When Anne Dodge wrote her thesis at MIT about preservation planning along Route 66 — the 2,500-mile corridor that runs through eight states from Chicago to Los Angeles — she found out that more than 30 percent of the independent motel owners along Route 66 were Indian Americans.
Her documentary project 66 Motels will combine interviews and photos of historic motels and their owners. Browsing through the photos reveals shots of vintage neon signs and some retrofabulous interiors as well as portraits of the owners at their motels. She writes that interviews will be up by this summer. Some interviews are already online.
One part of her project involves the practice of labeling motels with the “American Owned” sign. A Time Magazine piece that refers to desi motel owners along Route 66 as “curators of a nice slice of Americana” who lovingly refurbished and decorated the historic motels also covers the practice of using “American Owned” signs.
While this seemingly innocuous phrase may appeal to many customers, it can also be intended as code for “not owned by immigrants,” an attempt to divert business from upstanding first- or second-generation citizens whose ethnicity distinguishes them from most of their small-town neighbors. To those in the know, like veteran road-trip author Michael Wallis, AMERICAN OWNED is a subtle reminder of the days when customers, too, suffered from prejudice–back when African Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans and, at least on Route 66, poor Oklahomans fleeing to California were all denied lodging. “[Innkeepers] are trying to prey on people’s prejudice under the guise of patriotism,” says AAHOA president Fred Schwartz.
Dodge began her research also thinking that white motel owners used “American Owned” to promote their properties to customers who did not want a room at a motel owned by a desi. But she learned that while some owners do use the sign that way, others got the sign when they bought the motel and some desi owners themselves use “American Owned” signs to “make a statement about themselves and their properties.”
Via: PreservationNation, “South Asians: Stewards of America’s Roadside Heritage.”
Previously: Ennis wrote about the “American Owned” sign at motels in “Do not enter.”
Related reading: The Gujaratis of San Francisco by Usha Jain, a look at families from Gujarat who now run hotels in the US. (Thanks, Hilal)
Hi Pavani:
This is fascinating stuff — thank you for bringing it to our attention. I hope Ann has a book idea in there somewhere. Amardeep had also blogged about something similar a while ago…
The point about South Asian Americans using the “American-owned” signs is an interesting one. While it might be relevant that desis are now adopting the signs as well I really don’t think they are coming into it in much the same way as the rest. It’s probably more of a survival strategy (look, we are like you) than a well thought-out marketing campaign. So in a sense it doesn’t really explain away the inherent xenophobia in such signs. If anything, it actually emphasizes it more…
It’s funny- I know that the term “American owned” can appeal to the motoring xenophobe, but what I read when I see that sign is “This hotel is owned by a family, not a multinational corporate chain.” This kind of hotel is usually wonderfully quirky, and a stay there results in a story. Like the Moon Motel outside Pendleton, Oregon, the entire grounds of which were covered in concrete lawn ornaments. Or this hotel where I stayed in Houston for ASA, which was decorated in black light illuminated flourescent paintings of palm trees, and where the tv’s only showed cspan and porn.
Thanks Pavani for bringing this documentary to our attention!
“Dodge began her research also thinking that white motel owners used “American Owned†to promote their properties to customers who did not want a room at a motel owned by an desi.”
Sadly, many “Americans” still do not consider us Americans because our skin in brown. No matter that we were born and raised here and probably speak better English than them.
Oh and I’m sure these white motel owners that put up “American Owned” signs only buy American made products as well and nothing manufactured in China or Asia right?
There’s longstanding joke in ISKCON re: Patel Motels. They used them all the time – for free – during their selling campaigns on the road. I can’t tell you how much money overall was lost hosting those people throughout the 70s, 80s, 90s and up until today. While they came back in the evenings loaded with cash from their parking lot solicitations….
Very nice article on Gandhi if you click the link above. Of course, this blog is great too.
Thanks for the tip about the earlier SM post re: the American Owned sign.
Thanks for the tip! Will have to check this out. As a child of immigrant parents who own motels (one on Route 66!), I know first hand the prejuidices some travelers havce against “non-Causcasians” owning businesses. We had some that would walk in the front office and walk out when they saw my father. Since most motels thrive on tourist business, I’m not suprised they put up “American owned”. The funny thing is that the town my parents live in have 90% of the motels owned by South Asians. One of the “Caucasian” owner put up a sign that said “white owned”. Wonder if it got them more business….
i remember reading ‘the gujaratis of san francisco’ a few years back (usha jain). very interesting stuff. the history behind patel motels/potels is rich and filled with stories of exclusion…it’s not a history we hear about enough imo.
thanks for posting this.
(ps: how long until someone makes a ‘get your kicks on route 66’ joke? 3, 2,…;) )
After watching Psycho, wouldn’t people want to stay in motels which were NOT “American Owned”?
Thanks for the book suggestion. 🙂
The Gujuratis of San Fran? Fascinating. I second the thanks, Hilal.
My husband was reading a personal finance book called the “Dhando Investor”. It had some great insights into the whole Gujju owned motels and I think the author was also Gujrati. We have stayed in many such places, some on rt 66 also, where the whole family would appear to be living in the rooms behind the office/check in. It is a bit odd and funny when we learn the owner happens to be Jack Patel (some motel in UT !). The American owned sign used to be a euphemism for white owners of course but now seems to be ubiquitous. The great success story is how the motel/hotel markets have been taken over by desi-Americans who started with so little as the book explains.
Hi all – thanks for the posting about my project! I’ve been working on it for about a year and it’s been slow going (because I have another job ), but it’s great to read these comments. If you want to keep up with the project, go to my website (www.annedodge.com) or to the project’s site (www.66motels.com), and sign up for the RSS feed so you can actually see when I have time to post new content (about every two weeks or so). And, hey, Curly – send me an email! I’d love to talk to you more about your family’s 66 motel…