# The decline of the motel

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-decline-of-the-motel/1001642>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Tags:** vacation-travel\
**Created:** [May 16, 2024, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-decline-of-the-motel/1001642 "2024-05-16T17:14:16Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 8

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**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\
**Post date:** [May 16, 2024, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-decline-of-the-motel/1001642/8 "2024-05-16T19:31:19Z")

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> [@wolfpup](#):
>
> In the spirit of the OP, **[allow me to introduce you to “The Gobbler”](https://www.lileks.com/institute/)**, a once upscale Wisconsin motel with great dreams that came to naught as times changed. This is all from the journalist James Lileks, who runs a number of interesting blogs on a diverse range of subjects that he illustrates with a mix of nostalgia and humorous disdain

That site was partly what inspired this thread, although not the Gobbler specifically.

With the current trendiness of midcentury modern design, a lucky few surviving motels from that era have gotten revitalized as nostalgic “boutique motels”.

> **[A Renovated Retro-Modern Hotel in Auburn California](https://foothillsmotel.com/)**
>
> We've kept the 1959 motel charm, and completely modernized with the best beds money can buy. Rebuilt rooms, bathrooms, showers, and the fastest Wi-Fi possible.

The place above is about 30 minutes from where I live. I’ve always loved their vintage neon signs, and it looks like the place recently changed owners who undertook extensive renovations. It looks like they’re getting rave reviews online now.

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