Saga Motor Hotel

Historic hotel
In Pasadena, California
0.1 mi from Route 66

The Saga Motor Hotel is a mid-century motel in Pasadena, CA, on Colorado Boulevard, the old Route 66. It opened in 1959, while US 66 was still the federal highway here, and its original neon sign still lights up at night. About 70 rooms wrap around a palm-shaded pool. For Route 66 travelers it is a chance to sleep in a motel built while the highway ran past its door.

What is Saga Motor Hotel?

A motor hotel in the late-1950s manner: rooms set around a swimming pool under tall palm trees, with decorative breeze-block walls and screens. The star is the big neon sign, the name written in a Moorish-style script. The motel faces Pasadena City College and has worked as a film and TV location, among them Showtime's Dexter.

History of Saga Motor Hotel

The Saga opened in 1959 to plans by Harold Zook, a Pasadena architect. In 2002 the city named its neon sign a Pasadena Historic Sign. When freeways drew traffic away from Route 66, many roadside motels closed; preservationists at the LA Conservancy credit the Saga's location, near the college and Caltech and on the Rose Parade route, with helping it last.

Visiting Saga Motor Hotel: tips

The motel sits on the old road, so the sign makes a quick photo stop from the sidewalk, and it is at its best after dark. Colorado Boulevard is also the Rose Parade route, and the parade passes in front, making the motel a known spot to watch it on New Year's Day.

Updated October 10, 2026 · Written by Route 66 Trip Guide

Practical info

Address: 1633 E Colorado Blvd, Pasadena, CA 91106
Phone: +1 626-795-0431
Website: thesagamotorhotel.com
Hours: Open 24 h
On site & nearby

Sources: OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) · Wikidata · official site — may be outdated. Suggest a fix

Where to eat near Saga Motor Hotel

All diners →

Diner & restaurant
Twohey's
South Pasadena, CA · 2.6 mi from Saga Motor Hotel
A 1950s-style diner in South Pasadena, founded in 1943 and known for a burger called the Little Stink-O.
Diner & restaurant
Fair Oaks Pharmacy
South Pasadena, CA · 2.9 mi from Saga Motor Hotel
A 1915 pharmacy with an old-fashioned soda fountain, on the corner where Route 66 ran down Fair Oaks Avenue.
Diner & restaurant
Philippe's
Los Angeles, CA · 9.1 mi from Saga Motor Hotel
A downtown Los Angeles restaurant running since 1908 that claims to have invented the French dip sandwich.