Big Texan Motel

The motel building exterior is one of the most committed pieces of themed roadside architecture on Route 66 — a long single-story structure with a façade designed to look like a row of independent Old West storefronts. Each section of the building has a different false-front design, different hand-painted signage (mock-business names like "Marshal's Office," "Livery Stable," "General Store"), different exterior color schemes, and different decorative elements (hitching posts, wooden water barrels, decorative wheels, antique-looking lanterns). The cumulative effect is that the motel reads less as a single building and more as a small frontier town.

The wooden boardwalk running along the front of the motel — a continuous covered walkway with wood plank flooring — connects the room entrances and reinforces the Old West aesthetic. The boardwalk includes various seating areas, decorative props (vintage saddles, ropes, mounted antlers), and photo opportunities. Visitors frequently spend time photographing the boardwalk and the false-front exteriors even when not staying at the motel; the property has become a destination in its own right beyond just the lodging function.

Maintenance of the themed exterior is more demanding than for a standard motel — the false fronts, the hand-painted signage, the wooden boardwalk, and the decorative props all require periodic restoration to maintain the original character. The Big Texan ownership group has been consistent across the decades in funding this maintenance; the exterior in the 2020s looks substantially the same as it did in promotional photographs from the 1990s. The continued investment is part of what distinguishes the property from generic motels that gradually degrade over time.

The Big Texan Motel's swimming pool is shaped exactly like the state of Texas — a substantial outdoor pool with the recognizable Texas state outline including the rectangular Panhandle in the northwest corner, the Big Bend curve in the southwest, and the Gulf Coast curve in the southeast. The pool is moderately sized (the longest dimension is roughly 50 feet from the Panhandle to the Rio Grande Valley) and is heated seasonally for use from approximately April through October.

The pool deck includes lounge chairs, outdoor tables, and a small covered picnic area. The surrounding landscape uses native Texas plantings (mesquite, prickly pear, sagebrush) consistent with the Old West theme. Pool depth varies from 3 feet at the shallow Panhandle section to 6 feet at the deepest point near the central pool area; the pool is suitable for both adult lap swimming and family use with kids.

Beyond the pool, the motel grounds include a small playground for kids, picnic tables, a barbecue grill area for guest use, and a small dog-walking area for pet-friendly bookings (the motel charges a modest fee per stay for pets). The integrated outdoor amenities are part of what distinguishes the motel from the generic chain alternatives near I-40 — the property is genuinely a place to spend an afternoon at the pool rather than just a place to sleep.

Guest rooms span a range of themes and configurations across the motel's approximately 50 rooms. Standard rooms include either a king bed or two queen beds with Western-themed décor — wagon-wheel headboards, rope-and-leather decorative accents, framed vintage Texas photographs, southwestern-pattern bedding, and lantern-style lighting fixtures. The themed elements are subtle enough that the rooms function comfortably as normal hotel rooms but distinctive enough that they don't feel like generic chain accommodations.

A subset of rooms have stronger thematic identities — designated Route 66 themed rooms (with Route 66 shield art, vintage road-trip photographs, Mother Road maps on the walls), cowboy themed rooms (with more aggressive Western décor including saddle racks and rope decorations), and a few Texas-history rooms (with photographs and decorative elements from specific Texas historical periods). These specialty rooms typically book at the same rate as the standard rooms but require specific requests at booking.

Suite-level accommodations are available in a small number of rooms — typically a single larger room with a sitting area, a kitchenette, and a more substantially-themed interior. Suite rates run higher than standard rooms (typically $150-220 per night depending on season). All rooms include free Wi-Fi, in-room safes, mini-fridges, microwaves, and standard bathroom amenities. Rooms are cleaned daily during multi-night stays.

The Big Texan Motel guests have access to the free Big Texan limousine shuttle service that runs between the motel and the steakhouse entrance throughout dinner service. The limousines are full-size stretch vehicles painted in the Big Texan yellow-and-red color scheme; the pickup is at the motel front entrance and the dropoff is at the steakhouse front entrance, a journey of approximately 30 seconds. The shuttle runs continuously from approximately 4pm through 10pm; calling the front desk requests a pickup.

The convenience of the shuttle reinforces the integrated motel-and-steakhouse experience — guests can have a full dinner with multiple drinks at the Big Texan without worrying about driving back to the motel, and the limousine ride is part of the entertainment value of the visit. Many motel guests specifically time their dinner reservations to take advantage of the shuttle, treating the limousine ride as part of the booking experience rather than a separate transportation choice.

Beyond the dinner shuttle, the motel-and-steakhouse integration includes the free breakfast voucher (included with most room rates, redeemable at the Big Texan dining room during morning service from 7am to 11am), discounts on Big Texan branded merchandise from the lobby gift shop, and priority reservation access at the steakhouse for motel guests during peak periods. The integrated experience is the primary reason most travelers book the Big Texan Motel over generic chain alternatives.

Standard rates typically run $90 to $150 per night, with the wide range reflecting day-of-week variations, seasonal demand, and concurrent local events. Friday and Saturday nights are typically $30-50 higher than weekday rates; peak Route 66 tourism months (April through October) run higher than off-season winter rates. Concert nights at nearby Amarillo venues can drive rates higher than the typical maximum, occasionally reaching $200+ during high-demand events.

Booking is available through the motel's direct phone reservation system (806-372-0101) and through major online travel agencies (Expedia, Booking.com, Hotels.com). Direct booking with the motel sometimes accesses lower rates than the online channels and ensures access to the free breakfast voucher and any specialty room requests. Cancellation policies are standard for the moderate hotel category — typically 24-48 hours advance notice for full refund.

For Route 66 road-trippers, the Big Texan Motel is the natural Amarillo overnight stop. The property's location at the eastern edge of Amarillo on I-40 East puts you adjacent to the Big Texan Steak Ranch dinner experience and a 15-minute drive west to Cadillac Ranch (the standard morning photography stop) and the 6th Avenue Historic District (the late-morning shopping and lunch destination). Eastbound travelers continuing toward Oklahoma can leave directly from the motel; westbound travelers can continue toward Adrian (the Route 66 midpoint, 50 miles west) and Glenrio (the Texas-New Mexico border, 75 miles west).