Frontier Motel (Demolished)
Flagstaff, AZ
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

The blue-and-pink sign for the Frontier Motel added some welcome color to Flagstaff’s old Route 66 motel strip. Its big geometric frame had plenty of mid-century style, while the readerboard below promised free local calls, coffee, clean rooms, and that great 1990s roadside luxury, free HBO. What more could a tired traveler need? 09-21

A view of the motel facing the sun

Located at 1700 E. Route 66, the Frontier operated for decades along the eastern approach into Flagstaff. This stretch of the old highway was once packed with independent motels competing for the attention of travelers headed through northern Arizona or making their way toward the Grand Canyon.

The Frontier also had an outdoor swimming pool, an amenity that must have looked mighty inviting after a long summer drive across the desert. Historical accounts indicate that the pool was occasionally used by local community and camp groups as well as overnight motel guests.

Frontier Motel (Demolished)
Flagstaff, AZ
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

By its final years, the colorful sign was doing most of the work of attracting motorists. The Frontier eventually closed, and the motel buildings were demolished around 2009. Its blue-and-pink marquee disappeared during the clearing of the property, although it is not known whether the sign was scrapped or carried away by a lucky collector.

For more than a decade, the former motel site remained an empty lot between Culver’s and Starbucks. Even with the rooms and pool gone, the open space marked another missing piece of Flagstaff’s once-crowded Route 66 motel row.

UPDATE: The Frontier Motel site is no longer vacant. A new drive-thru building was constructed on the property in 2023 and is now occupied by Flagstaff Liquor. 09-26

El Rancho Restaurant and Motel
Holbrook, AZ
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

Pull into Holbrook along old Route 66 and the El Rancho Restaurant and Motel offers the classic roadside combination of a meal and a room for the night. The tall sign points travelers toward both, with Mexican food waiting inside and motel rooms just steps away. 09-21

The restaurant portion of the property began in 1950 as the Chuck Wagon Cafe. Lawrence and Mary Chavez later purchased the business, renamed it El Rancho, and expanded the operation into a motel and restaurant.

Vintage postcards advertised 14 modern motel units with air conditioning, Panelray heat, and private showers or tubs. The restaurant served both Mexican and American food, so nearly everyone in the station wagon could find something on the menu.

A view of the El Rancho from Route 66
Holbrook, AZ
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

Located at 867 Navajo Boulevard, the El Rancho became one of the many all-in-one stops that once lined Holbrook’s busy highway. Travelers could eat, sleep, and get back on Route 66 the following morning without wandering far from the car.

The property has been remodeled and enlarged so many times that it looks quite different from its 1960s appearance. Still, the old roadside arrangement remains easy to spot, and the tall sign continues to call attention to both the restaurant and motel.

UPDATE: The El Rancho Restaurant and Motel remains open, serving Mexican and American dishes while continuing to offer lodging along Historic Route 66. The vintage sign survives with updated paint and lettering. 09-26

Arcadia Lodge (Closed)
Kingman, AZ
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

One of the hardest signs to miss along Andy Devine Avenue belongs to the Arcadia Lodge. The towering neon marquee rises high above old Route 66, announcing the motel long before its stone buildings come into view. The decorative sign dates to around 1963 and replaced the property’s earlier roadside identification. 09-21

The motel opened in 1938 as the Arcadia Court, although some accounts place its completion in 1939. Its original 15 Spanish hacienda-style cottages were aimed at travelers looking for something a little fancier than the usual roadside cabin.

Arcadia Lodge (Closed)
Kingman, AZ
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

An early advertisement promised “luxurious furnishing and finest appointments for the fastidious guest.” Rates of $3 to $3.50 per night were slightly higher than those charged by many other Kingman motor courts. The Arcadia even offered accommodations for chauffeurs and maids. Now that was traveling in style.

Following World War II, the property expanded with a second story and additional rooms. It became the Arcadia Lodge and eventually grew to 47 units. The motel is also remembered as having one of Kingman’s first motel swimming pools. Decorative stonework and statues around the grounds continued to hint at its more elegant early days.

During its later years, the Arcadia operated mainly as weekly and monthly lodging. The City of Kingman declared the property uninhabitable and ordered it vacated in March 2025 after electrical and building-code problems were discovered.

UPDATE: New owners purchased the closed Arcadia Lodge in August 2025 with plans to rehabilitate the historic property. The grounds remain fenced while work moves forward, and the towering Route 66 sign continues to stand. 09-26

Hillcrest Motel (Demolished)
Kingman, AZ
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

The faded green sign for the Hillcrest Motel still stands beside old Route 66 in Kingman. Opened in 1935 with 16 rooms, the Hillcrest was already welcoming motorists before most of the flashy neon motels appeared along Andy Devine Avenue. 09-21

Early postcards advertised air-cooled rooms, wall-to-wall carpeting, and tiled bathrooms with combination tubs and showers. Each pair of rooms had its own small entrance awning, giving the long, single-story motor court a simple repeating pattern along the highway.

The property was updated several times, including renovations around 1950 and 1985. Its roadside sign also changed over the years and was moved around the motel grounds, but the old green neon version became the one most familiar to later Route 66 travelers.

After the Hillcrest stopped operating as a conventional overnight motel, its former office was converted into Ruby’s Kitchen. In an unexpected turn for a Route 66 roadside cafe, Ruby’s became known for serving Pakistani and Indian food before closing in early 2015.

Hillcrest Motel (Demolished)
Kingman, AZ
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

The nearby Walgreens sometimes causes confusion about what happened to the Hillcrest. The motel demolished for that development was the 400 Motel across the highway. The Hillcrest buildings at 2018 E. Andy Devine Avenue were never razed and remain beside the vacant lot east of Walgreens.

UPDATE: The Hillcrest no longer operates as a traditional roadside motel, but its original room buildings remain in residential use. The faded green neon sign also continues to stand along Route 66. 09-26