King of the road: American motels are back in style
Motels are having a renaissance, reborn as boutique stays that major in style and independent spirit. We explore their enduring allure and pinpoint our favourite roadside lodgings in the US – from Route 66 pitstops to desert hideaways.
The American motel is ingrained in our cultural psyche. Its retro iconography holds a powerful place on screen and in literature – from Jack Kerouac’s depictions of transient lodgings in On the Road to Don Draper’s lone travels in Mad Men.
“There’s something deeply nostalgic and romantic about the classic American motel,” agrees Avi Brosh, founder of Palisociety. “My childhood trips were full of them. Pulling off the highway after a long drive, grabbing the keys from a tiny front desk, the hum of a neon sign outside the window. It wasn’t about luxury; it was about a feeling of freedom and togetherness. I think that emotional imprint stays with you.”
Motels – a portmanteau of motor and hotel – were first conceived in the 1920s as roadside lodges. Defined by their low-slung architecture and bold signage, their popularity coincided with social and infrastructural shifts in postwar America. Their reach extends beyond the US, widely adopted across Australia, for example. “I have a strong memory of family bundling into the car on a Friday evening and finding a motel wherever it felt right,” recalls Melbourne-born Michael Parker, CEO of Roadbook. “That was the start of our weekend adventure. No plan, no concerns, just a car, endless country to enjoy and motels across the state.”
The appeal of motels for hoteliers
Motels slowly fell out of fashion during the 1960s, reserved for Alfred Hitchcock and Wim Wenders films. 2025 marks 100 years of the motel and with it, a new era of reinvention. Hospitality brands such as Bunkhouse and Palisociety, alongside sharp-eyed independent hoteliers, are reinventing roadside motels as style-conscious stays where you can get your kicks again.
“Motels offer a great architectural canvas,” says Brosh. “They’re often two-story, with exterior entrances and courtyard layouts that naturally foster a sense of community and openness. For hoteliers, that makes them both flexible and efficient to reimagine.”
Motels are instilled with a sense of freedom, adventure and a hit the road mentality that goes against the grain of tick boxes and tight travel itineraries. They are more affordable than many hotels, while offering the warmth, service and stylish design of a boutique stay. Plus, you can often park your car right outside your room.
In many ways, they are the antithesis of contactless check-ins and AI-driven spaces. Their intimacy fosters social connections – whether over poolside drinks or while picking up local tips in the lounge-lobby. “They’re smaller, more approachable, and naturally suited to personal service,” says Brosh. “People are drawn to motels because they feel authentic and grounded, not over-designed or intimidating, just familiar and human.”
From Californian coastal stays to low-key desert hideaways and scenic stops on Route 66, these are our top motel picks in the US, worth extending your road trip for.
The reimagined motels in the US worth a road trip
Hotel San José, Austin, Texas
Why we rate it: The original motel that kickstarted the trend
Address: 1316 S Congress Avenue, Austin, TX 78704
Price: 212 USD Per night
In 1995, Liz Lambert traded in her career as a lawyer to buy a desolate motel on South Congress Avenue in Austin. She has since become one of the industry’s most influential hoteliers, credited with turning South Congress Avenue into the buzzy thoroughfare it is today. She founded Bunkhouse Hotels, which she sold to Standard International in 2015, before departing the business in 2019. The motel that started it all, Hotel San José, remains one of the best in town. Lambert’s design legacy endures in the rooms and social spaces, which are modern and minimalist, with cowhide rugs and framed graphic art. Large arched windows overlook the central pool and leafy courtyard, where there is live music every Thursday.
Austin Motel, Austin, Texas
Why we rate it: Striking interiors, live music and location
Address: 1220 S Congress Avenue, Austin, TX 78704
Price: 180 USD per night
Along the road from Hotel San José is Austin Motel, Liz Lambert’s second hotel project under the Bunkhouse Hotels umbrella. Bold interiors draw on the building’s retro roots, with wildly wallpapered rooms with curvy leather headboards. It is known for its phallus-shaped neon sign, and you can pick up branded merch at the onsite shop. Swim passes and preferential rates for Texans mean there is always a local crowd hanging by the pool, while weekly events include Honky Tonk pool parties and al fresco film screenings.
Hotel Lucine, Galveston, Texas
Why we rate it: A beachfront break with retro charm in spades
Address: 1002 Seawall Blvd, Galveston, TX 77550
Price: 145 USD per night
Hotel Lucine is independently owned by husband-and-wife Dave and Keath Jacoby, along with their business partner, Robert Marcus. They bought a rundown mid-century motel and transformed it into a social hub in the heart of Galveston, where you’re as likely to mingle with locals as fellow travellers. The beachfront stay oozes 1960s seaside charm, distilled through a contemporary lens. “The location and the bones of Hotel Lucine made it an obvious choice to modernise, while celebrating Galveston’s mid-century modern history,” says Dave Jacoby. The hotel’s beating heart is the blue tiled pool lined with lemon sherbet-toned parasols, while the rooftop – the largest in town – offers views across the Gulf of Mexico. The restaurant describes its menu as “fine-ish” dining, serving upscale Texan fare without an ounce of pretence.
