Hiway House
Encyclopedia
Hiway House was a motor hotel
chain founded in 1956 at Phoenix, Arizona
, by the late Del Webb
, a construction magnate who owned the New York Yankees
baseball team and later created the Sun City
retirement communities. A remnant of the old Hiway House chain is still in operation at Albuquerque, New Mexico
.
The chain soon became a fixture throughout the Southwest. Ultimately, there would be Del Webb's Hiway House locations at Phoenix, Holbrook
, Flagstaff
, and Tucson
, Arizona; Albuquerque and Roswell
, New Mexico; Tulsa, Oklahoma
; Abilene, Texas
; and Los Angeles
near LAX
, Blythe
, Palm Springs
, and Arcadia, California
.
Before starting the Hiway House chain, Webb was one of the initial key investors of Ramada Inns from 1954 to 1956, then a new upstart chain of roadside hotels in the Southwestern states of Arizona, California and Texas with long-range plans for national coverage that was founded by Marion W. Isbell, a longtime Chicago restaurateur. Today, Ramada (now Ramada Franchise Systems) is one of the world's largest lodging chains and owned by Wyndham Hotels & Resorts
.
Webb sold the Hiway House chain in the early 1960s, which then took the name Sentry Hiway House. The chain remained in operation until sometime after 1970, by which time most of the hotels were sold off and changed their names with some of them becoming franchises of competing lodging chains.
Albuquerque was one of the few cities to have two or more Hiway House locations during that chain's heyday. One of those locations is among the last Hiway House motor hotels still operating under that nameplate. Located in the 3200 block of Central Avenue S.E. in the Uptown Nob Hill section, which was the path of the world-famous U.S. Route 66
through Albuquerque, it still has the original colonial-style architecutre and same neon sign that has stood since it opened in 1958. The bottom portion of the street-level Hiway House signs read the motto "Sleep is our Business." Today that line still appears on the sign of the Albuquerque location, which is owned by Bicu Corporation and has been operated in recent years by George and Livia Strimbu. The restaurant is in operation today as the Sushi and Saki Reataurant and Korean BBQ House.
Motel
A motor hotel, or motel for short, is a hotel designed for motorists, and usually has a parking area for motor vehicles...
chain founded in 1956 at Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
, by the late Del Webb
Del Webb
Delbert Eugene Webb was an American construction magnate, real estate developer and sports-team owner, who is most significant for founding and developing the retirement community of Sun City, Arizona.-Early life:...
, a construction magnate who owned the New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
baseball team and later created the Sun City
Sun City
-South Africa:* Sun City, North West, a luxury casino resort, situated in the North West Province-United States:* The Sun City is a nickname or moniker for El Paso, TX because of the fact that sun shines for more than 302 days on average in the city....
retirement communities. A remnant of the old Hiway House chain is still in operation at Albuquerque, New Mexico
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Albuquerque is the largest city in the state of New Mexico, United States. It is the county seat of Bernalillo County and is situated in the central part of the state, straddling the Rio Grande. The city population was 545,852 as of the 2010 Census and ranks as the 32nd-largest city in the U.S. As...
.
The chain soon became a fixture throughout the Southwest. Ultimately, there would be Del Webb's Hiway House locations at Phoenix, Holbrook
Holbrook, Arizona
-Historical events:*During 1881 & 1882, railroad tracks were laid down and a railroad station was built. The community was then named Holbrook after the first engineer of the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad...
, Flagstaff
Flagstaff, Arizona
Flagstaff is a city located in northern Arizona, in the southwestern United States. In 2010, the city's population was 65,870. The population of the Metropolitan Statistical Area was at 134,421 in 2010. It is the county seat of Coconino County...
, and Tucson
Tucson, Arizona
Tucson is a city in and the county seat of Pima County, Arizona, United States. The city is located 118 miles southeast of Phoenix and 60 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. The 2010 United States Census puts the city's population at 520,116 with a metropolitan area population at 1,020,200...
, Arizona; Albuquerque and Roswell
Roswell, New Mexico
Roswell is a city in and the county seat of Chaves County in the southeastern quarter of the state of New Mexico, United States. The population was 48,366 at the 2010 census. It is a center for irrigation farming, dairying, ranching, manufacturing, distribution, and petroleum production. It is also...
, New Mexico; Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 46th-largest city in the United States. With a population of 391,906 as of the 2010 census, it is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with 937,478 residents in the MSA and 988,454 in the CSA. Tulsa's...
; Abilene, Texas
Abilene, Texas
Abilene is a city in Taylor and Jones counties in west central Texas. The population was 117,063 at the 2010 census. It is the principal city of the Abilene Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had a 2006 estimated population of 158,063. It is the county seat of Taylor County...
; and Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
near LAX
Los Angeles International Airport
Los Angeles International Airport is the primary airport serving the Greater Los Angeles Area, the second-most populated metropolitan area in the United States. It is most often referred to by its IATA airport code LAX, with the letters pronounced individually...
, Blythe
Blythe, California
Blythe is a city in Riverside County, California, United States, in the "Palo Verde Valley" of the Lower Colorado River Valley region, an agricultural area and part of the Colorado Desert along the Colorado River. Blythe was named after Thomas Blythe, a gold prospector who established primary...
, Palm Springs
Palm Springs, California
Palm Springs is a desert city in Riverside County, California, within the Coachella Valley. It is located approximately 37 miles east of San Bernardino, 111 miles east of Los Angeles and 136 miles northeast of San Diego...
, and Arcadia, California
Arcadia, California
Arcadia is an affluent city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, and located approximately northeast of downtown Los Angeles in the San Gabriel Valley and at the base of the San Gabriel Mountains....
.
Before starting the Hiway House chain, Webb was one of the initial key investors of Ramada Inns from 1954 to 1956, then a new upstart chain of roadside hotels in the Southwestern states of Arizona, California and Texas with long-range plans for national coverage that was founded by Marion W. Isbell, a longtime Chicago restaurateur. Today, Ramada (now Ramada Franchise Systems) is one of the world's largest lodging chains and owned by Wyndham Hotels & Resorts
Wyndham Hotels & Resorts
Wyndham Hotels and Resorts is a group of chains of hotels and resorts located mainly in the United States and Canada, but also in Mexico and the Caribbean.-History:...
.
Webb sold the Hiway House chain in the early 1960s, which then took the name Sentry Hiway House. The chain remained in operation until sometime after 1970, by which time most of the hotels were sold off and changed their names with some of them becoming franchises of competing lodging chains.
Albuquerque was one of the few cities to have two or more Hiway House locations during that chain's heyday. One of those locations is among the last Hiway House motor hotels still operating under that nameplate. Located in the 3200 block of Central Avenue S.E. in the Uptown Nob Hill section, which was the path of the world-famous U.S. Route 66
U.S. Route 66
U.S. Route 66 was a highway within the U.S. Highway System. One of the original U.S. highways, Route 66 was established on November 11, 1926 -- with road signs erected the following year...
through Albuquerque, it still has the original colonial-style architecutre and same neon sign that has stood since it opened in 1958. The bottom portion of the street-level Hiway House signs read the motto "Sleep is our Business." Today that line still appears on the sign of the Albuquerque location, which is owned by Bicu Corporation and has been operated in recent years by George and Livia Strimbu. The restaurant is in operation today as the Sushi and Saki Reataurant and Korean BBQ House.