Western Holiday Motel (Gone)
Holbrook, AZ
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

Holbrook was once packed with motels, cafes, and gas stations ready to serve travelers crossing northern Arizona. One of those all-in-one stops was the Western Holiday Motel, where motorists could find a room, grab a meal, and cool off in the swimming pool without moving the car again. 09-21

The property originally opened during the late 1950s as the Holbrook Motel. With 62 rooms, it was considerably larger than many of the little family-owned motor courts scattered along Route 66. Travelers were offered air conditioning, wall-to-wall carpeting, tiled showers, and individual heating units.

The motel’s cafe occupied a building near the corner of the property. Paired with the guest rooms and swimming pool, it gave the place the feel of a small roadside resort. After a long day crossing the wide-open country of northern Arizona, dinner and a swim probably sounded pretty good.

Western Holiday Motel 1998
Holbrook, AZ
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

The property later became the Western Holiday Motel and received its distinctive roadside sign. With large script lettering and several stacked panels, the sign was designed to catch attention from both directions along Navajo Boulevard. Holbrook had plenty of motels competing for travelers, so a good sign was nearly as important as a clean room.

As the property changed through the years, a large drive-under canopy was added above the office entrance. The swimming pool was eventually filled, paved over, and turned into additional parking. The restaurant also closed, ending the days when travelers could eat and sleep at the same stop.

Close up of the sign
Holbrook, AZ
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

The Western Holiday later became an America’s Best Value Inn. Its old neon sign was cut down and altered to carry the corporate name, leaving only part of the original sign structure behind. With the classic marquee gone and the buildings heavily remodeled, it became easy to assume the entire motel had disappeared.

The interesting part is that the Western Holiday was never actually demolished. While many neighboring Route 66 motels vanished after Interstate 40 bypassed the old highway, the original lodging wings at 720 Navajo Boulevard survived and continued serving travelers under other names.

UPDATE: The former Western Holiday Motel buildings remain standing and in use as budget lodging. The cafe and swimming pool are gone, while the once-colorful roadside sign no longer survives in its original form. 09-26

66 Motel
Holbrook, AZ
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

The zigzag sign for the 66 Motel adds a little roadside flash to the north side of Holbrook. Back in the 1990s, the marquee advertised rooms for $19.95, a rate that probably caused more than a few tired travelers to tap the brakes and pull into the parking lot. 09-21

Located at 2105 Navajo Boulevard, the motel sits near the point where traffic leaves Interstate 40 and returns to the old Route 66 alignment. Its name kept things simple. If you were traveling Route 66 and needed a motel, the 66 Motel was waiting.

The 34-room property follows the familiar single-story roadside layout, allowing guests to park close to their doors. Although its exact construction year remains uncertain, the motel’s design and unusual sign clearly belong to Holbrook’s postwar highway era.

The zigzag pattern gives the sign a bit of late-1950s or early-1960s energy, almost like an electrical bolt shooting down toward the vacancy panel. Unlike many of Holbrook’s great old motel signs, this one escaped removal and continues to identify the property.

66 Motel view from parking lot
Holbrook, AZ
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

The rooms have picked up modern conveniences over the years, including Wi-Fi, air conditioning, televisions, and refrigerators. The motel has also been listed with an on-site restaurant serving Mexican food, keeping alive that handy Route 66 combination of dinner and a room.

UPDATE: The 66 Motel remains open along the northern end of Holbrook’s Route 66 corridor. Its distinctive zigzag roadside sign still stands, although the days of the $19.95 room are long gone. 09-26

66 Motel (Closed)
Flagstaff, AZ
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

The sign for Motel 66 left no doubt which road the motel called home. The giant number 66 towered above the little motor court, providing a mighty straightforward advertisement to travelers cruising through Flagstaff. This view was taken in 1992, when the old sign still displayed its original motel colors and lettering. 03-08

The motel dates to the 1950s and advertised itself as “The Motel with a Smile.” With only 15 rooms, this was a much smaller place than the sprawling two-story motels that later appeared along Route 66. Its low stone buildings, gabled roofs, and small garages gave the property the look of a cozy mountain motor court.

The side of the 66 Motel
Flagstaff, AZ
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

For travelers arriving in Flagstaff, the rooms offered televisions, refrigeration, and hot-water heat for those chilly high-country nights. Several units also included kitchenettes, a useful feature for families or anyone planning to stay longer than a night. Guests could pull off the highway, park beside their rooms, and be settled in without hauling luggage through a lobby or down a long corridor.

The giant roadside 66 remained the main attraction. It was simple, bold, and probably readable from a good distance, which was exactly what a motel sign needed to be when Route 66 was lined with competing vacancy signs.

A view from the street
Flagstaff, AZ
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

Motel 66 eventually stopped accepting overnight travelers and was converted into transitional housing. The old buildings remained in use, and the landmark sign was spared during the change. Its original motel name and colors were repainted to identify the property’s new purpose, but that unmistakable number 66 stayed right where it belonged.

UPDATE: The former Motel 66 now houses the Flagstaff Dream Center. The nonprofit provides transitional housing, mentoring, and support for individuals and families working toward a fresh start. Best of all, the landmark 66 sign remains standing and has been freshly painted for the Dream Center. 08-26