IT’S ONE OF THOSE neon-lit nights on Albuquerque’s Route 66 when downtown hums with evening energy. Enter me, checking into a stark white 1960s Imperial Inn, located a mile away in the Duke City’s sleepy East Downtown (EDo) neighborhood. Pistachio green, butter yellow, pale pink, and sky blue doors are outlined in black like a Piet Mondrian painting. The Imperial’s roof—geometric butterfly wings evocative of the Jet Age—seems poised to take flight.
I am greeted with a smile, a room key, and an offer: “Would you care for a coffee?” Few roadside motels have a full espresso bar right behind their front desk, and fewer still feel like Mojo Rising, the groovy micro-cafe outfitted with vintage stereo speakers and a crate of vinyl. “Guests can get their room keys and a coffee named after a song from the ’70s,” India Archer, sales manager with the hotel’s owner, Somos Destinations, tells me later. I’m tempted, but a pineapple gin spritz from the Imperial Dive Bar awaits.
Across the courtyard, the Imperial Food Hall’s atmosphere is thick with live music and even livelier chatter. Here, three micro-eateries offer options ranging from vegan Cali-Mex plates to Latin American fare. “It’s a little world,” Archer says. “You can visit restaurants and shops right outside your motel door, which really differentiates it as a destination.”
The restored Imperial Inn sign rises abpve Central Avenue along Albuquerque's Route 66.
Photograph by NMTD.
As an open-minded omnivore, I went for Vegan Vato NewMexiCali Eatz’s Vato burger, an Impossible patty topped with green chile, sautéed mushrooms and onions, queso, and simple slaw. The turquoise pool, pristine and perfectly framed, is my dinner backdrop, as if I’ve walked off the Mother Road into a David Hockney painting.
The original Imperial 400 was born in California as one of America’s first chain motels, in a time when travelers prioritized convenience and cleanliness above all. In 1964, the Imperial opened its doors on Albuquerque’s Route 66, sticking out among the neighborhood’s Victorian mansions and Craftsman bungalows. However, its heyday was brief: The chain filed for bankruptcy just a year later. While many locations faded into obscurity, Albuquerque’s Imperial endured, patiently awaiting revival.
In 2023, as renovation began on the old Imperial, locals sensed a new era afoot. EDo always had charm, but for years struggled to shine. By spring 2024, a newly minted Imperial Inn was unveiled with 52 renovated guest rooms, 16 residential suites, a new pool lounge, a gym, and more than 4,000 square feet of rentable space for small businesses. Once a beige-and-teal blight, the motel has been repainted in its original color scheme, honoring its architectural roots.
“Apart from the Imperial’s on-site businesses, it’s situated among numerous other local restaurants, shops, and historic residences in Huning Highlands,” Archer says of the city’s first subdivision. “Guests can stroll through Albuquerque history on one street and its present on the next.” The neighborhood is also one of the most walkable stretches of Central Avenue in the city, and in a car-centric Southwest, the ability to walk from your room to brunch and boutiques feels like a luxury.
At the Imperial Inn, a sunny pool deck invites guests to slow down.
Photograph courtesy of the Imperial Inn.
Connection is central to the Imperial. Weekly events such as Sip & Dip Sundays and Thursday night karaoke at the Imperial Dive help make the motel a welcoming third place. Although former Imperial 400s still dot the American roadside, Albuquerque’s is the only one to preserve its midcentury integrity while adapting meaningfully to the present. In a twist of fate, the once “Anywhere, USA” motel has become a neighborhood anchor.
Ready to rest, I enter a vibrant, open room that’s retrofitted with modern comforts. Minimalist yet thoughtful details accent the space: a bedside reading nook, vinyl record coasters atop a chrome-accented mini-fridge. Kitsch is applied mindfully at the Imperial, tailored to the contemporary traveler. Upstairs, the community patio showcases a prime view of downtown’s skyline.
As the sun rises the next morning, a cafecito from Mojo Rising beckons. Morning light transforms the front desk, as though I’ve time-traveled to 1975 overnight. The cafe menu leads me through the garden, from rose lattes to mushroom elixirs. One last sip before I’m back on the road, this time on foot, where the hidden gems of the Mother Road reveal themselves one step at a time.
Read more: Discover more places to stay across New Mexico, including the design-forward Hotel Willa in Taos.
Make a stop at Motel Safari.
Photograph by Gabriella Marks.
OLD FAVORITE
Since 1959, Motel Safari has kept Tucumcari kicking on 66. This classic Googie–style motel, now run by former Minnesota funeral director Rich Havlik, offers rockabilly- and Western-themed rooms inspired by the town’s pop-culture legacy. “There isn’t much that needs changing around here,” Havlik says, aside from new bedspreads and the addition of Motel Safari’s own on-site radio station.
