While motels are now considered budget-friendly places for motorists to lay their heads for the night, the original motel set out to be quite the opposite with movie stars even popping in for a pitstop. Designed by Californian architect Arthur S. Heineman at a cost of $80,000, the - a term Heineman coined by combining the words 'motor hotel' - was ideally located along Highway 101 just north of downtown San Luis Obispo. The hotly-anticipated spot opened its doors to paying customers on December 12, 1925. Vintage black-and-white photos and postcards from the time reveal the motel's smart exteriors, which were modeled on a Spanish mission, complete with whitewashed walls, manicured gardens and a bell tower.
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