David Wilkening at Hotel Interactive has a pretty good article about historic motels along Route 66. Not only does Wilkening talk to longtime roadies Johnnie Meier and Jim Conkle, but he speaks with the owners of the Motel Safari in Tucumcari, N.M.; the Rodeway Inn in Williams, Ariz., Wild West Junction of Williams; and the … Continue reading Motel history
Category: Motels
Ghosts in the motel
There were some suggestions in the past that the historic Hotel Brunswick on Route 66 in Kingman, Ariz., was haunted. Debe Branning of Examiner.com has more specific stories about those ghostly incidents: A previous innkeeper told the MVD Ghostchasers crew about some of the difficulties he encountered with the Brunswick ghosts after he purchased the … Continue reading Ghosts in the motel
“Life Ain’t Always Beautiful”
Check out the neon sign during this video by Gary Allan. It's from the Holiday Motel on the Strip in Las Vegas -- one of the last survivors of vintage motels there. The song itself has a interesting history. Allan recorded it shortly after his wife committed suicide. Several of the songs from the excellent … Continue reading “Life Ain’t Always Beautiful”
Co-founder of Boots Motel dies
Ilda Boots, co-founder of the Boots Motel on historic Route 66 in Carthage, Mo., died Friday at age 102 at a nursing home in Glenpool, Okla., reports the Carthage Press. The Bootses also founded the Boots Drive-In restaurant across the road, which is defunct. According to the newspaper, after talking to Ilda's son Bob: She … Continue reading Co-founder of Boots Motel dies
Miniature of famed Ash Fork Harvey House to be unveiled
On Saturday, the Ash Fork Historical Society of Ash Fork, Ariz., will show off a detailed model of the town's former Harvey House, the Hotel Escalante, reports the Prescott Daily Courier. Historical society volunteers Wayne and Nancy Ulrich spent more than 1,100 hours over seven months creating the 8-foot by 9-foot model of the Escalante, … Continue reading Miniature of famed Ash Fork Harvey House to be unveiled
Get a room at the Wagon Wheel soon
If you're traveling through the Ozarks during the holiday season, it may be wise to stay one night at the Wagon Wheel Motel on Route 66 in Cuba, Mo. The historic motel will continue to be operational and offer its amazingly inexpensive $17-a-night rooms for at least the next few weeks. But James Armstrong, son … Continue reading Get a room at the Wagon Wheel soon
A look at Motel Safari’s upcoming sign
Richard Talley, owner of the Motel Safari in Tucumcari, N.M., sent me a draft of his new neon sign that will go up in a few months. Talley wrote: The final version, will have some slight modifications or changes to it, but kept as a closely guarded secret, until completed and a surprise for everyone! … Continue reading A look at Motel Safari’s upcoming sign
Triangle Motel progress report
I received a progress report a few days ago from Marianne McNeil Logan, secretary for the effort to restore the formerly long-neglected Triangle Motel on Route 66 in east Amarillo, Texas. The motel has received its Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program cost-share grant and underwent an engineer's inspection. Logan wrote: Two contractors' bids are now … Continue reading Triangle Motel progress report
Another haunted hotel?
Jason Pfaff, the co-owner of the excellent Hotel Brunswick on Route 66 in Kingman, Ariz., shows a camera crew some of the places where he sensed the presence of the supernatural in the historic building. I was thinking that maybe all this talk about ghosts would be bad for Pfaff's business -- until I recall … Continue reading Another haunted hotel?
Historic Tulsa building to be converted into hotel
Tulsa Business Journal reports that the historic Max Campbell Building on 11th Street (aka Route 66) in Tulsa has been purchased and will be converted into a hotel, events center and retail space. Group M. Investments Inc. purchased the historic building, which sits at 11th and Columbia, near the University of Tulsa. The site contains … Continue reading Historic Tulsa building to be converted into hotel