Five mid-century American motels that have been given a new lease of life
From California to Texas, neglected 1950s motels have been given a new lease of life as contemporary hotels. Here, we bring you the top five properties worth checking into on any road trip. §
The Surfrider
Malibu
Built in 1953, the low-slung bones of the Surfrider Motel were perfectly preserved upon acquisition by architect Matthew Goodwin, who, with wife Emma Crowther and business partner and entrepreneur Alessandro Zampedri, saw a chance to reimagine the iconic Californian beach house. The 20-room redux is a calm oasis of pastel hues, Belgian linen, rough-hewn timber surfaces, teak beds, woven grass rugs, and pitched ceilings, that has been crisply dressed with Hans Wegner chairs and Picasso prints. With the Surfrider beach metres away, in-house diversions are confined to a library, a rooftop bar and a restaurant whose menu channels Californian sensibilities.
23033 Pacific Coast Highway; tel: 1.310 526 6158; thesurfridermalibu.com; rates: from $325
The Surfrider
Malibu
Built in 1953, the low-slung bones of the Surfrider Motel were perfectly preserved upon acquisition by architect Matthew Goodwin, who, with wife Emma Crowther and business partner and entrepreneur Alessandro Zampedri, saw a chance to reimagine the iconic Californian beach house. The 20-room redux is a calm oasis of pastel hues, Belgian linen, rough-hewn timber surfaces, teak beds, woven grass rugs, and pitched ceilings, that has been crisply dressed with Hans Wegner chairs and Picasso prints. With the Surfrider beach metres away, in-house diversions are confined to a library, a rooftop bar and a restaurant whose menu channels Californian sensibilities.
23033 Pacific Coast Highway; tel: 1.310 526 6158; thesurfridermalibu.com; rates: from $325
Anvil Hotel
Jackson
Transformed from a 1950s motel a block north of Jackson’s Town Square is Anvil Hotel, a slick version of a classic Western lodge. Studio Tack has blotted out all traces of the former motel in favour of a stylish but decidedly masculine palette. The lobby evokes the idea of a provisional store, complete with a wood burning stove and smart modern pieces. Each of the Anvil’s 49-rooms is furnished in what the hotel describes as Alpine Modern, which translates into warm two-toned painted walls of white and navy, parquet floors, Woolrich blankets, and sconces by Allied Maker.
215 North Cache Street; tel: 1.800 234 4507; anvilhotel.com; rates: from $195
Anvil Hotel
Jackson
Transformed from a 1950s motel a block north of Jackson’s Town Square is Anvil Hotel, a slick version of a classic Western lodge. Studio Tack has blotted out all traces of the former motel in favour of a stylish but decidedly masculine palette. The lobby evokes the idea of a provisional store, complete with a wood burning stove and smart modern pieces. Each of the Anvil’s 49-rooms is furnished in what the hotel describes as Alpine Modern, which translates into warm two-toned painted walls of white and navy, parquet floors, Woolrich blankets, and sconces by Allied Maker.
215 North Cache Street; tel: 1.800 234 4507; anvilhotel.com; rates: from $195
Austin Motel
Austin
Originally opened in 1938, the mid-century Austin Motel received an interior overhaul by Bunkhouse, thus re-opening in 2017. The landmark blends sly retro touches with a millennial bent – Burgundy laminated desks and tufted beds sheathed in Sfera sheets are paired with push-button phones and vintage silkscreened music posters, while a bar has been added to the kidney-shaped pool flanked by red and white umbrellas. And just to up the nostalgia quotient, in-house activities include punk rock water ballet and synchronised swimming lessons.
