We've always urged using local mom-and-pop motels during your Route 66 travels on this site's Lodging listings. However, from the earliest days of Route 66 News, we've also recommended Hampton Inn if you want a chain motel instead. That's partly because of Hampton Inn's Landmarks program, of which several Route 66 properties have benefited. In … Continue reading A word on Hampton Inns
Category: Motels
The Road Crew wins big award at Route 66 banquet
The Road Crew music group won the inaugural Bobby Troup Artistic Award during the 2011 International Route 66 Festival awards banquet Saturday night at the Galleries at Sunset Center in Amarillo, Texas. David Wickline, an author and Route 66-themed restaurant owner, won the Route 66 Roadie Award. And Alan McNeil and his mother, Marianne, were honored … Continue reading The Road Crew wins big award at Route 66 banquet
Notes from the Route 66 festival
A lot is going on this weekend at the International Route 66 Festival in Amarillo. But Friday, most of the newsworthy stuff Friday could be found at the artists and authors exposition, housed in the San Jacinto Christian Academy cafeteria. The inside of the cafeteria provides a good indication why it was used. Check out all … Continue reading Notes from the Route 66 festival
Book about Wagon Wheel Motel published
An illustrated book about the history of the Wagon Wheel Motel in Cuba, Mo., has just been published. Riva Echols, sister of the motel's owner Connie Echols, wrote "The History of a Route 66 Icon: The Wagon Wheel Motel on Route 66" (102 pages, $15.99, paperback). According to the news release about the book: Riva … Continue reading Book about Wagon Wheel Motel published
Aztec Motel being torn down
The historic Aztec Motel along Central Avenue (aka Route 66) in Albuquerque is being torn down, although its restored neon sign will remain indefinitely, said the property's co-owner. The tear-down started just a few days ago, judging by posts on the Duke City Fix, a collective blog based in Albuquerque. One of the blog's contributors … Continue reading Aztec Motel being torn down
Part of El Rancho complex will be razed
Part of the fire-damaged El Rancho Motel complex along Route 66 in Barstow, Calif., will be torn down in the coming months, according to the Desert Dispatch newspaper. A structure fire that started in the attic in May destroyed the Cedar Restaurant and Travel Store — part of the historic El Rancho hotel building — … Continue reading Part of El Rancho complex will be razed
Aztec Hotel owner loses bid to oust receiver
The owner of the Aztec Hotel in Monrovia, Calif., failed in efforts to persuade a bankruptcy judge to remove a receivership company, thus making it more likely the historic and architecturally unique hotel will be sold, according to the Pasadena Star-News. "I'm not inclined to put the debtor back in possession of this property," judge … Continue reading Aztec Hotel owner loses bid to oust receiver
Former Route 66 Cafe, motel put up for sale
The former Route 66 Cafe and adjacent Belvidere Motel along old 825 Old Route 66 South in Litchfield, Ill., have been put up for sale for $150,000. The restaurant's operators left the property a few years ago, telling me at the time that the landlord hadn't fixed the roof. But, according to the listing for … Continue reading Former Route 66 Cafe, motel put up for sale
Route 66 motel in Flagstaff played role in creation of Code Talkers
El Pueblo Motel, which sits on Route 66 in Flagstaff, Ariz., played a critical role in the creation of Navajo Code Talkers for use of military communication during World War II, according to an article today in the Arizona Daily Sun. Philip Johnson built what was then called El Pueblo Motor Inn in 1937, and … Continue reading Route 66 motel in Flagstaff played role in creation of Code Talkers
Historic Monrovia hotel embroiled in dispute
The historic Aztec Hotel along Route 66 in Monrovia, Calif., apparently no longer faces foreclosure, but its future remains up in the air, according to a well-sourced story by the San Gabriel Valley Tribune. The Monrovia Patch reported earlier this month that the architecturally distinctive hotel would be part of a foreclosure sale on May … Continue reading Historic Monrovia hotel embroiled in dispute