Restored Motels in the Southwest

Best Bet Motor Lodge

Reno, NV

Renovated into a Midtown boutique with a lobby bar and individual room entrances, its 1958 frame still visible in the bones. The Reno Sauna Club on the property has two cedar saunas, one inside a converted 1950s teardrop trailer.

El Vado Motel

Albuquerque, NM

A 1937 Pueblo Revival rescued from demolition with original adobe bones, neon sign, and wood vigas intact. Rooms surround a private pool courtyard; food pods, a taproom, and local shops now occupy the former carports.

Hotel San Jose

Austin, TX

A 1936 Spanish colonial bungalow court reborn as a garden-wrapped retreat of polished concrete and shade, where a hush holds inside the courtyard while South Congress hums just past the walls. It is the quiet, design-forward stay that helped bring the whole strip back to life.

Roadrunner Lodge Motel

Tucumcari, NM

Restored to working mid-century character with period decor and an in-house radio station playing 1950s and 60s hits. One of the last operating Magic Fingers vibrating beds in America is here.

The Mystic Santa Fe

Santa Fe, NM

The old Silver Saddle motor court on the Route 66 stretch of Cerrillos, reborn in pastels and global folk art with a cafe and bar out front. A made-to-order breakfast on real plates and a room that feels individually dreamed up make it a hangout, not just a place to sleep.