These aren’t your grandparents' motels.
Embarking upon a grouchy - country route stumble , not having amply design out where you ’ll ride out ? There ’s no better fashion to see the sights — and determine about America — than by resting your head at a vamp roadside motel .
We ’re not talking about your modal , ravel - of - the - John Mill , creepy half - assed renovations either . Nope , the motels below are fresh takes onJetsons - esque overnight accommodations , sodding with luxe linen , topically - source amenities , hip BAR and eating place , pools , and in a few cases at least , H2O views .
The Vagabond Hotel Miami
Miami , FloridaA fifties motel and restaurant / couch , theVagabond Hotel Miamiis on Biscayne Boulevard , in the metropolis ’s MiMo ( Miami Modern ) district , which is also how the post - war building ’s architectural style is classified . They say Hollywood greats like Frank Sinatra , Dean Martin , and Sammy Davis , Jr. hung out here back in the Clarence Day . shutter in the nineties after a four - 10 run and designated a local historic situation in the 2000s , the Vagabond welcome guests back in 2012 after a property - full renovation , admit a new hotel and diner , plus a pool prevention , that all look almost exactly like the original .
Rhode’s Motor Lodge
Boone , North CarolinaReintroduced in the free fall of 2023 as a 54 - way dress shop hotel in the Blue Ridge Mountains , Rhode ’s Motor Lodge — formerly a fifties motel — is named for the colorful rhododendron ( aka azaleas ) that grow in the field . The driving - up motor inn has a sign bar and restaurant , Canteen , that ’s open to anyone pass through craving Southern specialties like fry green tomato , pimento cheese dip , and campfire charcuterie . Made cozy with an indoor fireplace in the anteroom and outdoor flack pits on two patios , the mid - century modern motel forebode to traveller calculate to take a load off in the high country — for no matter how long .
Silver Sands Motel
Greenport , New YorkA pastel - colored , design - forward treasure on the North Fork , Silver Sands Motelreopened in 2023 after transforming a 1950s wayside property into a fairy - tale beachfront escape . With 20 rooms , eight beach shacks , two bungalows , and two beach houses , each space beam in its own way , using nostalgic elements and “ Easter egg ” throughout , like original motel floor tiles for the countertop at Eddie ’s , the beachfront legal community and restaurant .
The idyllic hideaway is a pick - your - own - risky venture kind of station — guests can curl up with a book on lounge chairs appear out at Shelter Island , go swimming on the private beach , rent kayaks for a physical exertion on the Peconic Bay shoreline , or borrow bike to research the nearby town . Bunnies dot the garden lawn , swan the grounds at their leisure . Arriving at Silver Sands almost feels like you ’ve been transported to the marshes and wetland found between Savannah and Tybee Island — anywhere but Long Island .
Guests interested in get their hands soiled can sign up for an oyster farm tour or just enjoy the food and drink at both on - land site restaurants , which include local touches like fruits from North Fork farm stands and wine by the trash from nearby vineyards .
Alamo Motel|Photo by Stephanie Helguera
The Longleaf Hotel
Downtown Raleigh , North CarolinaReopened in 2020,this 56 - room retro innin downtown Raleigh was formerly a Days Inn and a Travelodge before that . Originally built in the sixties , the new rendering of this space has been fully restored and modernized . Case in point : With sullen lighting , the Longleaf Lounge is the perfect place to suck down a vermouth cocktail while playing a cycle of lotto . Or head up to the committed secret terrace , which add itself to quiet , cool mornings .
Hotel Clermont
Atlanta , GeorgiaWith 94 guest rooms in the pith of Atlanta ’s Poncey - Highland neighborhood , Hotel Clermontwas build as an apartment construction in the 1920s before becoming a motor hostelry in 1939 . The motel close down in 2009 and did n’t reopen until almost a decennium later , not really full-grown , but in spades better than ever before . It possesses some of the best skyline opinion of Atlanta from its open - melody rooftop , an fantabulous French - root on menu at its lobby - grade eating place Tiny Lou ’s , and the metropolis ’s most infamous strip club ( est . 1965 ) , which hosts karaoke every Tuesday .
Piñon Court
Santa Fe , New MexicoWhat first startle as the Galisteo Inn , a 1930s Spanish Colonial Revival - style motor hotel for those travel along Route 66,Piñon Courtwas long know as the Old Santa Fe Inn before reopening in 2024 with a new feel and a name to match the fragrant desert piñon tree arise at its entrance . The 58 - room hotel embody the Southwestern charm people constellate to Santa Fe for , and includes plenty of nods to the metropolis ’s craftsman culture and historic past ( it ’s the oldest capital city in the U.S. ) with features like adobe gas fireplaces in some of the cortege and vintage prints by the lateWillard Clarkin all of the Edgar Guest room .
