The Rabbit Ears Motel

Steamboat's neon-pink 1952 motor lodge — forty-five rooms, family-owned, the original Steamboat motel and still the most photographed roadside sign in town. The Rabbit Ears is the rare Steamboat property that's stayed in family hands through several decades and resisted the conversion-to-condo or sale-to-chain pressure that's claimed most of the original Steamboat lodging.

The pitch is the price, the location across from the Old Town Hot Springs, and the consistency. Rates from $245 in shoulder. The neon-pink sign is the first thing you see driving into downtown Steamboat from the south.

The setting

Steamboat Springs sits in northwestern Colorado, three hours from Denver via I-70 and US 40 over Rabbit Ears Pass. The town divides into downtown Steamboat (where the Rabbit Ears is, on Lincoln Avenue) and the Mountain Village at the resort base, three miles east. The free ski bus connects them.

The Rabbit Ears sits across from the Old Town Hot Springs — a set of mineral hot springs and pools right in town, accessible to the public for a fee. Lincoln Avenue's restaurants are walkable. Strawberry Park Hot Springs (the rustic outdoor hot springs in the woods) is twenty minutes north. Steamboat Resort is three miles east.

The building

A 1952 motor court — single- and two-story stucco-and-stone buildings around a parking court, with the iconic neon "Rabbit Ears" sign out front. Materials are stucco, painted wood, and stone, with the playful-retro detailing the era's roadside motels did so well. The neon sign has been kept original; the rooms have been updated steadily over the decades.

Public space is the parking court, a small lobby, and the proximity to the Old Town Hot Springs across the road.

The rooms

Forty-five rooms across the motor-court typology. Categories are simple: standard rooms, larger rooms, a few suites with kitchenettes. Bathrooms have been kept up. Beds are good. The aesthetic inside is straightforward — clean, well-maintained, no design pretensions.

Rates from $245 in shoulder; ski-season peak climbs but stays accessible by Steamboat standards.

Food & drink

A continental breakfast is included. There's no on-site restaurant. Lincoln Avenue's restaurants are walkable — Carl's Tavern, Aurum Food & Wine, Mahogany Ridge, plus a long list of casual options. The Old Town Hot Springs across the road has its own small cafe.

On the property

The original neon sign is the property's calling card. There's a small fitness room and a hot tub. The Old Town Hot Springs (across the road) is the de facto pool — guests get discounted access. No on-site spa.

• Continental breakfast included
• Hot tub
• Discounted Old Town Hot Springs access (across the road)
• Walking distance to Lincoln Avenue
• Open year-round

Who it's for

• Skiers and snowboarders on a budget
• Travelers who appreciate restored mid-century roadside Americana
• Couples on a Steamboat weekend who'll spend the day skiing and the evening eating in town
• Anyone who'd rather have a working motor court than a chain hotel

Who it's not for

• Travelers wanting slope-side ski-in/ski-out
• Anyone seeking a contemporary or design-led hotel
• Light sleepers placed near Lincoln Avenue (the road runs by the property)

Nearby

Lincoln Avenue's restaurants and shops are walkable. Old Town Hot Springs is across the road. Steamboat Resort's Mountain Village (the ski base) is three miles east via free ski bus or short drive. Strawberry Park Hot Springs (the rustic outdoor pools) is twenty minutes north. Howelsen Hill (the original Steamboat ski hill) is in town. The Yampa River runs through downtown for summer floats.