end hotels are offering "better design, better bedding, better electronics," Watkins said.

"It is slowly but surely seeping down to the economy segments of the business," he said.

"Guest expect what they have at home," Watkins said, "and maybe a little better."