People joke that I’m obsessed with American vintage motels. And it’s true. I feel just as giddy with excitement checking into one as I would a luxurious five-star hotel.
There’s something about their mid-century good looks, pastel tones and neon signs, that makes me feel romantic and want to take off – throw a bag in the back of the car and hit the road.
My love affair began in 2001 when I first visited California and stayed in a few. It was all we could afford at the time, but it felt so liberating. Now, whenever I travel to the USA, which is a lot for work, I make a point of staying in one if I can.
Motels were born in California in 1925 and by 1964 there were more than 60,000 of them across America. That’s a lot. But then came interstate highways, hotel chains and the motels went into a decline, many closing or becoming seedy spots for crime.
Thankfully things have changed. All across the USA, vintage and retro motels are being restored and brought back to life. Some still have their original neon signs, pools and mid-century architecture; others now come with beautifully designed rooms, excellent restaurants and bars worth staying in for.
After years spent seeking out these places in America – I eventually channelled my obsession into a book, Vintage Motels. These are 12 of my favourites:
1 Madonna Inn, San Luis Obispo, California
This is the most flamboyant motel in the world with a decor like no other. I joke that if the Flintstoes and Barbie designed a hotel together, it would be the Madonna Inn – named after its late owner, Alex Madonna.
It sits on California’s stunning unsung Central Coast, roughly halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco. I’ve visited a couple of times, and can’t get enough of it!
It opened in 1958 with 12 rooms; but today there are 110, and each has a different theme, from Swiss chalet to Wild West – some of them even have rock walls and waterfall showers!
Its public spaces are incredible, too, so it’s just as fun for a stop off as it is an overnight stay. I always make a point of dropping in for a slice of the famous pink champagne cake in the Copper Café and a nose around the gift shop. It’s also fun to sink into one of the padded pink booths in the Gold Rush Steak House if you need dinner.
Book your stay at the Madonna Inn here.
2 El Rey Court, Santa Fe, New Mexico
I like to think that if Georgia O’Keeffe were to design a motel, it would be El Rey Court. Look at those dreamy contemporary Southwestern interiors! So simple and sublime like those in her nearby home.
It dates to 1936 and spreads across five acres, with low adobe buildings, courtyards and gardens. It’s very atmospheric and is well located in the creative city of Santa Fe, packed with little galleries, boutiques and restaurants.
The decor is a nice mix of traditional and modern features and materials. Think: rounded fireplaces, chunky timber, colourful woven textiles, vintage furniture and New Mexican art. No two rooms are the same and some have private patios – perfect for a margarita and a spot of stargazing.
It’s fun to get cosy at onsite bar, La Reina, serving mezcal and cocktails in a low-lit setting, plus a pool for cooling off in those hot Santa Fe afternoons.
Book your stay at El Rey Court here.
3 Blue Swallow Motel, Tucumcari, New Mexico
The Blue Swallow was built in 1939 and is one of the few remaining original motels on Route 66. It’s famous for its original neon sign and is said to have inspired the Cozy Cone Motel in Pixar’s film, Cars.
Inside, the rooms are cosy and feel nostalgic, with floral chenille bedspreads, vintage lamps, dial phones and tiled bathrooms. Some still have little garages attached where travellers once parked their cars overnight.
I’d recommend arriving here just before dusk when the neon starts flickering and the whole courtyard glows red, blue and green.
Tucumcari is worth a visit too, a small Route 66 town packed with old neon signs, murals and roadside architecture, so I’d give yourself time for a wander before checking in.
Book your stay at the Blue Swallow Motel here.
4 Ojai Rancho Inn, Ojai, California
Last time I visited my friend in Los Angeles, I took a side trip to the Ojai Rancho Inn, a 1950s ranch-style motel in Ojai known for its creative community and spiritual energy – the town is located on an energy vortex, apparently.
Rooms feel like cosy log cabins – with wood panelling, log bed frames and little porches with vintage-style chairs. They’re also filled with pieces by local makers, like painted artwork, shibori-dyed curtains, woven textiles, and handmade cutwork ceramic lamps.
One detail I remember especially is the scent of palo santo wood – sticks are left in the rooms to burn, which feels very Ojai.
There’s also a pool, fire pit and Chief’s Peak, the tiny onsite bar, plus complimentary bikes for the five-minute ride into central Ojai.
Book your stay at Ojai Rancho Inn here.
5 Hotel Wren, Twentynine Palms, California
It’s impossible to imagine that beautiful Hotel Wren started life as an unremarkable, ordinary 1940s motel. Just look at her! It’s the sort of place I could easily move into, just 10 minutes from the quieter north entrance to Joshua Tree National Park.
The 12 rooms are all earthy colours, pale timber and terracotta, with vintage furniture, paper lanterns, books and artwork. Every one faces the original swimming pool and has a kitchenette, which makes staying for a few days very tempting.
I especially like how calm it feels without being too minimal. There are lots of little details to notice, from the owners’ book collection to the custom lighting and one-off pieces of furniture.
They serve coffee, bagels and steamed eggs for breakfast and have a little onsite shop, Windsong, selling jewellery, design books and food you can take back to your room.
Book your stay at Hotel Wren here.
6 Silver Sands Motel & Beach Bungalows, Greenport, New York
As well as being obsessed with motels, I’m also crazy about New York and have made a side trip to Silver Sands twice, a reimagined 1950s motel 150 miles away on the tip of Long Island’s North Fork.
Its setting is what makes it special, surrounded by acres of landscaped grounds and looking out across a beautiful bay with its own sandy beach. But also its original neon sign featuring a pretty seahorse design.
