Last Updated on October 17, 2025
Once considered old, tired and outdated when they closed or abandoned, vintage hotel properties are now becoming a “thing.” As a frequent traveler and history buff, I love finding these precious boutique treasures offering a healthy measure of charm and allure.
Vintage hotels represent a labor of love to preserve a building’s history and cultural significance and offer a unique guest experience with appeal and character hard to replicate in a new construction. The challenge is in incorporating modern amenities and technologies while keeping as much of the hotel’s history with ornate moldings, hardwood floors, throwback tile, and antique furnishings.
These iconic properties in Southern California and Central Coast California do just that by striking the perfect balance between the past and the present to preserve the historic gem’s legacy for future generations to enjoy.
The Farmhouse Paso Robles
Chic, country-style cottage décor is featured in this hotel’s 26 charming cottage rooms. Farmhouse Paso was originally built around 1947 as a classic California motor lodge, but its reinvention with whitewashed buildings and red roofs raised this historic boutique property to a whole new level in the heart of Central Coast wine country.
Reopened in April 2023, the remodel was carefully restored to preserve its original rustic, historic charm and character, tastefully enhanced with luxurious contemporary comforts.
Four firepits around the cottages are surrounded by Adirondack chairs, citrus, and olive trees. The lobby sports a whimsical theme with comfy sofas and chairs and an inviting fireplace.
Hotel Wren Twentynine Palms
This 12-room desert retreat is a thoughtfully reimagined modest 1940s roadside motel located just 10 minutes from the north entrance of Joshua Tree National Park.
The dramatic hotel transformation, completed in 2025, was envisioned as a “love letter to the desert” aiming to capture the stillness, beauty and spiritual resonance of the high desert landscape. The property offers a serene, design-forward experience amidst blooming ocotillo and palo verde trees.
Hotel El Roblar, Ojai
Ojai Valley is located in Southern California, about 80 miles northwest of Los Angeles. The small town, surrounded by the Topatopa Mountains, is known for its scenic beauty, artistic community, and spiritual retreats.
Nestled in the heart of Ojai, Hotel El Roblar was originally named The Ojai Tavern in 1919. The property is known for its Spanish Revival architecture, lush gardens, and artistic ambience that reflects Ojai’s natural beauty and bohemian spirit.
The meticulous restoration resulted in a 50-room retreat that includes the original main building, private bungalows, and Sycamore House cabins that echo the property’s early outbuildings.
The Butler Hotel, San Luis Obispo
Situated in the college town of Cal Poly University, the six-room property was formerly a 1950s auto repair garage. The Butler repurposed the historic garage façade and structure, pairing industrial architecture with modern design interiors and a striking monochromatic color scheme.
With its strategic location in downtown San Luis Obispo, the hotel offers easy access to the village’s shops and restaurants while the hip mid-century style boutique setting makes for a relaxing, laid-back stay experience.
Trixie Motel, Palm Springs
If Palm Springs wasn’t already eccentric and quirky enough, drag queen Trixie Matter (aka Brian Firkus) and partner David Silver opened the boutique pink-paradise motel in September of 2022.
After renovating the 70-year-old former Coral Sands property, the Trixie Motel, located in the iconic Old Las Palmas neighborhood features colorful, over-the-top retro-flair with a sugar rush of pink hues, pop culture, kitsch and vintage modernism balanced with design detail. The hotel features only seven rooms, each with a distinct theme such as Pink Flamingo, Flower Power and Malibu Barbie.
The Pearl Hotel, San Diego
Situated in the Point Loma area of San Diego near Shelter Island, The Pearl Hotel was originally built in 1959 by a local architect and operated as the Sportsmans Lodge.
The mid-century modern property features 23 unique guest rooms surrounding an art modern oyster-shaped pool. In-room artwork pays homage to female Japanese pearl divers called Ama who can hold their breath underwater for long periods of time while harvesting oysters.
River Lodge, Paso Robles
A mid-century roadside motel turned into a retro-chic oasis, River Lodge, built in 1947 and known as the Suburban Lodge was a popular stop-off place for travelers given its location on a busy stretch of highway in California’s Central Coast Region.
The three-acre property in wine-country territory sat vacant for years and was slated for demolition, but it was saved by Nomada Hotel Group bringing the motel back to its glory days with mid-century architectural elements. Each of the 28 guest rooms are uniquely furnished and decorated with cozy fireplaces and a front porch with hammocks. Décor is inspired by art, objects and travel souvenirs linking the past to the present in an absolute charming, relaxed and homey manner.
