Hacienda Motel (Gone)
Williams, AZ Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
Here are a couple of late 1990s views of the Hacienda Motel on the west end of Williams. The yellow roadside sign was joined by a smaller sign pointing travelers toward the motel office, just in case anyone became lost after pulling into the property. 09-21
The motel was better known during its prime as Harvey’s Hacienda Motel and Restaurant. Local hotelier Harvey Gibbs acquired the property during the early 1950s after previously operating the Thunderbird Inn in downtown Williams.
Vintage postcards advertised the Hacienda as being “in the heart of the motel section” at the west end of town. This made it one of the first places seen by eastbound motorists arriving in Williams on Route 66.
Hacienda Motel (Gone)
Williams, AZ Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
Gibbs added a large restaurant in 1958 with seating for 144 customers. It reportedly contained the first commercial pizza oven in Williams, which must have seemed pretty unusual in a highway town better known at the time for steaks, diners and coffee shops.
The property continued growing in 1959 when another 40 motel rooms were added. By then, Harvey’s Hacienda had become a sizable roadside complex offering travelers a room, a meal and plenty of parking in one stop.
The Hacienda survived for many years after Interstate 40 bypassed Williams in 1984, but it eventually closed and was demolished. Both the large yellow motel sign and the separate office sign disappeared with it.
UPDATE: The Hacienda Motel and Restaurant are gone. The former west-end property was redeveloped with a modern Comfort Inn and an adjoining commercial lot near the old Norris Motel. 09-26
Belle Art Center Lodge (Gone)
Kingman, AZ Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
Check out the colorful sign for the Belle Art Center Lodge in Kingman. The red lettering, starbursts and arrow gave this small residence motel plenty of roadside character, even if its exact location in town has become difficult to pin down. 09-21
The Belle Art Center Lodge catered more to long-term residents than overnight Route 66 tourists. Rooms were rented by the week and included small kitchenettes, although they did not have individual telephones.
The lodge also holds a dark connection to American history. Timothy McVeigh stayed there in early 1995, paying about $130 per week during the months before the Oklahoma City bombing. The Kingman stay later appeared in federal investigation and trial timelines. The motel eventually closed and was demolished. Its unusual roadside sign was also removed, although the exact year both disappeared remains unclear.
UPDATE: The Belle Art Center Lodge and its sign are gone. Little remains online about the former residence motel beyond historic photographs, local records and its appearance in the 1995 investigation timeline. 09-26
Chief's Motel (Closed)
Valentine, AZ Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
Watch for the faded sign of the Chief’s Motel along old Route 66 west of Valentine. Tree branches nearly hide it, but traces of the lettering and a painted Native American chief can still be seen. 09-21
The Chief’s was a tiny motor court with two three-unit buildings. Records indicate it was already housing travelers and military families by 1943.
The motel closed after Interstate 40 bypassed this stretch of Route 66. Its buildings were later converted to private residential use.
UPDATE: The Chief’s Motel no longer accepts travelers, but the buildings and heavily faded roadside sign still survive. 09-26
Star Inn (Gone - former Desert View Lodge)
Holbrook, AZ
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
Check out the super-tall roadside sign for the Star Inn in Holbrook. The narrow marquee towered over West Hopi Drive beside the Plainsman Restaurant, making the motel easy to spot along this busy stretch of old Route 66. 09-21
The property opened during the early 1950s as the Desert View Lodge with 23 ground-floor rooms. An 11-room second story was added later in the decade as the number of families traveling Route 66 continued to grow.
The Desert View reportedly had the first motel swimming pool in Holbrook. A pool was a big attraction for families crossing the hot Arizona desert and was featured prominently in the motel’s postcard advertising.
Star Inn (Gone - former Desert View Lodge)
Holbrook, AZ Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
By the mid-1960s, the property had expanded again with a separate office and café along the highway frontage. More rooms were also added, eventually bringing the motel to about 55 units under the Desert View Motel name.
Later owners renamed the property the Star Inn and installed the towering sign seen here. The motel remained next door to the Plainsman Restaurant, whose large cowboy sign provided even more roadside competition on the same block.
The Star Inn eventually closed and sat vacant before the buildings were demolished. Its tall sign was also removed, while the neighboring Plainsman cowboy sign remained until it was sold and taken down in 2021.
UPDATE: The Star Inn buildings and roadside sign are gone. The former Desert View Lodge property at 1009 W. Hopi Drive is now a completely vacant lot beside the old Plainsman Restaurant site. 09-26
Mayfair Motel (Gone)
Winslow, AZ Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
Check out the tall roadside sign for the Mayfair Motel on the west side of Winslow. By the time this photo was taken, rooms were advertised for around $19, offering Route 66 travelers a pretty inexpensive night’s stay. 09-21
Built in 1962, the Mayfair had 21 rooms arranged in two single-story wings around a central parking area. Western murals decorated the ends of the buildings, including a cowboy riding through the landscape.
The motel eventually closed and its rooms were converted into apartments. The old buildings and murals survived, but the tall highway sign was removed.
UPDATE: The former Mayfair Motel now operates as the Winslow Ranch Apartments. Its original motor court layout remains, but the motel sign is gone. 09-26
Motel (Closed)
Ash Fork, AZ Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
Travel west along old Route 66 through Ash Fork and you will encounter this abandoned motel, its empty rooms facing a highway that once carried a steady stream of travelers. The property already appeared closed when these photos were taken. 09-21
Ash Fork once supported numerous motels, cafes, and service stations, but many struggled after Interstate 40 redirected traffic around town. With no readable sign or surviving business name, the identity of this particular motor court remains uncertain.
UPDATE: The motel’s original name and current structural status remain unconfirmed. For now, it remains one of the quieter mysteries along Ash Fork’s old highway corridor. 09-26
Hacienda Motel (Gone)
Belle Art Center Lodge (Gone)
Chief's Motel (Closed)
Star Inn (Gone - former Desert View Lodge)
Star Inn (Gone - former Desert View Lodge)
Mayfair Motel (Gone)
Motel (Closed)
