Royal Hawiian Motel

Andrew Kuykendall – Arne’s Royal Hawaiian Motel

In this photograph, Andrew Kuykendall confronts the beauty of decay: the once-bright sign of Arne’s Royal Hawaiian Motel flickers in fading desert light. The motel’s tiki-themed architecture—palm tree motifs, tropical pastels, curved rooflines—still leans into its past glamour even as rust, peeling paint, and time’s erosion reclaim it. There is a cinematic tension in the frame, as though one has stumbled into a Coen Brothers scene where nostalgia wrestles with abandonment.

The Story Behind

Arne’s Royal Hawaiian Motel stood in Baker, California—along I-15, between Los Angeles and Las Vegas—as part of the infrastructure of mid-century desert travel. Opened in 1957, the motel offered weary road-trippers a touch of tropical fantasy: 43 rooms, color TV, kitchenettes, a recreation room, pools, and Hawaiian-inspired decor. 

As highway travel habits changed, glitzier competition arose in Nevada, and maintenance costs rose, the motel began to decline. Guests’ complaints later included decay, water damage, mold, and other signs of neglect. 

By 2025, the motel’s buildings were torn down; what remains is memory, a skeletal sign, and the echo of roadside Americana.