Historic Hotels of America announced its Great American Road Trip Hotels list for 2026, including seven along Route 66.
It recognized a total of 25 authentic historic hotels “that have shaped the American road-trip experience along scenic byways, historic highways, national park routes, coastal drives, and legendary corridors,” according to a news release.
The motels on or near Route 66 that made the list were:
- Palmer House in Chicago
- The Skirvin in Oklahoma City
- Royal Sonesta Chase Park Plaza St. Louis in St. Louis
- Rockwood Motor Court in Springfield, Missouri
- La Posada in Winslow, Arizona
- Piñon Court by La Fonda in Santa Fe, New Mexico
- The Eden in Santa Monica, California
More from the news release:
Each historic hotel selected for The 2026 Top 25 Historic Hotels of America Great American Road Trip Hotels list is a heritage destination on a well-known road-trip route that offers both cultural and practical value to travelers. Some were established during the golden age of automobile tourism, while others began as estates, railroad hotels, coastal retreats, spa resorts, or downtown landmarks before becoming beloved stops for motorists. Together, they show how a great road trip hotel can be both practical and unforgettable, offering a comfortable place to rest, a deeper connection to American travel history, and a destination worth slowing down for. From U.S. Route 66 and the Pacific Coast Highway to the Blue Ridge Parkway, Going-to-the-Sun Road, the Great River Road, the Overseas Highway, and Pennsylvania’s Route 6, historic hotels help define the journey as much as the roads themselves.
The appeal of the road-trip vacation developed alongside the growing accessibility of automobiles and the construction of new roads like Historic U.S. Route 66 in the 1920s and 1930s. After an era of dependence on train stations and timetables, private cars gave travelers the power to speed up, slow down, stop, and go whenever and wherever they pleased. This independence was especially appealing to Black Americans, as automobiles were not segregated like buses and trains, and it was in this era that Hugo Victor Green first published the Negro Motorist Green-Book series. Hotels and the hospitality industry also changed. An era of grand railroad hotels evolved into one of motor courts and tourist homes. Hotels opened along newly paved routes once used only for local traffic, and longstanding hotels adapted to support road trippers.
This recognition of historic hotels serving travelers along popular driving routes was launched as part of Historic Hotels of America’s celebration of the Historic U.S. Route 66 Centennial in 2026. Construction of the famous road, which stretches from Chicago to Santa Monica and passes through eight states, began in 1926. The National Trust for Historic Preservation, a private nonprofit organization chartered by U.S. Congress in 1949, has worked for years through its Preserve Route 66 initiative to support and advocate for places and organizations that tell the story of “The Main Street of America.” This announcement from Historic Hotels of America, the official program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation for recognizing the nation’s finest historic hotels, complements those efforts.
To be nominated and selected for membership and inducted into Historic Hotels of America, a hotel must be at least 50 years old and recognized for its historical significance.
(Image of the Rockwood Motor Court in Springfield, Missouri, courtesy of Historic Hotels of America)