Ramsey Twentynine Palms, California
Why we rate it: a chic stop near Joshua Tree
Address: 73842 29 Palms Highway, Twentynine Palms, CA 92277
Price: 242 USD per night
In 2019, Ashton Ramsey purchased a worn out motor court motel on Twentynine Palms Highway. He kept the yellow sign out front but gutted the interiors, transforming the property into a stylish, laidback base. Less than a half a mile from the northern entrance to Joshua Tree National Park, it is a desert stay without the crowds. You’re two hours from Los Angeles and one hour from Palm Springs, making it an ideal pitstop. Airy rooms repurpose vintage materials, with Aesop toiletries and monogrammed onesies in the wardrobe. Make time for a meal at Kitchen in the Desert, where cacti views meet Caribbean-leaning small plates.
Le Petit Pali at Ocean Ave, Carmel-by-the-Sea, California
Why we rate it: Style by the sea in artsy Carmel
Address: Junipero Street &, Ocean Ave, Carmel-By-The-Sea, CA 93921
Price: 340 USD per night
Le Petit Pali occupies two renovated motels, both located in the beach city of Carmel-by-the-Sea on California’s Monterey Peninsula. “These buildings had a charm and humility to them; an old soul, tucked into a picturesque setting,” says Avi Brosh. “The bones were there, just waiting to be elevated.” Interiors mix relaxed coastal style with eclectic design, including bespoke furniture and upholstery. Guests linger in the lounge or borrow bikes to ride down to Carmel beach, before returning for convivial cocktails on the patio.
Cuyama Buckhorn, Cuyama, California
Why we rate it: A desert hideaway in Santa Barbara County
Address: 4923 Primero Street, New Cuyama, CA
Price: 211 USD per night
Cuyama Buckhorn is in Cuyama Valley, a desert town known as The Hidden Valley of Enchantment. Business partners Jeff Vance and Ferial Sadeghian of Los Angeles-based IDGroup revamped the roadside resort, hidden between mountain ranges and high-desert plains. Twenty one rooms unfold in a palette inspired by the surrounding landscape, each fitted with custom-built wooden furniture. Cowboy hats hang on the walls, while the minibar is stocked with local brands. Guests gather around firepits in the courtyard, hang by the pool and listen to vinyl in the lobby. Visit in spring, when wildflowers transform the arid landscape.
Tourists, North Adams, Massachusetts
Why we rate it: Art and adventure against a backdrop of the Berkshires
Address: 915 State Road, North Adams, MA 01247
Price: 355 USD per night
Tourists is a remodelled motel along the Mohawk Trail in North Adams, enveloped by views of the soaring Berkshire Mountains and Hoosic River. Sink into leather Togo chairs in the lofty wood-beamed lounge, where windows frame red maples and American elms. The hotel hums with a laidback creative crowd, who spend their days hiking, participating in yoga workshops on the and toasting s’mores around fire pits. A regular programme of events includes live music, art exhibitions and creative workshops, while the kitchen showcases local ingredients. Visit in autumn, when vibrant foliage sets the landscape ablaze with colour.
High Country Motor Lodge, Flagstaff, Arizona
Why we rate it: Alpine wellness on Route 66
Address: 1000 W Route 66, Flagstaff, AZ 86001
Price: 260 USD per night
This remodelled motel is on Route 66 in the mountain town of Flagstaff. Sixties Americana meets alpine lodge, surrounded by rugged peaks and ponderosa pine forests. Midnight blue rooms come with retro touches like cassette players with curated mixtapes, while an onsite general store sells freshly baked flatbreads, cocktails and branded merch. Embrace wellness with canyon hikes, stargazing and a Nordic spa experience, which includes a private cedar sauna and icy plunge. A regular events programme includes a live music series that supports environmentally-focused nonprofits, dedicated to preserving the surrounding landscape. The hotel is part of the Marc & Rose hospitality group, noted for its collection of eclectic boutique stays.
Trailborn Grand Canyon, Williams, Arizona
Why we rate it: A hip roadside stay near the Grand Canyon
Address: 642 E Rte 66, Williams, AZ 86046
Price: 159 USD per night
Trailborn is a boutique hospitality brand rooted in the great outdoors. The newest opening on Route 66 is down the road from the Grand Canyon Railway, which takes visitors to the South Rim entrance of the Grand Canyon. The motel originally opened in 1957 as the Thunderbird Inn and the new design honours its mid-century heritage with modern flair. Vintage tapestries and furniture flourish the public spaces to create a Southwestern aesthetic, while cowboy boots, horseshoes and cuckoo clocks hang on the wall at Miss Kitty’s steakhouse. Guests unwind with a Canyon Breeze cocktail on the outdoor deck, play lawn games by the pool or try square dancing in the saloon-style camp hall.
El Rey Court Santa Fe, New Mexico
Why we rate it: Warmth and character in culture-rich Santa Fe
Address: 1862 Cerrillos Road, Santa Fe, NM 87505
Price: 170 USD per night
A cancelled flight led to Austin-based hotelier Jeff Burns spending a night at El Rey Court roadside motel in Santa Fe in the mid-naughties. He saw the property’s potential and later persuaded the owner to sell. In collaboration with husband-and-wife creative team Jay and Alison Carroll, the motel has been transformed into a hip bolthole that nods to the area’s artistic heritage. The whitewashed exterior is designed in Pueblo Revival style, while interiors mix modular 1960s sofas with Navajo fabrics and works by Californian artists. Cacti and trailing plants fill the greenhouse, which opens onto a beer garden, while guests also gather at the heated outdoor pool. Away from the motel, explore Santa Fe’s vibrant creative scene, spanning galleries, museums and art institutions.