Hotel Lucine
Galveston , TexasOriginally built in 1963 as the Treasure Isle Motel , Hotel Lucineis the oldest remaining mid - century beachfront motel in Galveston , a metropolis known for its architecture , sandy shore , and boom ports . The reimagined 61 - room boutique hotel spotlights both retro good luck charm and forward-looking comforter , just under an 60 minutes ’s drive from Houston and steps from the Gulf of Mexico . It now sport a freehanded pool in the court , two eating house , and a orotund rooftop bar that has 180 - point ocean view . Adults not staying at the hotel can buy a pool bye and spend the day mess about with a World Famous Draft Margarita in hand .
Ojai Rancho Inn
Ojai , CaliforniaA female person - possess , mostly family - run business , Shelter Social Club is the parent society to six wondrously touch on inns in Central California : Capri Hotel , Ojai Rancho Inn , and the Hummingbird Inn in Ojai ; the Alamo Motel in Los Alamos ; the Agave Inn in Santa Barbara ; and Hamlet Inn in Solvang . At the bottom of the Topatopa mountain range , Ojai Rancho Innvibrates with creative energy — if you think in spiritual vortexes , you ’ll certainly experience a shift here . The roadside retreat , erected in the 1950s , is now home to a beer , wine , and vinyl bar , a pool , and a simple 17 guest rooms .
Mellow Moon Lodge
Del Norte , ColoradoIn Southern Colorado ’s San Luis Valley , Mellow Moon Lodgeis another female - possess , independently operated dress shop motel with roots dating back to the 1940s . The eco - voguish lodging , once known as El Rancho Motor Lodge , has 15 Edgar Albert Guest rooms and plans for a full - service cafe , burnt umber shop class , and cocktail bar called the Moon Saloon , opening in 2025 . The lovingly fix hotel sat empty for 20 years before becoming what it is today ( it was renovated in 2022)—a to the full fastball - free and dog - favorable wayside inn with in high spirits - death , topically sourced , and sustainable amenities . Mellow Moon also is n’t far from multiple red-hot springs , parks , trails , and a townsfolk with numerous shops , a distillery , and a variety of restaurant .
The Starlight Motor Inn
Charleston , South CarolinaAffordable and accessible since it opened in the 1960s , North Charleston’sStarlight Motor Innwas dubbed “ the Host of America ” early on . The family - operate business welcomed locals and travelers likewise for decades , then halt operations . It was n’t until 2020 that it was summate to the National Register of Historic Places before being revitalize and reopening two years later . Today , the 51 - room motel is a pastel dream , fit with 1960s - style mini fridge and art . With the ego - proclaimed “ best private pool in town ” ( you could buy a daily pool pass if you ’re not detain at the hotel ) and the Burgundy Room lounge that host live music and clowning nightly , this might be the most sinfully coolheaded berth in the Holy City .
The Dive Motel
Nashville , TennesseeOnce know as the Key Hotel , a 1965 motor inn frequented by the likes of Johnny Cash , Dolly Parton , and Hank Williams , this mid-20th hundred inn reopen as the Dive Motel and Swim Club in 2019 . locate along Tennessee ’s Old Buffalo Trail , the Dive use close to 90 percent of incur target and relics saved from the old motel in its design , including vintage vinyl wallpaper , wood pane , and discotheque balls in all 23 guest rooms ( for nonstop party vibes ) , and fix 1950s tiling in the lavatory .
There ’s a retro chic bar here as well as a pool , red-hot vat , and sauna for guests ( pool passes are useable for non - guests ) . The motel ca n’t be missed thanks to its old sign — preserved from the Key Motel that now has the raw name paint over the original .
The Vagabond Hotel Miami|Photo courtesy of The Vagabond Hotel Miami
Rhode’s Motor Lodge|Photo by Taylor McDonald Photography
Silver Sands Motel|Photo by Alex Kroke | Courtesy of Silver Sands Motel and Beach Bungalows
The Longleaf Hotel|Photo courtesy of The Longleaf Hotel
Hotel Clermont|Photo by Asher Moss
Piñon Court|Photo courtesy of Piñon Court
Hotel Lucine|Photo by Johanna Andruchovici
Alamo Motel|Photo by Stephanie Helguera
Mellow Moon Lodge|Photo courtesy of Mellow Moon Lodge
The Starlight Motor Inn|Photo courtesy of The Starlight Motor Inn
The Dive Motel|Photo courtesy of The Dive Motel