Curated · one person's picks, labeled as such

The Motel, Restored

Mid-century roadside motels and motor lodges brought back by independent owners, each booking on its own site.

A
Adam Norko
Curator

Mid-century motels renovated and reopened by independent owner-operators or small hospitality groups, booking direct. Not a ranking.

A generation of 1950s motor courts is being bought by couples and small groups, stripped to the block walls, and reopened with the neon left on. Chains have noticed and are buying the same buildings as soft brands. This club keeps to the ones still run by the people who restored them, and skips the Route 66 towns, which have their own club.

Eleven stays from eleven operators across the West, Mountain, South, Northeast, and Midwest. Each links to the operator; you book with them.

Browse here11 stays, 11 operators, one reason to be on the same page.
Book with the managerEvery link goes to the company's own booking site. Prices, photos, and availability live there.
Or send your dates"Check dates" forwards your dates and party size to the manager and opens their page.

The stays

West

Event site

California, from the Central Coast to San Diego.

Nomada Hotel GroupPreview from Nomada Hotel Group's listing

Skyview Los Alamos

Los Alamos, CA · Nomada Hotel Group
Motel, 33 rooms, built 1959, reopened 2018, Nomada Hotel Group (seven Central Coast properties)
Site: built in 1959 as an oasis for roadtrippers on Highway 101; bought in 2016, reopened in 2018 with 33 rooms.
See the rooms
Found on Nomada Hotel Group's site. Facts per the listing, September 2026.
Cuyama Buckhorn

Cuyama Buckhorn

New Cuyama, CA · Cuyama Buckhorn
Motel, 21 rooms, built 1952, owner-operated
Site: built in 1952 as the community hub when New Cuyama was a booming oil town; 21 rooms with custom furniture and patios for stargazing.
See the rooms
Found on Cuyama Buckhorn's site. Facts per the listing, September 2026.
Casetta GroupPreview from Casetta Group's listing

The Pearl Hotel

Point Loma, San Diego, CA · Casetta Group
Motel, 23 rooms, built 1959, Casetta Group
Site: designed by Robert Platt in 1959 and run as a Sportsman's Lodge through the 1960s by a resident husband and wife; 23 rooms around the oyster-shaped pool.
See the rooms
Found on Casetta Group's site. Facts per the listing, September 2026.
The Pacific Motel

The Pacific Motel

Cayucos, CA · The Pacific Motel
Motel, owner-operated
Site: as locals ourselves, we restored one of Cayucos's original motels; standard kings, vaulted queens, and bungalows out back.
See the rooms
Found on The Pacific Motel's site. Facts per the listing, September 2026.

Mountain

Event site

Colorado and Arizona, off the Route 66 corridor.

Spoke and Vine MotelPreview from Spoke and Vine Motel's listing

Spoke and Vine Motel

Palisade, CO · Spoke and Vine Motel
Motel, built 1955, reopened 2019, owner-operated
Site: built 1955, brought back to life in 2019; old-yet-sturdy bones, and this is not your grandpa's motel.
See the rooms
Found on Spoke and Vine Motel's site. Facts per the listing, September 2026.
Amigo Motor LodgePreview from Amigo Motor Lodge's listing

Amigo Motor Lodge

Salida, CO · Amigo Motor Lodge
Motor lodge, 17 rooms, 1950s, independently owned, managed by Imprint Hospitality
Site: established in the 1950s as a beacon for travelers on Highway 50; renovated rooms plus vintage Airstreams named Merle, Velma, and Diana.
See the rooms
Found on Amigo Motor Lodge's site. Facts per the listing, September 2026.
Hotel McCoyPreview from Hotel McCoy's listing

Hotel McCoy Tucson

Tucson, AZ · Hotel McCoy
Motel, the former E-Z 8, designed 1969 and built 1970, Hotel McCoy (three locations)
Site: built in 1970 to serve freeway travelers as the E-Z 8 Motel; we don't build new hotels, we bring old ones back to life.
See the rooms
Found on Hotel McCoy's site. Facts per the listing, September 2026.

