Renovations on the historic Monterey Motel in Albuquerque will be completed by September in its conversion to a higher-end hostel.
Downtown Albuquerque News recently talked to Chad Renneker, a Portland, Oregon-based developer who also brought El Vado Motel back to life as a boutique motel with a taproom and several shops.
The bunk beds will go for a still-modest $35 per night, Rennaker said, but expect the vibe to be much closer to Portland’s Society Hotel, where the luxury twin mattresses come with handy power outlets, earplugs, privacy curtains, and lockable storage.
And while the little extras at a traditional hostel might not amount to much more than toast and peanut butter in the morning, here there will be a pool and cocktail lounge to enjoy, plus the shops and restaurants next door.
Construction is nearly wrapped up on the project. The 19 private rooms at the Monterey will open in September, Rennaker said, while the 32-bed hostelesque arrangement (they’re calling them “StayAts”) will open in October, in a newly-constructed building on the southern end of the property.
According to “The Route 66 Encyclopedia,” the Monterey Motel opened as the David Court in 1946. It was renamed Monterey Court by 1954.
Norman Bugg owned and operated the Monterey Motel for about 25 years. Miroslaw and Boguslawa Elencwajg later acquired the motel and renamed it Monterey Non-Smokers Motel. The couple kept up its quality standards.
The motel was sold in 2017 to Sundance Village Limited Partnership, the same group from Portland that owns El Vado Motel. The group reverted Monterey Non-Smokers Motel to its Monterey Motel name.
In El Vado news, it will build a 2,500-square-foot shaded area for its open-air patio. The patio is a popular hangout at night and sundown, but it gets uncomfortable in the boiling sun during the summer.
The roof would be retractable, with an option for adding walls and heater during the colder months.
Making that area more attractive is good timing, especially when many restaurant are emphasizing outdoor dining during the coronavirus pandemic.
(Image of the Monterey Motel sign by Amanda Brenner via Facebook; image from El Vado Motel’s grand reopening in 2018 via Facebook)