Bahia Motel (Demolished)
Pico Rivera, CA Photo courtesy Sal Garcia
A little South Seas atmosphere once welcomed travelers at the Bahia Motel in Pico Rivera. Tropical details, palms, and an island-themed neon marquee gave the property a look from Southern California’s tiki-loving roadside era. 03-06
Built in 1958, the motel offered an escape in appearance without requiring a trip across the Pacific. Like other themed motor courts, it used its architecture and sign to distinguish the rooms from the next lodging stop down the road.
The property later shifted toward inexpensive weekly stays as the older commercial corridor lost vacation traffic. Deterioration and reported code problems eventually brought its run to an end.
The Bahia Motel was reportedly closed and demolished in the early 2000s, with its tiki-themed sign dismantled. The cleared site remained vacant for a period afterward; an exact demolition year was not supplied. 10-26
El Rio Motel
Glendale, CA Photo courtesy Devil Doll
A neon arrow once again points the way at the El Rio Motel in Glendale. The scripted name and animated lighting give this Colorado Street stop a familiar motor-court greeting, with a little movement to catch the eye after dark. 03-06
Opened in 1948, the motel used a single-story, U-shaped layout around a central courtyard. Guests could park near their room doors, a practical arrangement for families arriving with a car full of luggage.
The sign supplied the roadside personality. Its arrow directed motorists toward check-in while the flowing lettering made the name easy to pick out along the commercial corridor.
UPDATE: The El Rio Motel remains in operation at 1470 W. Colorado Street. Later updates retained its original 1948 building profile and historic neon marquee. 10-26
Hollywood Premiere Motel Hollywood, CA Photo courtesy Devil Doll
A dramatic pole-mounted marquee gives the Hollywood Premiere Motel an entrance suited to its name. The Googie-style sign suggests a little opening-night excitement along Hollywood Boulevard, even when guests are simply checking in for a room. 03-06
Completed in 1960, the motel was designed by architect Joyce Miller with 42 units arranged around a central parking area. Decorative concrete breeze blocks screened the swimming pool, adding another mid-century detail to check out beyond the sign.
The property’s preserved appearance also attracted film crews. Its exterior appeared in Justin Timberlake’s 2016 “Can’t Stop the Feeling” music video, giving the old motel another turn in front of the camera.
UPDATE: According to the supplied history, the Hollywood Premiere Motel received Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument designation on July 30, 2025, as Monument No. 1325. It remains an operating motel on Hollywood Boulevard, preserving its 1960 architecture and distinctive marquee. 10-26
Tampico Motel
Pico Rivera, CA Photo courtesy Sal Garcia
Just down Whittier Boulevard, the Tampico Motel offered travelers a name with a little vacation flavor. Built in 1956, this Pico Rivera motor court joined the many Southern California lodging stops borrowing names and imagery from warmer destinations. 03-07
The single-story stucco buildings provided the familiar convenience of a small roadside motel. Out front, custom lettering and neon once helped distinguish the property from neighboring businesses.
Later changes replaced that display with a conventional backlit sign. The older building lines remained, carrying on beneath a different roadside greeting.
UPDATE: The Tampico Motel remains open at 8600 Whittier Boulevard. Its 1956 motor-court layout survives, while the original neon signage has been replaced. 10-26
Hyland Motel (Rem.)
La Habra, CA Photo courtesy Steve Snyder
Along Whittier Boulevard in La Habra, the Hyland Motel catches the eye with a shield-shaped roadside marquee. Sharp borders and geometric lettering give the sign a distinctive look above the driveway, recalling the days when small motels advertised with custom neon. 05-06
Completed in 1954, the 18-room property used a single-story, L-shaped layout around a central drive. Travelers moving between Los Angeles and Orange County could pull in and park close to their rooms.
UPDATE: The Hyland Motel remains in operation at 731 W. Whittier Boulevard, retaining the characteristic shape of its 1950s marquee with neon removed. 10-26
Cloud 9 Motel (Rem.)
Pico Rivera, CA Photo courtesy Sal Garcia
A little roadside optimism came with the name Cloud 9 Motel in Pico Rivera. Its original marquee carried cloud-like shapes outlined in neon, giving motorists along Whittier Boulevard something more playful than a plain announcement of rooms. 03-07
Opened in 1958, the motel offered a suburban overnight stop for travelers moving through the area. Its modest motor-court layout belonged to the era when independent lodging lined the older commercial roads.
The sign later traded its delicate tubing for a simpler backlit panel. The framework continued advertising the motel, though some of the old cloud-shaped personality disappeared in the change.
UPDATE: The Cloud 9 Motel remains in operation at 8526 Whittier Boulevard, primarily serving inexpensive short stays. Its original neon display was replaced sometime prior to 2024. 10-26
Palm Tropics Motel (Rem.)
Glendora, CA Photo courtesy Marilynn Hendrie
Palm trees and flowing neon lettering welcome motorists to the Palm Tropics Motel in Glendora. The freestanding marquee adds a colorful greeting along Route 66, especially when dusk gives the tubing a chance to show off. 12-07
Opened in 1955, the motel served travelers following the old highway through Southern California. A landscaped courtyard and tall palms offered a pleasant-looking place to settle in after a day behind the wheel.
UPDATE: The Palm Tropics remains in operation at 740 E. Route 66. A renovation in 2013 updated the property and removed the neon from the sign. 10-26
20th Century Motor Lodge (Rem.)
Glendora, CA Photo courtesy Marilynn Hendrie
The name 20th Century Motor Lodge once promised Glendora travelers an overnight stay with a modern outlook. Established in 1950, the motel stood along Route 66 when the century in its name still had another fifty years to go. 12-07
Its original neon frontage helped advertise the rooms to passing motorists. Later modernization brought a backlit plastic sign, replacing the glass tubing with a bolder block-style display.
UPDATE: The 20th Century Motor Lodge remains in operation at 1300 E. Route 66, retaining its original 1950 layout beneath later alterations. The date of the neon replacement was not supplied. 10-26
Tampico Motel
Hyland Motel (Rem.)
Cloud 9 Motel (Rem.)
Palm Tropics Motel (Rem.)
Palm trees and flowing neon lettering welcome motorists to the Palm Tropics Motel in Glendora. The freestanding marquee adds a colorful greeting along Route 66, especially when dusk gives the tubing a chance to show off. 12-07
20th Century Motor Lodge (Rem.)
