A motel, also known as a motor hotel, motor inn or motor lodge, is a hotel designed for motorists, usually having each room entered directly from the parking area for motor vehicles rather than through a central lobby. Entering dictionaries after World War II, the word motel, coined as a portmanteau of "motor hotel", originates from the Milestone Mo-Tel of San Luis Obispo, California, which was built in 1925. The term referred to a type of hotel consisting of a single building of connected rooms whose doors faced a parking lot and in some circumstances, a common area or a series of small cabins with common parking. Motels are often individually owned, though motel chains do exist.
The historic U.S. Route 66 ran east–west across the central part of the state of New Mexico, along the path now taken by Interstate 40 (I-40). However, until 1937, it took a longer route via Los Lunas, Albuquerque, and Santa Fe, now roughly New Mexico State Road 6 (NM 6), I-25, and US 84. Large portions of the old road parallel to I-40 have been designated NM 117, NM 118, NM 122, NM 124, NM 333, three separate loops of I-40 Business, and state-maintained frontage roads.
The Wigwam Motels, also known as the "Wigwam Villages," is a motel chain in the United States built during the 1930s and 1940s. The rooms are built in the form of tipis, mistakenly referred to as wigwams. It originally had seven different locations: two locations in Kentucky and one each in Alabama, Florida, Arizona, Louisiana, and California.
The Aztec Motel, also known as the Aztec Auto Court or Aztec Lodge, was a historic motel located on former U.S. Route 66 in the Upper Nob Hill neighborhood of Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States. Until its demolition in 2011 it was the oldest continuously-operating Route 66 motel in New Mexico and "one of the five most important motels left" in Albuquerque.
The De Anza Motor Lodge was a historic motel located on former U.S. Route 66 in the Upper Nob Hill neighborhood of Albuquerque, New Mexico. It was built in 1939 by Charles G. Wallace, a local trader of Zuni art and pottery, who remained the owner until 1983. Wallace decorated the motel with a variety of Native American art, including a series of murals by Zuni artist Tony Edaakie in a basement room.
Nob Hill Business Center is a historic shopping center in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Built in 1946–7, it was the first modern suburban shopping center in New Mexico, and its construction marked a shift away from pedestrian-oriented development in Albuquerque in favor of decentralized, auto-oriented sprawl. Located on Central Avenue at Carlisle Boulevard, the building is the focal point of the Nob Hill district.
The Cactus Motor Lodge, later known as the Cactus RV Park, was a motel located along historic U.S. Route 66 in Tucumcari, New Mexico. I.E. and Edna Perry built the lodge in 1941. The motel included three wings of units forming a "U" shape and an office, the latter of which was a dance hall when the motel opened. In 1952, Norm Wegner purchased the motel; Wegner added an artificial stone exterior to the buildings and converted the dance hall to an office. After Route 66 was decommissioned, the motel lost much of its business, and by the 1990s it became an RV park; the motel units fell into disuse. The motel's neon sign was restored in 2008. In October 2018, the sign was sold and removed to be relocated to an Albuquerque neon-sign park. Many other items were sold off before the owners sold the property itself to O'Reilly Auto Parts. O'Reilly razed all structures before beginning construction of their store at the location.
The International District is a neighborhood in southeast Albuquerque, New Mexico. It is centered on Central Avenue, the historic alignment of U.S. Route 66, and contains the New Mexico State Fairgrounds. The community is one of the most diverse areas of the city and is home to a large number of international restaurants and grocery stores, as well as the city's "Little Saigon" Vietnamese enclave. It is also one of the poorest areas in the city and has an extremely high violent crime rate. Although re-branded by city officials as the International District in 2009, Albuquerque residents continue to refer to the neighborhood by its longtime nickname, the "War Zone."
The El Vado Auto Court is a historic motel in Albuquerque, New Mexico, located along former U.S. Route 66. Built in 1937, it operated until 2005 and reopened in 2018 after renovations. The motel was listed on the New Mexico State Register of Cultural Properties and National Register of Historic Places in 1993, and was also designated an Albuquerque city landmark in 2008.
