Imperial Inn in Albuquerque likely will reopen to overnight guests next month

The long-moribund Imperial Inn in east downtown Albuquerque probably will reopen to overnight travelers sometime next month after city officials hailed a $7 million redevelopment of the Route 66 motel. The Imperial, located at 701 Central Ave. (aka Route 66), now has 56 guest rooms, 16 residential suites and 4,400 square feet of commercial space … Continue reading Imperial Inn in Albuquerque likely will reopen to overnight guests next month

City of Albuquerque breaks ground on Imperial Inn redevelopment plan

The City of Albuquerque this week broke ground on a $7.6 million redevelopment project for the Imperial Inn Motel along Route 66. According to KRQE-TV in Albuquerque: The plans for the Imperial Inn on Central, just west of I-25, include 52 guest rooms and 16 residential suites, along with space for a dozen businesses including … Continue reading City of Albuquerque breaks ground on Imperial Inn redevelopment plan

Two Albuquerque businesses receive Heritage Award from New Mexico Route 66 Association

Two Albuquerque businesses, including the Monterey Motel, on Friday received the Heritage Award from the New Mexico Route 66 Association. The association stated in a news release the Monterey was honored “in recognition of the preservation and retro-nouveau adaption of a classic Route 66 motel, originally opened as David Court in 1946 – renamed Monterey … Continue reading Two Albuquerque businesses receive Heritage Award from New Mexico Route 66 Association

Thoughts on Route 66 on its 95th birthday

Today marks what is considered by many as the 95th anniversary of the creation of U.S. Highway 66, aka Route 66. As one who has run this website for 16 years and been involved on Route 66 for more than 20, I’ve got a few random thoughts from my time of reporting about this fabled … Continue reading Thoughts on Route 66 on its 95th birthday

El Vado Motel in Albuquerque to begin taking overnight guests Monday

After almost a 13-year hiatus, the historic and redeveloped El Vado Motel in Albuquerque will begin accepting overnight guests Monday. KOB-TV reported the latest development with the Route 66 landmark. For now, prospective overnight guests can use this link at Booking.com get a room. A perusal of the site shows El Vado has rooms priced … Continue reading El Vado Motel in Albuquerque to begin taking overnight guests Monday

El Vado Motel inches closer to reopening

The historic El Vado Motel in Albuquerque is moving closer to reopening — probably sometime in May — after a lengthy redevelopment on the long-closed Route 66 property. While in Albuquerque earlier this week, we dropped by to check on progress on the property, which is being converted into a boutique motel with food pods, … Continue reading El Vado Motel inches closer to reopening

El Vado Motel restoration ‘a few weeks’ from completion

The long process of restoring the historic El Vado Motel in Albuquerque is just a few weeks from reaching the finish line, according to the president of the project’s developer. Last year, officials hoped for a late summer opening. That date got pushed to December. KOB-TV in Albuquerque found out why the project took longer … Continue reading El Vado Motel restoration ‘a few weeks’ from completion

Albuquerque OKs redevelopment plan centered around El Vado Motel

The Albuquerque City Council on Monday approved a redevelopment plan centered around the long-closed El Vado Motel and Casa Grande restaurant, reported Albuquerque Business First. The move called for the area of Central Avenue (aka Route 66) west of downtown to the Rio Grande declared as “blighted.” However, that isn’t necessarily a bad thing for what … Continue reading Albuquerque OKs redevelopment plan centered around El Vado Motel

El Vado Motel being considered as a food market

A food and farmers market is one of the proposals being considered for reusing the long-closed El Vado Motel along old Route 66 in Albuquerque, reported KOAT-TV in Albuquerque. The City of Albuquerque seized the historic motel from a local developer who wanted to raze it and build luxury townhouses. Now, after sitting for several … Continue reading El Vado Motel being considered as a food market

More scuttlebutt

Here are more Route 66 news items I learned at the afternoon session of the Route 66 Summit in Albuquerque: — American Road magazine is expanding its Web site on June 30, complete with podcasts from our two-lane highways. — David Sheehan is currently traveling Route 66 to film a pilot episode about the Mother … Continue reading More scuttlebutt