A Cave Fit for Pink Panther

Madonna Inn
San Luis Obispo, CA
1970's?
Room 189 ("Hideaway")

Here is yet another room at Madonna Inn, with rock-lined walls and....a hot pink carpet. According to the description on the postcard's back, this room has a rock shower. Fortunately, it appears as if this room hasn't changed much since then. The only major difference I can see is that the carpet has been changed to a burgundy one. Fortunately, they kept these chandelier lamps by the bed.

Daybeds Galore

In 1960's (and probably earlier), there was a kind of mutant furniture  called a daybed that looked as if it couldn't make up its mind whether it wanted to be a bed or a sofa. It was almost always a twin bed (as bigger beds would have made for rather awkward sofas that only Mr. Fantastic and Plastic Man could sit on), covered with a fitted slipcover (see some examples on a page from a 1965 Sears catalog) and a large backrest propped along the long side of the bed. They were usually used by visiting guests; for example, my family had one for my grandmother when she came to visit. It seemed that quite a few motels and hotels had them as well -- I believe they usually served as secondary beds for kids and such. They've fallen out of favor in 1970's, replaced by sleeper sofas and futons.

Sanitized for Your Sleeping Pleasure

The Pines
South Fallsburg, NY
1960's? 

These pink bedspreads are rather curious. If you look closely, you'll see that they are constructed in a way that they fit the beds smugly like boxes. And they even have special spaces to put over pillows (look how the side seams curve where the pillows are.) It's as if these are bed shields or something, so beds can be kept sanitized for your sleeping pleasure.

A Well-Dressed Transient

Hotel Stuyvesant
Buffalo, NY
1950's?

This fellow here in the postcard seems to be quite well-dressed for what is described as a transient room. To be honest, "transient room" in hotel-speak simply means a room for a visitor, such as a tourist, and has nothing to do with hobos. Except for the ugly patchwork wallpaper on the left, the room isn't too bad for its period, which I am guessing is 1950's. That curtain with bold red and gray graphics is cool.

James Bond Slept Here

Hotel Sahara
Las Vegas, NV
Mailed in 1956

This room was probably a little ahead of its time, as when I first saw this postcard, I thought it was from 1960's. But it was actually mailed in 1956. Anyhow, this looks like it could have come from a James Bond movie in 1960's. This is a curious mixture of mid-century modern and Middle Eastern decor. You could also see that this wasn't a low-end room with flower arrangements virtually everywhere and that chandelier full of fake white candles (which would have looked kitschy today.) Oh, and mirrored walls -- almost everything to the right of the blue low-back seats was a reflection of the area behind the photographer.

Not My GrandChild's Room

Quality Courts Motel
Perry, GA
Mailed in 1967

Yet another motel room that looks too much like a grandparent's room. Institutional green walls, dark furniture, bedspreads that looked like they were swiped from a nearby hospital, pistachio green chairs to go with the walls, headboards with spindles ideal for handcuffing your kidnap victim, ugly carpet and even uglier curtains. Come to think of it, these must be the ugliest curtains I have seen, and as a bonus, the inner curtains are harvest gold.

Mid-Century Modern in Deep Blue

Mariner Hotel
Falmouth-on-Cape-Cod, MA
1950's?

 How do I tell that this is a classic mid-century modern room? Let me count the ways:

1. Little conical lamps
2. Deep blue walls
3. Blind and print curtains on the window
4. Bright red chair, the kind that is used to torture patients in doctors' waiting rooms
5. Cute little nightstand with round edges in blue with a contrastig white drawer
6. Hospital chic bedspreads
7. Twin beds. These days, hotels and motels wouldn't be caught dead with small beds -- everything has to be either double or king-size. I guess people were much thinner back then.

Where's the View?

Miami Lakes Inn and Country Club
Miami Lakes, FL
1970's?

 We normally associate harvest gold, along with avocado green, with 1970's, but judging from many postcards I have of the period, it seems that red was a very popular color, at least for hotels and motels. In addition to the ubiquitous reds, there is a lot of browns here in this room which firmly establishes this as a room of the 1970's. Also, observe the bedspread -- it is cleverly designed to hide spill stains from messy dinners. By the way, this is definitely not a room will a view -- all you see is a few palm trees and what appears to be a telephone pole directly in front of the window.