The Lebanon-Laclede County Route 66 Society reported that 15 rooms of the landmark Munger Moss Motel in Lebanon, Missouri, will soon be available for overnight rentals.
Lebanon City Administrator Troy Schulte made the announcement at the society’s annual membership meeting, according to a Facebook post.
The Dels Corp., which bought the motel following the deaths of longtime owners Bob and Ramona Lehman, has been converting the Munger Moss into studio apartments, similar to what it did with two other end-of-life Lebanon motels, the former Best Western Wyota Inn and the original Lebanon Holiday Inn, both of which had several names and chain affiliations during their lifetimes.
However, Schulte said that in a recent conversation, Dels CEO Mark Bertels committed to making 15 units available for short-term rentals through Airbnb and other online platforms.
Schulte received applause for the announcement.
The Dels stated last year that it would set aside about 20% of its rooms for overnight travelers, though most of the facility would be renovated into long-term housing.
The company also donated the Munger Moss sign to the city in exchange for the municipality maintaining it.
Schulte said the city may restore other historic signs on Route 66, including possibly White Sands Motel and the Forest Manor Motel.
The Dels Corp. completed the sale of the Munger Moss in October 2024.
Ramona Lehman owned the Munger Moss for more than 50 years until her death at age 85 in 2023. She and her late husband Bob bought the Route 66 motel in June 1971. Bob died in 2019.
The motel was built in 1946 on Lebanon’s east side along with a restaurant and gas station, both of which are long gone.
The Munger Moss name came from a sandwich shop of the same name in nearby Devil’s Elbow, Missouri, built in the mid-1930s by Nellie Munger and her husband, Emmitt Moss.
(Image of the Munger Moss Motel in Lebanon, Missouri, by Stu Rapley via Flickr)