When I’m scouting for period motels for filming and I want to go beyond the usual suspects, one trick I use is to search eBay for “motel post card [city/town name].”
Back in the 1950s-70s especially, it seems like every motel made a postcard for guests…
And it’s a great way to find properties that may not even be motels anymore, but still have the bones to be dressed as such.
They also provide an excellent guide on what cosmetic changes are needed to restore them to an authentic vintage look, usually just painting and some signage.
Sometimes, you can’t believe you’re at the same place.
Other times, it’s pretty amazing how little has changed.
I always get excited when the postcards show interior spaces like restaurants and bars at their prime, a production designer’s dream. Sadly, these almost always have been gutted and modernized beyond recognition.
So funny that these little postcards have wound up playing an immensely valuable historical record of properties that might not otherwise have been documented.
