Route 66 Hotel & Conference Center

One of my favorite lodgings on old Route 66 is the Route 66 Motel and Convention Center in Springfield, IL. It is a refurbished Holiday Inn type motel which has had the hallways enclosed, and added a restaurant, banquet facilities, and an impressive museum in its common spaces. Oh, and some slot machines as well.

Caveat: I stayed here on a Monday night. So the place was unusually empty and quiet, I suspect.

Caveat: Some bad press I've heard about this place concerned the banquet facility. I did not use the banquet facility. I didn’t eat at the in-house restaurant, either. But I did manage to engage the owner in some conversation and he told me that the restaurant and the banquet facility are independent franchises, separate from the hotel. There are plenty of other places to eat in Springfield.

First observation, plain simple, and clear: NO vermin, anywhere – insect, mammal, or human. Zero. Zilch. Nada.

The desk clerk, who I found out during my stay was also the owner, was very polite to me. He even let me go outside and sit in the rat rod that he has parked under the canopy for photo purposes.

My room was completely fine and well-appointed for the “under $100” price point. No extra charge for checking in before 3:00. I did need an extra minute to find a light switch when I first entered the dark room. No carpet smells. The HVAC unit worked perfectly. The room had a fridge with a freezer. The microwave worked just fine. If I had to nitpick, I’d say that the shower was very small. It’s actually a 1960 era bathtub with a shower retrofitted. It’s all done very nice; no rough edges or black spots, but narrow. Thus, the 2% of my stay duration that I spent in the shower was not the most pleasant. The pillows were fit for purpose but at this price point they’re not of big box quality. But comfortable enough and I got a good night’s sleep.

The hallways can be noisy, owing to the way they have been enclosed. A savvy traveler knows to tune the AM radio to white noise before bedtime, to drown out sudden noises and voices that can awaken. Anyone who has worked in a factory knows that it’s very easy to sleep with consistent white noise in the background. It sounds like the ocean.

The parking lot was clean but not immaculate. Nobody bothered my Corvette, parked out in front of the hotel all night.

Awesome hotel. Nice rooms. Super cool antiques. Its like a whole museum around the ballroom, concerts , car shows, and snoop is the man!!! Went for Sunshine 66 music fest. Vended. So much fun! Thanks Snoop. Respect brother!

Interesting place. Right on the highway may put you off but give it a try. Heaps of memorabilia throughout the hotel and we were impressed at how fresh and clean the rooms were. Probably not the best part of town but the price was good... they have a bar inside that caters small snacks etc pool table and slot machines. Very cool old car out the front and one in the lobby. No breakfast. They have an outdoor pool. Staff were friendly. Would stay again.