This is alist of motels. Amotel islodging designed formotorists, and usually has aparking area for motor vehicles. Enteringdictionaries afterWorld War II, the word motel, coined in 1925 as aportmanteau ofmotor andhotel ormotorists' hotel, referred initially to a type of hotel consisting of a single building of connected rooms whose doors faced a parking lot and, in some circumstances, a common area; or a series of smallcabins with common parking. Several large motelchains exist, while conversely others are small businesses with one location that are privately owned. The first motel in the world is theMotel Inn ofSan Luis Obispo, California.[1][2]
Several historic motels are listed on the U.S.National Register of Historic Places, the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation.
Motels that are listed on the U.S.National Register of Historic Places are denoted in the table below in the NRHP listed column.
| Name | Image | NRHP listed | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 66 Motel |  | An independently owned six-room motel established 1946–47 inNeedles, California, that formerly served travellers onU.S. Route 66. Bypassed c. 1970 byInterstate 40, the motel has been used assingle room occupancy apartments since the 1990s. | |
| Alamo Plaza Hotel Courts |  | Founded by Edgar Lee Torrance inWaco, Texas, in 1929. Pictured are the original Alamo Plaza Hotel Courts in Waco. | |
| Arizona Rancho | Yes | A former hotel inHolbrook, Arizona. It was originally built between 1881 and 1883 as a residence, then expanded as aboarding house, a hotel, and finally as a motel.[3] The original structure is thought to be the oldest extant structure in Holbrook.[4] | |
| Atlanta Cabana Motel | A former 200-room motor hotel located in MidtownAtlanta, Georgia. It opened in 1958 and was demolished in 2002. | ||
| Aztec Motel |  | Yes | A former motel located on formerU.S. Route 66 inAlbuquerque, New Mexico. It was demolished in 2011. |
| Belvidere Café, Motel, and Gas Station |  | Yes | A historic building inLitchfield, Illinois, along Route 66. |
| Best Western |  | Operates about 4,000 hotels with over 1,000 employees. In the U.S., the properties can either be traditional roadside motels, motor inns, or full-service hotels. Outside the U.S., the properties are mainly hotels. | |
| The Big Texan Steak Ranch |  | A steakhouse restaurant and motel located inAmarillo, Texas, which opened on the previous U.S. Route 66 in 1960 and moved to its present location onInterstate 40 in 1970. The motel is named Big Texan Motel and has 54 units. | |
| Blue Bonnet Court |  | Yes | A historic motor court-style motel in north-centralAustin, Texas, that was built in 1928–1929. |
| Blue Gables Motel |  | Yes | Located inBuffalo, Wyoming, and formerly known as Blue Gables Court,[5] it was placed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 2011 as part of aMultiple Property Submission devoted to historic motor courts and motels in Wyoming. |
| Blue Swallow Motel |  | Yes | Located inTucumcari, New Mexico, it is listed on the U.S.National Register of Historic Places in New Mexico as a part of historic U.S. Route 66. |
| Boots Court Motel | .jpg) | A historic U.S. Route 66 motel inCarthage, Missouri, that opened in 1939 as the Boots Court. | |
| Border Inn |  | On the Utah/Nevada border inBaker, Nevada, onU.S. 6/U.S. 50. | |
| Budget Host |  | An American lodging chain that was founded in 1975 inFort Worth, Texas. | |
| Cactus Motor Lodge |  | Yes | Now named Cactus RV Park, it is a historic motel located inTucumcari, New Mexico, onU.S. Route 66. The motel units are no longer used. |
| Caribbean Motel |  | Yes | A historic motel located inWildwood Crest, New Jersey,[6] in an area now known as theWildwoods Shore Resort Historic District. |
| Chateau Bleu Motel |  | Yes | A historic motel located inNorth Wildwood, New Jersey, in the Wildwoods Shore Resort Historic District. |
| Coral Court Motel | Yes | A former 1941 U.S. Route 66 motel constructed inMarlborough, Missouri, and designated on theNational Register of Historic Places listings in St. Louis County, Missouri in 1989[7] as a valuable example of theArt Deco andStreamline Moderne architectural styles.[8] | |
| The Creek South Beach | A 90-room motel located inMiami Beach, Florida, it is an example ofMiami Modern architecture. The property has been prominently featured as an architecturally significant structure in the definitive book on MiMo architectureMiMo: Miami Modern Revealed.[9] | ||
| Cross Country Inn | A former American motel chain founded in 1988 that had more than 30 locations in theMidwestern United States at its peak. | ||
