‘Airstream Motel’ Goes Retro

One day you’ll be able to drive across the United States staying every night in a fabulous vintage trailer—without actually dragging one beyond your 1954 Chevy Bel-Air.

Think of the money you’ll save on gas.

Motels that include travel trailers among their room choices, or offer nothing but, are popping up all over.

The newest entry is on the West Coast, where architect Matthew Hofmann and partner Neil Dipaolo opened the Santa Barbara Auto Camp January 1. They’ve converted five Airstreams in the 91-year-old residential trailer park into motel rooms.

With their ‘Airstream Motel’ venture, Hofmann and Dipaolo are aiming at mid-level luxury, with new skylights, flooring of teak and bamboo, “even beach cruisers to tour Santa Barbara,” says Hofmann.

The Auto Camp has been attracting “old folks who come in with their memories of crisscrossing the United States in their Airstream,” he says, “hipsters from LA, people who want a different type of hotel experience.”

For more on the Santa Barbara Auto Camp, located in Santa Barbara at 2717 De La Vina Street, click here.