1200 South Congress Avenue; tel: 1.512 441 1157; austinmotel.com; rates: from $125
Photography: Nick Simonite
Austin Motel
Austin
Originally opened in 1938, the mid-century Austin Motel received an interior overhaul by Bunkhouse, thus re-opening in 2017. The landmark blends sly retro touches with a millennial bent – Burgundy laminated desks and tufted beds sheathed in Sfera sheets are paired with push-button phones and vintage silkscreened music posters, while a bar has been added to the kidney-shaped pool flanked by red and white umbrellas. And just to up the nostalgia quotient, in-house activities include punk rock water ballet and synchronised swimming lessons.
1200 South Congress Avenue; tel: 1.512 441 1157; austinmotel.com; rates: from $125
Photography: Nick Simonite
Calistoga Motor Lodge and Spa
Napa Valley
Whilst Napa Valley’s attraction largely revolves around its glorified vineyards and fine restaurants, the 50-room Calistoga Motor Lodge and Spa is a fine alternative for those after less alcoholic pursuits. Pastel hues of blues, yellows and greens accompanying a glass-blocked lounge, reproduction vintage coolers by the pool and bedrooms dressed with camper van bench seats and graphic tiles, evoke iconography from the great American road trip, a canny move given the building’s past as the Sunburst Motel. An outdoor mud spa featuring DIY mud-bakes and the detoxifying allure of the mint-green claw-foot tub infused with medicinal salts are especially enticing.
1880 Lincoln Avenue; tel: 1.707 942 0991; calistomotorlodgeandspa.com; rates: from $195
Photography: Aubrie Pick
Calistoga Motor Lodge and Spa
Napa Valley
Whilst Napa Valley’s attraction largely revolves around its glorified vineyards and fine restaurants, the 50-room Calistoga Motor Lodge and Spa is a fine alternative for those after less alcoholic pursuits. Pastel hues of blues, yellows and greens accompanying a glass-blocked lounge, reproduction vintage coolers by the pool and bedrooms dressed with camper van bench seats and graphic tiles, evoke iconography from the great American road trip, a canny move given the building’s past as the Sunburst Motel. An outdoor mud spa featuring DIY mud-bakes and the detoxifying allure of the mint-green claw-foot tub infused with medicinal salts are especially enticing.
1880 Lincoln Avenue; tel: 1.707 942 0991; calistomotorlodgeandspa.com; rates: from $195
Photography: Aubrie Pick
The Drifter Hotel
New Orleans
Set along a straight drive out on Tulane Avenue towards Mid-City, the 20-room Drifter Hotel offers a quieter, escapist alternative to New Orleans’ touristy French Quarter. Concordia Architecture and Nicole Cota Studio preserved the silhouette and retro-vibe of the low-slung 1956 motel, while layering on nostalgic American-highway period references by way of white geometric lattices, mid-century furniture, concrete walls, palm-leaf wallpaper, floral-patterned breeze bricks and Oaxacan tile-work. Bedrooms are dressed in Frette and Aesop bath products, but the more entertaining diversions are found pool-side with frozen cocktails and sakes, while on-site food trucks dish up Mexican, Cuban and Trinidadian standards.
3522 Tulane Avenue; tel: 1.504 605 4644; thedrifterhotel.com; rates: from $175
Photography: Nicole Franzen
The Drifter Hotel
New Orleans
Set along a straight drive out on Tulane Avenue towards Mid-City, the 20-room Drifter Hotel offers a quieter, escapist alternative to New Orleans’ touristy French Quarter. Concordia Architecture and Nicole Cota Studio preserved the silhouette and retro-vibe of the low-slung 1956 motel, while layering on nostalgic American-highway period references by way of white geometric lattices, mid-century furniture, concrete walls, palm-leaf wallpaper, floral-patterned breeze bricks and Oaxacan tile-work. Bedrooms are dressed in Frette and Aesop bath products, but the more entertaining diversions are found pool-side with frozen cocktails and sakes, while on-site food trucks dish up Mexican, Cuban and Trinidadian standards.
3522 Tulane Avenue; tel: 1.504 605 4644; thedrifterhotel.com; rates: from $175
Photography: Nicole Franzen