South

Event site

Georgia and West Texas.

The Groovy NomadPreview from The Groovy Nomad's listing

The Groovy Nomad

Trenton, GA · The Groovy Nomad
Motel, 10 rooms, built 1959, owner-operated
Site: locally owned and operated; the 1959 Southland Motel renovated to reinvent the old rundown motel in our area; 10 rooms.
See the rooms
Found on The Groovy Nomad's site. Facts per the listing, September 2026.
Thunderbird Marfa

Thunderbird Hotel

Marfa, TX · Thunderbird Marfa
Mid-century roadside hotel, independent
Site: a classic midcentury roadside hotel re-envisioned by Lake/Flato Architects; pool, gazebo and fire pit, no TVs in the rooms.
See the rooms
Found on Thunderbird Marfa's site. Facts per the listing, September 2026.

Northeast

Event site

The Upper Delaware.

Blue Fox MotelPreview from Blue Fox Motel's listing

Blue Fox Motel

Narrowsburg, NY · Blue Fox Motel
Motel, 11 rooms plus suites and cabins, first incarnation 1950s
Site: since its first incarnation in the 50s, a rustic retreat where city and country foxes gather; eleven rooms, each with its own doorway.
See the rooms
Found on Blue Fox Motel's site. Facts per the listing, September 2026.

Midwest

Event site

Columbus, Ohio.

South Wind MotelPreview from South Wind Motel's listing

South Wind Motel

Columbus, OH · South Wind Motel
Motel, 22 rooms, built 1959, reimagined 2022, family run
Site: built in 1959 and reimagined in 2022; family run, with walnut furniture made in Columbus.
See the rooms
Found on South Wind Motel's site. Facts per the listing, September 2026.
Checked and not used

Motels that failed the test (chain soft brand, investment-firm owner, site would not load, or the site states no motel history), motels outside the club's regions, and the published roundups of the revival that make up the audience.

  • The Wayback, Pigeon Forge (Marriott Tribute Portfolio); Anvil Hotel, Jackson and Sound View, Greenport (Eagle Point Hotel Partners, a 40-plus hotel investment firm); Bluebird Spa City Motor Lodge, Saratoga (Lark Hotels); Hotel Lucine, Galveston (DNA Hotels, sold through Hyatt)., various: source, September 2026
  • Starlite Motel, Kerhonkson NY. Independent and bookable on its own site, but the site states no history, owners, or room count; left off until it does., Kerhonkson, NY: source, September 2026
  • Hotel Wren, Twentynine Palms (1940s motel, own booking page returned 404, listed on marriott.com as a Design Hotels member); The Dive Motel, Nashville (closed on a seasonal pause); The Drifter, New Orleans (rooms page blocked); Mojave Sands, Joshua Tree (site would not load)., various: source, September 2026
  • Tourists, North Adams; Ojai Rancho Inn; The Skylark, Palm Springs; The Billy Motel, Davis WV; Bardstown Motor Lodge; The Motor Lodge, Prescott; The Roxbury; Hotel Joaquin; The Coachman, Tahoe. Real, but their own sites state no motel history, dates, or owners., various: source, September 2026
  • The Warren Hotel, Bridgman MI (1950s roadside lodging, 24 rooms, reopening 2026; booking engine not visible). The June Motel, Picton ON and Motel Molly, Australia (outside the club's regions)., various: source, September 2026
  • Fathom Way to Go, US motel and motor lodge directory (newsletter, July 3, 2025). Already lists Skyview, The Pearl, Cuyama Buckhorn and Ojai Rancho Inn., audience: source, checked September 2026
  • Roundups: Garden & Gun, Revamped Motor Lodges (Jan 2024); Smithsonian, Vintage Motels Are Being Imagined for Modern Times (May 2024); Atlanta Magazine Southbound (Summer 2024); Michelin Guide, cool motels across the US (Jul 2023). Directories: Motel Road Trip, Motique., audience: source, checked September 2026