A Night at the Palomino Motel

A project that I have been working on for the past few years is photographing motels. This project led to a photography show that I put on last year called “American Motels”, which featured motels from New Jersey, New Mexico, and California. Though I’m very happy with the photos, I’ve often felt that something was missing from those photos — namely, interior shots.

Why motels? As a traveler, I find it increasingly hard to escape the corporate uniformity that permeates many hotels and motels today. The independent motel, with its unique style, has disappeared in many areas, being replaced by any of a half-dozen chain hotels. Fortunately, there are areas of the country which still have motels — some of which are quite successful. Others are struggling to stay open.

In November of 2025, I spent a week along Route 66 in New Mexico, starting in Albuquerque and moving east to Tucumcari. Each night, I stayed at a motel, and I tried to find motels that had a vintage feel to them. More importantly, I tried to select rooms that allowed me to photograph the inside of the room, but also include an exterior element, like the motel sign.

The Palomino Motel in Tucumcari was one of the motels I wanted to stay in. In a prior visit to the area, I had photographed it, but I felt that actually sleeping there would provide more photographic opportunities. The motel is run by a caring individual, but you can also tell that there’s a bit of deferred maintenance. I stayed in room 103, which gave me a nice view of the sign. It cost $50 per night. Here’s a view of the motel at night:

The original sign, which would have been neon, is now rope lighting that changes color. Restoring the sign would be a massive undertaking. Here’s a view inside the room:

The room felt almost like a time capsule — the mid-century factory art screwed to the wall is now collectible and probably hasn’t moved in decades. It made me wonder what other mid-century art might be hanging on the walls of other rooms. Here’s the other side of the room, looking out the door at the sign:

I used a lighting kit to alter the room light a bit in this photo. I liked the older chairs, and again the vintage art on the wall.

I shot all these photos on both film and digital, hoping that the film photos would provide an even more vintage aesthetic. These are the digital versions, which ended up being better exposed.