04/02/2026
Happy 23rd Birthday, Magnuson Hotels.
Twenty-three years ago, on February 3, 2003, at 10:00 AM PST, we flipped the switch on Magnuson Hotels and launched a central reservation system to connect 12 independent hotels from Montana, Idaho, Washington, Oregon, & British Columbia.
At the time, independent hotels had little to no access to global
distribution systems or major booking platforms. Expedia was still in its infancy—just a side project inside Microsoft in Seattle.
Melissa ran accounting and marketing from the basement of our
Spokane home. Tom handled business development, revenue management and distribution from a small desk in six-year-old Frankie’s bedroom.
At 10:00 AM that morning, we activated those 12 hotels across 650,000 GDS travel agents and early online travel agencies Travelocity, Orbitz, and Expedia.
We spent the winter lining up the first hotels. Explaining the invisible concept of “distribution” wasn’t easy so we simplified it: “Give us some room allocations, and we’ll send you faxes with bookings on them.”
There was no Plan B. Failure was not an option. From the moment we went live, we waited. And waited.
No bookings.
A fax machine sat next to Tom’s desk in Frankie’s bedroom, ready to receive bookings. After a long quiet day, Melissa and Tom had dinner, and around 8:00 PM we put Frankie to bed.
Then at 2:30 in the morning, the fax machine finally went off. We ran into Frankie’s room and saw our very first booking—a multi-night stay at The Seashore Inn in Seaside, Oregon. An Expedia reservation. It felt like striking gold.
And then the fax machine kept ringing. And ringing. And it never stopped.
From 2003 to 2026, it’s been a wild ride. Many private companies don’t last this long—but we didn’t just survive. We learned, adapted, and grew.
And that growth led us to Mayfield Hotels.
We introduced Mayfield because the industry changed, independent hotels needed more than distribution alone. They needed advocacy. Transparency. Technology paired with people who genuinely care. A partner willing to stand up for what’s right, even when it’s hard.
What makes Mayfield Hotels special today isn’t just the
platform—it’s the heart behind it. A committed team, dedicated hotel owners and staff. A shared belief that independent hotels deserve to compete, thrive, and succeed on their own terms.
From the very beginning, our mission was simple: help independent hotels grow and do business the right way.
Twenty-three years later, more than 2000 hotels have been powered by a system that started in a child’s bedroom. Across the US & UK hotel owners have built businesses, supported families, created jobs and achieved their own versions of the dream.
And today, the mission matters more than ever.
Twenty-three years later, we’re still standing up for what’s right—together, as Team Mayfield.
Thank you for being part of our journey. Our best year is still ahead of us.
