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Old-School Roadside Motor Court Hotels Will Soon Be Popping Up All Over Southeastern USA

March 20, 2012 at 10:25 AM | by | Comments (0)

Nevermind the untold legions of Best Westerns, La Quinta Inns and Econolodges that dot highways all around the country. A Texas-based hotel company is attempting to bring back the classic American motor court with a new brand of "ranch tech" properties that are modeled on the old roadside motels from the 1950s.

Which technically went out of style in the 60s during Eisenhower's Federal Aid Highway Act. But hey, that was fifty years ago, and who's to say Americans still can't be thrilled by a cool motel concept? The first of these, named the Lone Star Court, will open in Austin in 2013, and, appropriately, will feature live music, a fire pit, and a dipping pool.

Each of the court's 123 guest rooms will have "high-tech" amenities, though since none of those amenities have actually been named, we're a little skeptical. When your starting point is a roadside motel, anything above a coin-operated radio could essentially be considered "high-tech." But we're hoping for the usuals: free WiFi, HD flatscreen TVs, iPod docks.

Lone Star is set to be the flagship for the court properties, with a series of other court concepts to launch across Southeastern USA over the next few years. Says the company's Vice President:

"Each of the court concept hotels will capture the essence of the cities where they are located. Lone Star Court will be one of a kind and totally unique to Austin."

Having just come back from Austin ourselves, we feel this could be a great addition to the music-loving city, which naturally exudes a bit of that classic Americana vibe. And if that's the experience you're going for, you'd certainly be better off at a place like this than one of the major hotel chains downtown.

For starters, parking will be a lot less of a headache.

[Photos: HotelChatter; Valencia Group]

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