Madonna Inn facts for kids

Madonna Inn
Quick facts for kids
Hotel facts and statistics
Location	United States
Coordinates	35°16′03″N 120°40′29″W / 35.2675°N 120.67472°W / 35.2675; -120.67472
Address
Opening date	December 1958
Developer	Alex Madonna and Phyllis Madonna
Management	Alex Madonna and Phyllis Madonna
Owner	Alex Madonna and Phyllis Madonna
No. of restaurants	Madonna Inn Bakery & Pastry Shop Copper Café & Coffee Bar Alex Madonna's Gold Rush Steak House Silver Bar Cocktail & Lounge
No. of rooms	110
of which suites	28
Parking	On-site
No. of floors	1 x 2-storey building 2 x 1-storey buildings

The Madonna Inn is a famous motel located in San Luis Obispo, California. It first opened its doors in 1958. Soon after, it became a well-known place on the Central Coast of California.

The inn was created by Alex Madonna and his wife Phyllis. Alex Madonna was a very successful builder and business owner. The Madonna Inn has a restaurant and a bakery. It is found right next to US Route 101, near the bottom of Cerro San Luis Obispo mountain.

What Makes the Madonna Inn Special?

The Madonna Inn looks like a building from the Alps mountains in Switzerland. Its outside is mostly pink, even the lamp posts and trash cans! Inside, the common rooms are very fancy. They have pink roses, Western-style paintings, and shiny copper decorations.

Each of the 110 guest rooms and suites is different. They all have their own special design and theme. Many visitors even stop just to see the famous rock waterfall in the men's restroom. A Hollywood set designer named Harvey Allen Warren created this unique feature.

The inn used huge rocks for its buildings. Some rocks on the outside weigh up to 209 short tons (about 190 metric tons). Inside, some rocks weigh 15 short tons (about 14 metric tons). There's even a 45 short ton (about 41 metric tons) rock that serves as a fireplace. This fireplace is shared by two suites, the Madonna (#141) and Old World (#192) rooms.

Different Buildings at the Inn

By 1973, the Madonna Inn property covered 1,500 acres. It had several buildings:

• A gas station.
• The Main complex, which holds the lobby, check-in area, restaurants, and meeting rooms.
• Unit 1, finished in 1961, with 14 guest rooms (Rooms 101-115).
• Unit 2, finished in 1962, also with 14 guest rooms (Rooms 116-129).
• The Hilltop building, finished in 1969, with 82 guest rooms (Rooms 130-218). This building is two to four stories tall.

Unique Room Themes

The rooms at the Madonna Inn have very unusual names and themes. This was done to offer something for everyone. Some room names include "Yahoo" (#132), "Love Nest" (#183), "Old Mill" (#206), and "Caveman Room" (#137).

Some rooms are even grouped together by theme. For example, the rooms "Ren" (#167), "Dez" (#168), and "Vous" (#169) sound like the French word rendezvous. Also, "Merry" (#164), "Go" (#165), and "Round" (#166) are named after a carousel at an amusement park. Most of these themes were thought up by Alex and Phyllis Madonna. Some rooms were even designed by a Disney artist named Alice Turney Williams.

History of the Madonna Inn

The Madonna Inn first opened on December 24, 1958. It started with just twelve rooms. Alex and Phyllis Madonna were so excited about their first guest that they gave him his $7 room fee back!

Because so many people wanted to stay, the inn quickly grew. By 1959, it had expanded to forty rooms. The main inn building was built in 1960. A famous architect named Richard Neutra once stayed there. He told Alex Madonna that the inn's design was so unique, it seemed like no architect could have drawn it all out beforehand.

In May 1966, a fire sadly burned down the inn's original buildings. But it reopened just one year later! By the end of the 1960s, all the rooms had been rebuilt. They were designed in the unique style that the inn is known for today. Now, there are 110 rooms in total.

In 1975, a writer named Paul Goldberger wrote about the Madonna Inn for The New York Times. This article helped the inn become famous across the country. By 1982, the Madonna Inn was very well-known. Alex Madonna once said that most places try to give you as little as possible. But he wanted to give people a great place to stay where they felt they got more than they paid for. He wanted guests to arrive with a smile and leave with a smile.

In 1983, the cartoon company Hanna-Barbera sued the Madonna Inn. They said the inn's "Flintstone Room" (#139) used their cartoon characters without permission. This room had pictures of Fred and Wilma Flintstone and the phrase "Yabba Dabba Doo." Room #139 is now called the "Jungle Rock" junior suite. The "Caveman Room" (#137) was originally the "Flintstone Room."

Images for kids

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  The waterfall

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  The hearth

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  Barroom, lounge

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  The fireplace

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  The fireplace

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  Restaurant

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  Restaurant

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  Restaurant

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  Lavabo, toilet

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  Christmas decorations

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  Just Heaven Hotel Room

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  Waterfall urinal