Holiday Motel, Las Vegas, Triblend Tee

Venue History

Opened in the early 1950s along U.S. 91, the Holiday Motel became one of Las Vegas Boulevard’s best-loved mid-century motor courts—famous less for luxury than for its irresistible neon. The property debuted in 1952 as Holiday Inn (unaffiliated with the national chain) and adopted the Holiday Motel name by the early 1960s, aligning with a wave of post-war auto travel that turned the boulevard into a glittering ribbon of roadside lodgings. Its architecture was classic motor-court: low, horizontal wings wrapped around a parking court and pool, a convenient stop for motorists, entertainers, and conventioneers who wanted budget rooms within easy reach of Downtown and the Strip. What made the Holiday stand out, however, was its exuberant Googie-style pylon—starbursts, a chasing-bulb arrow, and stacked “Holiday Motel” panels that photographed as well as any casino marquee. The sign, installed between 1956 and 1958, became a minor celebrity in countless postcards and travelogues. By the 2000s the property had grown tired, but the sign’s pop-culture cachet only deepened. A December 2016 room fire underscored the motel’s decline, and the Holiday Motel closed in 2017, ending a 60-plus-year run on Las Vegas Boulevard. Preservationists quickly rallied to save the iconic marquee. In January 2018, a public campaign pushed to preserve and relocate the famed Holiday Motel sign; soon after, the Las Vegas Neon Museum confirmed the sign had been dismantled and moved to a restoration facility. Today the restored sign resides in the museum’s collection (the Neon Boneyard). The Holiday’s starbursts and arrow—symbols of the city’s roadside golden age—survived even as the motel itself went dark. The old Holiday Motel still stands, but no longer operates as a motel. Rather, it’s now home to The BLVD Boutique Apartments. While Holiday Motel may be gone, its sign keeps the story alive, reminding visitors that Las Vegas wasn’t built by megaresorts alone; it was also built in large part by friendly motor courts who were generously sprinkled along the The Strip and promised adventure for the price of a vacancy light.