The former University Lodge motel along Route 66 in Albuquerque reopened a few weeks ago after months of renovations — just in time for the city’s fabled Balloon Fiesta — and has been rechristened as the colorful Hotel Zazz.
The Albuquerque Journal recently published a story about Hotel Zazz and owner Sharmin Dharas, who grew up there with her parents when they owned the University Lodge.
The hotel is currently accepting guests, with a grand opening scheduled for early October – the same month that the speakeasy Z Lounge is scheduled to open on-site. […]
Play is key at Hotel Zazz. Whimsical metal flowers adorn the railings and an oversized chess set is checkmate-ready in the courtyard. Dharas said she tried to make the hotel a feast for the senses; each room smells like banana slurpees, and includes vivid colors and tactile elements.
“When you come into a room, you might want to touch things,” Dharas said. […]
Dharas commissioned two Nob Hill-based architects, Michelle Negrette and Sarah Zahm, to design Hotel Zazz. […]
The hotel also works with almost 50 artists, the majority of them women or people of color, Dharas said. Even the soaps in the bathroom are made by a mother-daughter duo.
The hotel at 3711 Central Ave. (aka Route 66) states this on its “About Us” page on its website:
Here at Hotel Zazz, our mission was simple. We sought out to create an unforgettable immersive boutique hotel experience though unique art, a melody of chromatic visuals, and a vibration of sounds that breaks free from the ordinary.
We turned an old motel into a bold hotel that prides itself sustainability, community, and charitable giving. Most of all, we are doing our part to reinvigorate the surrounding neighborhood that we have come to know and love.
A look at a few of the rooms, posted from the hotel’s Facebook account:
Hotel Zazz offers a variety of rooms that sleep two to seven people. Rates range from $139 to $189 per night.
Dharas first announced her intentions to give the University Lodge a makeover about four years ago. It initially was built as a TraveLodge in 1960.
(Image of Hotel Zazz from its booking engine)
Ron, after eight years, we have finally sold out of “The 66 Kid” and I want to retool the second edition as less memoir and more old Route 66 stories. In short, I want to STAY FOCUSSED ON THE ROAD. Any ideas or input, I would appreciate. Thanks.