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Airzona

Hotel Valley Ho
A two-story motor lodge turned hip urban resort, with glass-walled rooms, private patios, and two restaurants. 6850 E. Main St., Scottsdale; 866/882-4484; www.hotelvalleyho.com; doubles from $289.

California

Avalon Hotel
Kelly Wearstler has revamped the old Beverly Carlton motel with Midcentury Modernist flair. 9400 W. Olympic Blvd., Beverly Hills; 800/535-4715; www.avalonbeverlyhills.com; doubles from $259.

Ballantines Original Hotel
1950’s kitsch, with 14 themed rooms—Marilyn Monroe stayed in the Pretty in Pink Suite, where Andy Warhol’s silk-screen print now hangs on the wall. 1420 N. Indian Canyon Dr., Palm Springs; 800/485-2808; www.ballantinesoriginalhotel.com; doubles from $99.

Farmer’s Daughter Hotel
This former flophouse is full of country-meets-city quirks: the rooms have rooster wallpaper; the No Tell room has a full wet bar. 115 S. Fairfax Ave., Los Angeles; 800/334-1658; www.farmersdaughterhotel.com; doubles from $159.

Miracle Manor Retreat
A run-of-the-mill motel in 1948, today the Albert Frey-inspired "spa-tel" features a poolside spa with a Plexiglass-and-steel enclosure. 12589 Reposo Way, Desert Hot Springs; 877/329-6641; www.miraclemanor.com; doubles from $175.

New York

Roxbury Motel
Two NYC showbiz vets transformed a dilapidated motor lodge into a funky mountain retreat; this summer they’ll unveil a new wing with "theatrical" rooms. 2258 Hwy. 41, Roxbury; 607/326-7200; www.theroxburymotel.com; doubles from $95.

Oregon

Jupiter Hotel
Once a seedy roadway inn over a dank speakeasy, now a "cultural" boutique hotel with a bamboo-floored Dream Suite. 800 E. Burnside, Portland; 877/800-0004; www.jupiterhotel.com; doubles from $84.

Texas

Hotel San Jose
Liz Lambert turned an old motel into a stucco-walled, garden-laden, bungalow-style establishment. 1316 S. Congress, Austin; 800/574-8897; www.sanjosehotel.com; doubles from $150.

—Christine Ajudua

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