Starlite Motel (Gone)
Mesa, AZ Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
How about this neon shot of a swimmer hitting the water. Swimmer neon
marquees in the desert used to appeal to the hot and weary traveler looking
for a mirage or oasis to cool off for the evening.
The Starlite Motel and its marquee features animated neon that is becoming rare these days. Check out the sequence of the neon diver making a splash at this Mesa, AZ delight. 01-08
Supai
Motel
Seligman, AZ Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
Check out the colorful neon sign for the Supai Motel along Route 66 in Seligman. With its script lettering, glowing arrows, and big roadside frame, the sign is everything a traveler could want from an old highway motel.
The Supai opened in 1952, right in the middle of the postwar road-trip boom. Its L-shaped motor-court layout allowed guests to pull off Route 66 and park directly outside their rooms. That was a mighty convenient setup after spending a long day crossing northern Arizona.
The motel was operated for years by Evelyn “Pudge” Delgadillo, a former Harvey Girl and member of Seligman’s well-known Delgadillo family. Her husband, Juan Delgadillo, founded the nearby Snow Cap Drive-In, while Juan’s brother Angel helped lead the movement to have Arizona’s abandoned section of Route 66 recognized as a historic highway.
That preservation campaign began after Interstate 40 bypassed Seligman in 1978 and highway traffic through town nearly disappeared overnight. The Historic Route 66 Association of Arizona was organized in Seligman in 1987, helping turn the overlooked highway into a travel destination once again.
The Supai sign received some preservation help of its own in 2006. Its metal panels were repaired and repainted, and new neon tubing was installed with assistance from Route 66 preservation organizations. The restoration brought one of Seligman’s best roadside signs back to life.
UPDATE: The Supai Motel remains open at 22450 W. Historic Route 66. Its restored neon sign continues glowing beside the Mother Road, welcoming another generation of travelers to Seligman. 08-26
Route 66 Motel (Closed)
Kingman, AZ Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
The bright boomerang arrow of the Route 66 Motel was hard to miss along Andy Devine Avenue in Kingman. Outlined in neon and rows of lightbulbs, it pointed travelers toward a classic motor court right on the Mother Road.
The 25-room motel opened in 1963 as the Pony Soldier Motel. Its sign originally featured the image of a pony soldier where the Route 66 shield later appeared. The building also had a kidney-shaped swimming pool tucked into the parking area, another familiar piece of 1960s motel design.
After the Pony Soldier name disappeared, the property became the Route 66 Motel. The new name might not have been very imaginative, but nobody passing through Kingman had to wonder which highway they were traveling.
UPDATE: The Route 66 Motel has closed. Housing for Hope purchased the property in 2023 and converted its rooms into the Joshua Tree Apartments for transitional housing. The old boomerang sign remains standing beside Andy Devine Avenue. 08-26
Saga Motel
Flagstaff, AZ Photo courtesy Paul Bauke
Heading west out of Flagstaff along old Route 66 brings motorists past the towering sign for the Saga Motel. The big roadside marquee, low-slung guest rooms, and parking spaces outside the doors are all part of the classic motor-court package. This was the kind of place designed to catch the eye before a traveler rolled past and decided to try the next motel down the road.
The Saga opened in 1961, when Route 66 still carried a steady stream of vacationing families, truckers, and Grand Canyon visitors through Flagstaff. Its location near the junction of Route 66 and US 89A placed it along one of the busiest highway approaches into town. Travelers arriving from Williams and California passed right by the motel, while US 89A provided a connection toward Sedona and Oak Creek Canyon.
Here are additional neon photos of the Saga Motel, taken in 1992. 03-08
Saga Motel
Flagstaff, AZ Photos courtesy Alan Culley / 1992
The motel offered about 29 rooms arranged around a central parking area. Guests could pull off the highway, park directly outside their room, and carry their suitcases only a few steps. No parking garages, elevators, or long hallways were needed. That simple convenience was one of the main selling points of the American roadside motel.
Flagstaff’s cool mountain air also made the city a popular overnight stop for travelers crossing Arizona. After hours of driving through the hot desert, Route 66 motorists could climb toward the ponderosa pines, find a room, and wake up within reach of the Grand Canyon. The Saga was one of many motels competing for those travelers with large signs, reasonable rates, televisions, and convenient roadside parking.
The property later joined the Budget Host referral network and became known as the Budget Host Saga Motel. Budget Host allowed independent motel owners to share national advertising and reservation services without completely surrendering their individual names. That is why the Saga continued looking and feeling more like a traditional mom-and-pop motel than a standardized chain property.
Saga Motel
Flagstaff, AZ Photos courtesy Alan Culley / 1992
The west side of Flagstaff once had a long lineup of roadside lodgings trying to outshine one another. The Hidden Village Motel stood nearby with a memorable orange arrow sign pointing toward its rooms. That motel was eventually demolished, while other old motor courts were remodeled, renamed, converted into apartments, or cleared for new development. Somehow, the Saga and its roadside sign kept going.
Interstate 40 eventually pulled much of the through traffic away from the old city alignment, but Route 66 never completely lost its importance in Flagstaff. It remains a busy local street and a destination for travelers searching for pieces of the old highway. The Saga may be a modest motel, but its surviving sign and traditional layout still show what this part of town looked like during the Route 66 era.
UPDATE: The Budget Host Saga Motel remains open. Its vintage roadside sign still stands along the western approach to Flagstaff, catching the attention of travelers more than 60 years after the motel opened. 08-26
Amazon Motel (Closed)
Tucson, AZ Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
The tall neon sign for the Amazon
Motel has watched over Tucson’s Miracle Mile since the 1950s. Its lettering and colors changed slightly through the decades, but the old roadside frame remained easy to spot from the highway. 06-23
The Amazon was one of many motor courts built along Miracle Mile during Tucson’s postwar travel boom. This busy strip was once packed with motels, restaurants, cocktail lounges, and enough neon to keep the desert glowing well after sunset.
Amazon Motel
Tucson, AZ Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
As traffic patterns changed, Miracle Mile went through some rough years, and the Amazon became more of a long-term lodging property than a tourist motel. Taking nighttime photographs around here could occasionally bring a little more roadside excitement than expected.
The City of Tucson purchased the 30-room property for $2.6 million in 2023. After a major renovation, the former guest rooms reopened in September 2025 as permanent supportive housing for people who had experienced homelessness.
UPDATE: The Amazon Motel no longer accepts overnight travelers. The renovated property now provides supportive housing, while its vintage Miracle Mile sign remains standing out front as a reminder of the site’s motel days. 08-26
Check out the colorful neon sign for the 
Saga Motel
Saga Motel
Saga Motel
