USA Today Contest Puts Trenton’s Groovy Nomad On The Map
By LYDIA BERGLAR
News Editor
Photo courtesy of The Groovy Nomad – Ryan and Melissa Faircloth, owners of The Groovy Nomad, pose in front of their motel that recently won best roadside motel in a USA Today readers’ choice contest.
On May 15th, USA Today’s “10Best Readers’ Choice Award” published this year’s top ten roadside motels. Coming in first at the top of the list, The Groovy Nomad put Trenton on the map after weeks of online voting.
The list, titled “Experience the nostalgia of the open road at these 10 classic motels,” included unique destinations from across the country that have a variety of themes. Ryan Faircloth (who along with his wife, Melissa, renovated and owns the motel) said, “There are a couple motels on the list that I’d heard of. I thought we’d make it to the top ten, but I didn’t think we’d get first place. There are some really nice hotels there, some of them have pools.”
Each 10Best Readers’ Choice contest begins with 20 nominees and ends after four weeks of voting by the public. The publication’s website explains, “Nominees for all categories are chosen by a panel of relevant experts which include a combination of editors from USA TODAY; editors from 10Best.com; relevant expert contributors; and sources for both these media and other Gannett properties.”
The Faircloths found out that their motel was nominated and later learned about the voting process. Faircloth said that once they shared the voting information on social media, The Groovy Nomad jumped to first place pretty quickly. Faircloth attributes the contest success to the motel’s social media following. “When I looked on our social media, we had a lot more followers than any of the other motels.”
From the very beginning of purchasing the dilapidated motel and transforming it into The Groovy Nomad, the Faircloths wanted to put Trenton on the map and tie into the existing tourism industry in Dade County. Faircloth said that this national recognition is another indicator that they’re achieving that goal. “People looking at the list will see Trenton and think, ‘Trenton? Where’s that?’ And they’ll Google it.”
He concluded, “I think it’s a great win for our community, showcasing what we really are and could be. God gave us the natural beauty that’s around here; we just need to capitalize on it.”