| Crystal River Tourist Camp | Yes | Formerly the Crystal River Cave Court and today named Cave Courts Motel, it is a motor inn built in 1932 inCave City, Arkansas. It is the oldest operating motor court in the state.[10] It is built of fieldstones from theOzarks. The motel was abandoned for several years before being purchased and restored. It is now reopened as the Cave Courts Motel.[11] It is also listed as anHistoric district in the United States. | |
| De Anza Motor Lodge |  | Yes | Historic motel located on former U.S. Route 66 in the Upper Nob Hill neighborhood ofAlbuquerque, New Mexico. It was purchased by the city of Albuquerque in 2003. It is also listed on theNew Mexico State Register of Cultural Properties. |
| Down-East Village Restaurant & Motel | The second motel built in Maine, in 1950, and eventually became the oldest. Demolished in 2016. | ||
| Econo Lodge |  | An economy motel chain based in the United States and Canada, franchised byChoice Hotels International. | |
| El Rancho Hotel & Motel |  | Yes | A historic motel inGallup, New Mexico. |
| El Rey Inn |  | Located inSanta Fe, New Mexico, it spans 5 acres (2.0 ha) and is located near what used to be U.S. Route 66. The property has traditionaladobe-style buildings surrounded by gardens. | |
| Esso Motor Hotel | This was a Swedish subsidiary of the American oil companyEsso, for running hotels in Europe. The word "motel" was avoided in order to emphasize the extra features the "motor hotel" provides compared to a normal motel. The company operated motorbys, motor hotels, and motels. | ||
| The Flanders Hotel |  | Yes | Located inOcean City, New Jersey, it was built in 1923 by the Ocean Front Hotel Corporation. |
| Glass Pool Inn |  | Originally opened as the Mirage Motel on theLas Vegas Strip in 1952. An above-ground swimming pool was added in 1955, and included largeporthole windows that allowed outsiders to look inside. The motel became well known for its pool, which was used in numerous films, television shows, music videos, and photo shoots.[12][13][14] The motel was closed in 2003 and demolished a year later.[15] | |
| The Gobbler |  | Pictured is The Gobblersupper club inJohnson Creek, Wisconsin; the motel was located across the street. | |
| Heilman Villas | .jpg) | Yes | Located inCoronado, California, and consists of 10 standalone bungalows and one 2-story duplex. Its name has changed several times, and it is now the location of the Coronado Police Department. |
| Hermitage Motor Inn |  | Yes | Formerly the Taylor Cunningham Hotel, it is a historic lodge inPetersburg, West Virginia. It was built about 1840 as a two-story brick building in a vernacularGreek Revival style. It has been in continuous operation as an inn since 1881. |
| Hiway House |  | A former motor hotel chain founded in 1956 atPhoenix, Arizona, by the lateDel Webb.[16][17][18] After Webb sold the chain, it was renamed the Sentry Hiway House and remained in operation until sometime after 1970, by which time most of the hotels were sold off and had changed their names, with some of them becoming franchises of competing lodging chains. A remnant of the old Hiway House chain is still in operation at Albuquerque, New Mexico (pictured). | |
| Holiday Inn | .jpg) | Pictured is a Holiday Inn resort inSaint-Laurent-du-Var, Alpes-Maritimes, France | |
| Howard Johnson's |  | A chain of hotels, motels and restaurants located primarily throughout the United States and Canada. Founded byHoward Johnson, it was the largest restaurant chain in the US throughout the 1960s and 1970s, with more than 1,000 combined company owned and franchised outlets. | |
| Imperial 400 | A former American motel chain that was founded in 1959 inLos Angeles, California, its properties were typically two-story buildings with "gull wing" shaped roofs over the lobby. | ||
| Jupiter Hotel |  | Located inPortland, Oregon, and once a two-story 1960s motor lodge motel, after major renovations it reopened as the Jupiter Hotel in October 2004. During its renovation, the old motel's parking lot was transformed into a courtyard, the entire building was painted white,[19] and all rooms were completely renovated. | |
| Knights Inn |  | A hotel/motel chain owned byWyndham Worldwide and based inParsippany, New Jersey. As of November 2007, there were 225 properties open in the United States and Canada. | |
| La Concha Motel | Opened in 1961 and closed in December 2003, it was located on Las Vegas Blvd South inWinchester, Nevada, and was considered one of the best-preserved examples of 1950sGoogie architecture.[20] The motel was demolished and was restored at theNeon Museum in Las Vegas, in which some of the original components of the motel were used. | ||
| Lazy A Motel |  | Yes | A historic former motel located along OldU.S. Route 66 inSpringfield, Illinois. The motel was built in 1948–49 and had 13 rooms arranged in a U shape, with garages located between the rooms. Since the motel's closure, the building has been used for apartments.[21] |
| Little A'Le'Inn |  | A small bar, restaurant and motel located inRachel, Nevada, on theExtraterrestrial Highway. | |