Nob Hill Motel, formerly the Modern Auto Court, at 3712 Central Ave. SE. in Albuquerque, New Mexico, was built in 1937. It was listed on the New Mexico State Register of Cultural Properties and the National Register of Historic Places in 1993. The listing included four contributing buildings.
The Redwood Lodge, at 907 E. 66 Ave. in Gallup, New Mexico, was built in 1931. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998.
The Antonio Vigil House is a historic building in the Old Town neighborhood of Albuquerque, New Mexico. It was built in 1879 as a rental property by Santiago Baca, a wealthy landowner who moved with his family to Albuquerque from Pecos, New Mexico in 1874. The home's original occupant was Albert Grunsfeld, a German Jewish merchant for whom Albuquerque's oldest Jewish congregation, Congregation Albert, is named. The Baca family sold the house in 1900, and after two changes of ownership, it ended up in the hands of Pilar Vigil in 1904. Her son Antonio Vigil lived there from 1922 to 1961 and the Vigil family continued to own the property at least into the 1970s. At some point the building was converted to commercial use. It was added to the New Mexico State Register of Cultural Properties in 1976 and the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.
The Tower Court is a historic motel on Central Avenue in Albuquerque, New Mexico. It is notable as one of only a few 1930s motels remaining in the city. The motel was built in 1939 by Ben F. Shear and was added to the New Mexico State Register of Cultural Properties and the National Register of Historic Places in 1993.
The Luna Lodge is a historic motel on Central Avenue in Albuquerque, New Mexico, which is notable as one of the best-preserved Route 66 era motels remaining in the city. It was built in 1949 and was one of the easternmost Albuquerque motels, located about 6 miles (9.7 km) from the city center. The motel eventually closed and fell into disrepair, but was restored and converted to low-income housing in 2013. The property was added to the New Mexico State Register of Cultural Properties and the National Register of Historic Places in 1998.
The La Puerta Lodge is a historic motel on Central Avenue in Albuquerque, New Mexico, which is notable as one of the best-preserved Route 66 era motels remaining in the city. It was built in 1949 by Ralph Smith and was one of the easternmost Albuquerque motels, located over 6 miles (9.7 km) from the city center. The property was added to the New Mexico State Register of Cultural Properties in 1997 and the National Register of Historic Places in 1998.
The El Campo Tourist Courts is a historic motel on Central Avenue in Albuquerque, New Mexico, which is notable as one of the best-preserved prewar Route 66 motels remaining in the city. It was built in 1939 by M. H. McGraw and was one of the westernmost Albuquerque motels, located about 3 miles (4.8 km) west of the city center. The motel was later converted into an apartment complex. The property was added to the New Mexico State Register of Cultural Properties in 1993 and the National Register of Historic Places in 1994.
The Hilltop Lodge was a historic motel on Central Avenue in Albuquerque, New Mexico, which was notable as one of the best-preserved Route 66 motels remaining in the city. It began as a small three-unit lodging in 1941, and was expanded to 12 units by owner E. H. Stopple in 1946. The property was added to the New Mexico State Register of Cultural Properties in 1997 and the National Register of Historic Places in 1998. The motel was demolished in 2003 after being shut down by the city as a nuisance property. The remainder of the site, including the neon sign, was cleared around 2017 for a realignment of Yucca Drive due to the Albuquerque Rapid Transit project.
The La Mesa Motel was a historic motel on Central Avenue in Albuquerque, New Mexico, which was notable as one of the best-preserved prewar Route 66 motels remaining in the city. It was built in 1938 and was added to the New Mexico State Register of Cultural Properties and the National Register of Historic Places in 1993. The building was demolished in March, 2003, and replaced with a larger two-story motel.
The Downtowner Motor Inn is a historic motel on Central Avenue in Downtown Albuquerque, New Mexico. Opened in 1965, it was originally part of the Downtowner chain, which operated economy-priced motels in city centers across the U.S. In 1972, the motel was sold and became a Quality Inn. It has also operated as a Ramada and most recently as the Hotel Blue, which closed in 2017. In 2020, it was announced that the motel would be renovated by the Los Angeles-based ARRIVE Hotels & Restaurants to reopen in 2022. These plans were delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, and ARRIVE Hotels was purchased by a different hotel company, Palisociety, in 2021. Renovation work began in early 2022.