It hasn’t lost its mid-century feel at all. The rooms are simple and softly retro, and some of the best have little terraces or direct water views, so you can sit outside with a coffee and watch the light change over the bay.
And with three restaurants – Nookies diner, Eddie’s Oyster Bar and the Boathouse bar – a dreamy spa and walking trails – it’s designed so you never have to leave.
Book your stay at Silver Sands Motel & Beach Bungalows here.
7 The Pearl Hotel, San Diego, California
A stay at The Pearl brings you to Point Loma, one of San Diego’s loveliest neighbourhoods, close to the water and away from the busier beach areas. It opened in 1959 as the Sportsman’s Lodge and still has its original mid-century bones.
Its 23 rooms are arranged around an oyster-shaped saltwater pool and the decor is stylish and relaxed: warm wood, cane, vintage pieces and work by local artists.
The open-air restaurant and bar, Ponyboy, spills out onto the pool deck, so you can have dinner or a cocktail. My favourite detail is the weekly Dive-In Movie Night, when films are screened beside the pool.
It’s a great place to stay if you want a quieter, more local-feeling side of San Diego – and Point Loma itself is worth the detour.
Book your stay at The Pearl here.
8 EL RANCHO, GALLUP, NEW MEXICO
El Rancho is my favourite stop for old Hollywood history. It was built on Route 66 in 1937 as a base for actors filming Westerns in the surrounding New Mexico landscape. Rooms are named after famous guests including John Wayne, Katharine Hepburn, Kirk Douglas and Gregory Peck.
The lobby is the hub, with heavy timber beams, a huge stone fireplace, twin staircases and old black-and-white photographs covering the walls. The theme continues in the bedrooms with Southwestern colours, dark wood and old-fashioned furniture.
I love that it still feels a little eccentric and untouched by the boutique-hotel treatment. It’s grand in a very specific, old-school Western way rather than polished.
There’s a restaurant serving Mexican and Southwestern dishes, plus a gift shop full of local pottery, jewellery and artwork.
Book your stay at El Rancho here.
9 Gulf Hills Hotel & Resort, Ocean Springs, Mississippi
When I read that Elvis Presley stayed here to escape life in Memphis, I knew I had to visit! Luckily, Gulf Hills in America’s Deep South makes a handy stop along the route of the relaunched Mardi Gras train, which I rode for BBC Travel.
Elvis started coming in the 1950s, staying in secluded Villa No. 9, learning to waterski on Fort Bayou and hanging out in the Pink Pony lounge. The original villa was later destroyed, but some of its wood panelling survives in the hotel’s Love Me Tender suite, alongside plenty of Elvis memorabilia.
The hotel has since had a colourful refresh, with mid-century touches, striped parasols and the original pool still overlooking Fort Bayou.
It’s fun to explore nearby Ocean Springs, too: a walkable little arts town with galleries, independent shops and sandy Front Beach, where I ate a lot of great Gulf shrimp and seafood.
Book your stay at Gulf Hills Hotel and Resort here.
10 Hotel Lucine, Galveston, Texas
Originally the Treasure Isle Motel, it opened in 1963 before being completely reworked and reopening as the 61-room Hotel Lucine in 2023.
I love that its original architecture has been preserved – the pastel-coloured zigzag roofline and two-storey courtyard which wraps neatly around the pool. Inside, it’s warm and breezy, with pale wood, cane furniture, palms and soft, sandy colours.
There is now a rooftop bar overlooking the water, The Den for drinks and lighter food and The Fancy restaurant.
And the location right in Galveston is great – a wonderfully old-fashioned island city of Victorian houses, a long seawall, sandy beaches and seafood restaurants, with the historic Strand district just inland.
Book your stay at Hotel Lucine here.
11 Starlight Motor Inn, North Charleston, South Carolina
The Starlight nearly disappeared altogether. Built in 1961, it sat abandoned for years before two old school friends bought it, restored it and reopened it in 2022.
It’s another whose nostalgic looks make me giddy: peach and seafoam paint, breezeblocks, a checkerboard pool deck and brilliant vintage-style signage.
The rooms are simple and bright, with cane headboards, pink accents and artwork inspired by 1960s music. There are also restored cottages next door for longer stays.
A night at the Burgundy Lounge is part of the fun of a stay here, with live music, DJs and karaoke – which makes the whole place feel much more like a neighbourhood hangout than a polished hotel.
Book your stay at the Starlight Motor Inn here.
12 Scribner’s Catskill Lodge, Catskills, New York
Another motel I’d happily leave Manhattan for is Scribner’s, a 1960s motor lodge in the Catskills about two hours from the city. I love the setting: mountains, trees and that slightly old-school Catskills holiday feeling.
This is also the part of New York that inspired the 1980s film, Dirty Dancing. Scribner’s wasn’t the hotel in the film, but the story grew out of screenwriter Eleanor Bergstein’s childhood holidays at Catskills resorts such as Grossinger’s, when New Yorkers would decamp to the mountains for the summer.
Scribner’s was reinvented in 2016, with a striking dark-timber exterior and warm, modern rooms filled with pale wood, kilim cushions, fireplaces and huge windows looking out over the mountains.
There’s a pool, a cosy library with a circular fireplace and Prospect restaurant. I love booking into The Rounds, a collection of 11 cabins higher up the mountain with outdoor soaking tubs and skylights for stargazing.
Book your stay at Scribner’s Catskill Lodge here.
For more motel inspiration, treat yourself to a copy of my book, Vintage Motels: America’s Most Iconic Motels, Beautifully Restored.
Ellie & Co readers can take 10% off with code ‘motels10’. Buy your copy here.
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