| Log Cabin Motel | Yes | Also known as Camp O' the Pines, it is located inPinedale, Wyoming, and was built in 1929 as a cabin camp to serve growing numbers of automobile-borne tourists bound forYellowstone National Park. | |
| Lorraine Motel |  | Built around the former Lorraine Motel, theNational Civil Rights Museum is a privately owned complex of museums and historic buildings inMemphis, Tennessee, which traces the history of theCivil Rights Movement in the United States from the 17th century to the present. | |
| Loveless Cafe |  | Located in southwestNashville onTennessee State Route 100, it is known for itsSouthern cooking. | |
| Madonna Inn |  | A motel inSan Luis Obispo, California, that opened in 1958. | |
| Masters Inn |  | A chain of motels in the United States that operates 15 locations in 6 states. | |
| Motel 6 |  | A major chain of budget motels with more than 1,000 locations[22] in the United States and Canada. Motel 6 also operates Studio 6, a chain ofextended stay hotels. Pictured is the first Motel 6 inSanta Barbara, California, which remains in business. | |
| Motel Inn of San Luis Obispo |  | Created in 1925 byArthur Heineman and originally known as the Milestone Mo-Tel, it is the first motel in the world.[2] It is located inSan Luis Obispo, California. | |
| Munger-Moss Motel |  | Munger-Moss Sandwich Shop served travelers onU.S. Route 66 in Missouri circa-1936. Located on theBig Piney River atDevils Elbow, Missouri, until 1945 (at what is now the Elbow Inn), it relocated toLebanon, Missouri, after World War II] when construction of a four-lane bypass of Route 66 toFort Leonard Wood military base drew traffic away from the original Munger Moss BBQ site. The Munger Moss Motel was added in 1946 as an addition to the Lebanon roadside restaurant and filling station, both of which are now gone. Munger-Moss Motel remains in business. | |
| Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation | An organization of the Government ofPakistan that is governed by the Board of Directors headed by the Minister for Tourism. PTDC runs motels at a number of locations throughout Pakistan to provide quality low-cost accommodation for visitors. | ||
| Park Motel |  | Yes | Located inDenison, Iowa, this is an example of a well-preserved pre-war highway motel during the early age of motoring. |
| Piedras Blancas Motel | A vintage roadside motel-and-diner complex located along theCentral Coast of California approximately 7 miles (11 km) north ofSan Simeon. It is located at a remote, wild and rural section of the two-lane historicState Route 1, and is now owned by the state park system of California. | ||
| Rainbow Court |  | Yes | A historic hotel/motel complex atMyrtle Beach, South Carolina, that includes two motel-type buildings, five beach cottages/boarding houses, and a small house. There are six contributing buildings. It is one of the few remaining examples of the small-scale, low-rise motels that pre-datesHurricane Hazel (1954).[23] |
| Red Caboose Motel |  | A 48-room train motel located near Ronks, Pennsylvania. | |
| Red Carpet Inn |  | A chain of hotels and motels, with locations in the United States andBahamas. | |
| Red Crown Tourist Court |  | Located inPlatte County, Missouri, at the junction ofUS 71 andRoute 59 (nowI-435), this small motel was built in 1931 and consisted of two small cabins connected by two garages. The front of the property had the Red Crown Tavern, which was a tavern, restaurant and ballroom. It is the site of the July 20, 1933 gun battle between lawmen and outlawsBonnie and Clyde and three members of their gang. | |
| Red Roof Inn |  | An economy hotel chain in the United States, their properties are distinguished by the large dark-red shingle roof that gives them their name. There are over 340 Red Roof Inns, primarily in the Midwest, Southern, and Eastern United States. | |
| Rodeway Inn | _25Nov07.JPG) | An economy motel chain based in the United States and Canada, franchised byChoice Hotels International. | |
| Roy's Motel and Café |  | A motel,café,gas station and auto repair shop, defunct for many years but now being largely restored, on theNational Trails Highway of U.S. Route 66 in the Mojave Desert town ofAmboy in San Bernardino County, California. The historic site is an example ofroadsidemid-century modernGoogie architecture. The coffee shop and gas station have both been refurbished and were reopened on April 28, 2008. | |
| Scottish Inns |  | A chain that began in the late 1960s inTennessee, it was a company that did not operate its own motels, but leased out the name to others. This changed in 1973, as the company assumed ownership of almost all properties.[24] A 1974 Scottish Inns of America locations directory listed 70 Scottish Inns. | |
| Star Lite Motel |  | A historic motel inDilworth, Minnesota, and one of the oldest buildings there. It is the oldest motel in Clay County. Earlier it was known as Charley's Motel. | |
| Sun-n-Sand Motor Hotel | A motel that opened in 1960 in downtownJackson, Mississippi. Due to its proximity to theMississippi State Capitol, it was frequently used by state legislators, and during thecivil rights movement, it was used by many activists. It was declared aMississippi Landmark and added to theNational Trust for Historic Preservation's list ofAmerica's Most Endangered Places in 2020. It was partially demolished in 2021. | ||
| Super 8 Motels |  | Super 8 Worldwide, formerly Super 8 Motels, is the world's largest budget hotel chain, with motels in the United States, Canada and newer properties in China. The company is a subsidiary ofWyndham Worldwide, formerly a part ofCendant.[25] | |
| Thunderbird Motel | ANative American-themed motel that was built in 1962 alongInterstate 494 and 24th Ave. inBloomington, Minnesota, a suburb ofMinneapolis. It is an example of post-warAmericana. It is part of theRamada franchise. The original Thunderbird Hotel no longer exists. | ||
| Travelodge |  | Travelodge (formerly styled TraveLodge) refers to several hotel chains around the world. Current operations include the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Spain, the Republic of Ireland, New Zealand and Australia. However, many of these are operated by independent companies who have no connection with the brand in other countries. | |
| Tucson Inn |  | Tucson Inn is a modernist post WWIIAmerican motel designed by female architect Anne Rysdale. The property opened in February 1953 inTucson, Arizona along US Highway Route 80 and 89. The motel was expanded in 1956 and included an iconic Neon Sign that has been widely published. It was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in October 2017 as a part of the Miracle Mile Historic District. In 2018, the motel was purchased byPima Community College, and was demolished in April 2025. | |
| Twin Bridges Motor Hotel | Later known as the Twin Bridges Marriott, it was the first lodging facility operated by what would becomeMarriott International. Since the Marriott Hotel chain did not exist, the hotel was operated as a Quality Courts motel (the precursor toChoice Hotels) for the first few years. This former motel was located inArlington, Virginia, opened on about January 18, 1957, and was demolished in 1990. | ||
| Vagabond Inn | An upper-end economy and mid-priced chain of hotels and motels located on theWest Coast of the United States with 38 locations in California, Nevada and Oregon. | ||
| Vibe Hotel | Built in 1952 and located onHollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles, California, it was originally known as the Movie Town Motel. It was built in the classic era and style of Googie architecture. The donut-shaped motel features retro design elements of that period, along with a motif of bright colors, tile and furniture all reminiscent of the fifties and sixties. | ||
| Wagon Wheel Motel and Restaurant |  | Was a famous office, motel and restaurant complex located inOxnard, California, at the intersection ofU.S. Route 101 andPacific Coast Highway. It was demolished in 2011 due to the pending development of 1,500 residential units.[26] | |
| Wagon Wheel Motel, Café and Station | Yes | A 19-room independently-owned historic U.S. Route 66 restored motel inCuba, Missouri, which has been serving travelers for more than 75 years. | |
| Warm Mineral Springs Motel | Yes | A historic 1958 motel nearWarm Mineral Springs, Florida, that is known for its mushroom champagne glass-style roof and glass walls, allowing guests to see the stars. It was selected by theAmerican Institute of Architects for the 1958 Special Awards. | |
| West Winds Motel | Yes | Located on old U.S. Route 66 inErick, Oklahoma, it opened in the mid-1940s to serve travelers on Route 66; at the time, tourism drove Erick's economy, and the motel was one of several in the city. The lodging buildings have aMission Revival design with stucco walls and red metal roofs designed to resemble tile. The motel units have individual garage spaces in front of their entrances, a style which was common in the 1930s and 1940s but fell out of favor in later years.[27][28] | |
| Wigwam Motel |  | Yes (remaining three motels) | Pictured is the front of the Wigwam Motel inHolbrook, Arizona. |
| Williams Deluxe Cabins |  | Yes | A historic motel complex located inWest Whiteland Township, Pennsylvania. It was built in 1937 and includes four contributing buildings, a service station and motel office, house, and two multiple rental units. The buildings haveTudor Revival design influences, such as half-timbering and rough facedstucco finish. |
The Glass Pool Inn closed in 2003 before it was razed a year later.
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