In the past, an open-plan dining room was located next to the motel entrance, and offered a serve-yourself style breakfast buffet. The dining room was referred to by staff as 'Diner 54' as it was initially a conversion of guest room five, and later extended to also include room four. To make the most of the stunning desert views, the latest in architectural advances were used, and the outer walls front and back were replaced with large areas of floor-to-ceiling glass, that appeared to sink straight into the dust.

Aside from the diner's amazing vistas, the motel wasn't as flashy as some of the more family orientated alternatives. Functional, inconspicuous and a little cheaper, the motel blended into the roadside as it quietly served tired salesmen and travelers, who didn't want the pools or the busy clatter and chatter of happy families. However, all that changed during the hotter than average spring of 1953.

One morning, a man was found dead in the diner, frozen upright on his chair. There was no sign of a struggle or trauma, and there was no blood. Strangely, there was no smell of decay, even though it was revealed that he had been overlooked, and those attending the scene were shocked to learn that he had been locked in for three days during a quiet period before being discovered.

Motorists who had driven by prior to the discovery, reported that they had seen a solitary man drinking coffee during the night and early hours, bright in the desert night with all the lights on. A stark scene that was said to be reminiscent of an Edward Hopper painting. There was no photographic evidence, but eye-witness reports of this apparent night-time activity were consistent.

The media picked up the story, and added to the mystery by reporting that a cup of coffee on the table in front of the dead man was still steaming hot when he was found. In his hand was a note with the words 'I will return' - curious facts backed-up by news footage taken at the time. Numerous theories and rumours sprang up about how and when the man actually died, and what the note referred to. Some of the more adventurous tabloids speculated that he was some kind of semi-mummified desert zombie, and possibly came alive at night, which led to the headline 'The Nighthawk Zombie'. The public went with the story, and the motel was put on the map for all the wrong reasons.

From then on there were reports of strange noises and activity, especially at night, which only added fuel to the zombie rumours. The lights in unoccupied rooms turned themselves on and off and the internal phones rang at odd hours with no caller on the line. The phones lines were often affected by static and interference from crossed lines, and rumours persisted about ghostly goings-on as the news story and the vast, empty remoteness of the location played with the imagination of the guests.

As in most cases, fantasy had overtaken the facts. In reality, the dead man was a delivery driver who had quietly passed away from natural causes. The hot coffee belonged to a police officer attending the scene, who had already deduced that the lights had intermittent connection problems, caused by the old and degraded wiring system. Lights left on appeared to be off or buzzed and flickered precariously as they alternated between on and off.

The wiring was renewed throughout the site and the random lighting issues no longer occurred. The imported vintage rotary-dial phones, installed for purely decorative purposes, were also replaced with a new and more reliable internal phone system. With facts replacing fiction, and the passing of time, this spooky period came to an end - for now.

Turn On Ambience

To divert unwanted memories, the breakfast room was subsequently converted back into a large super-deluxe guest room, which retained the huge windows and the number 54.

However, as it turned out, the weirdness actually went up a notch. The room sparked further media attention after an hysterical woman called police and reported an alarming incident. The visibly shaken woman claimed that a stunted, wet and naked 'thing' suddenly flew out of the darkness and hit the glass at high speed and somehow stuck mid-window. With face squished and anemic body in fetal position, the entity slowly slid down the window on a layer of gloop, twisting and turning under its own inertia while mouthing unheard words, one distorted eye fixed and staring directly at her, as she fled the room.

She was subsequently taken to hospital by the police and treated for severe shock. She later commented that she felt this was some kind of supernatural attack, and the vision of the white and crumpled body with the fixed stare would not leave her mind.

Police investigators found grease-like marks on the window, but there were no footprints or evidence of the creature. Because of concerns for public safety, the grease was analyzed and turned out to be a popular brand of lard. No further action was taken.

The bizarreness of this second event rekindled interest from the press and the previous 'zombie' mystery was also revisited leading to further rumours that skin-walkers and other strange entities were wandering around the motel site at night. This sensationalized press coverage attracted a lot of attention and business boomed for a while - although staff commented that some of the resulting clientele were weirder than the news stories. Management had to hire security after a few 'zombie hunters' got lost in the desert night, or spooked each other and other guests as they prowled around at night looking for paranormal beasts.

Later, a crude kind of trebuchet device was found along with animal parts and pagen totems, but police suggested that this was almost certainly brought into the area after the incident, either to hype the story further, or as an attempt to replicate the event. Some even pointed fingers at the motel owners, claiming they were trying to make the most of the publicity.

Despite (or maybe because of) all the press attention, room 54 remained a popular booking. The large windows offered an uninterrupted view of the surrounding desert, and without light pollution, the stars were highly visible at night. Guests often commented that it was like sleeping outside, but with the comfort of air-conditioning. However, some complained that the openness of room 54 made them uneasy and changed rooms - others reported a feeling of dread and that something bad was about to happen.

This fear became a reality one night after a late arrival mistook the glass front for an open parking space, and drove straight through the front windows. The car ended up alongside the bed. Driver and room occupant were found staring across at each other in disbelief as one sat up in bed and the other remained sitting in the car. One police officer attending the scene had also been present at the other incidents concerning room 54 and commented that perhaps there was something 'spooky' or at least unlucky about this room after all.

The front was eventually rebuilt with standard sized windows and an additional low wall in front for safety. The back escaped damage and retained the original floor-to-ceiling windows.

So, why do people stay?

These days, most of the passing traffic consists of the odd delivery truck and tourists following the old Route 66 trail.

Many do seek out the motel and the now infamous room 54 because of its bizarre history, and it is said that the atmosphere is still a little eerie at night as the motel is so far off the beaten track, but these days, escape and getting away from it all are the main reasons people visit.

The motel is as isolated as you can get while remaining safe in the desert, and it's possible to be undisturbed as one of few guests, or as the only guest if things are not so busy.

And now, it's your turn for a while. Enjoy your stay...

George Mendecks ★webstar MMXX
gmendecks at webstar dot tv

MOTEL TV and this story are not based on any particular motel. Graphics and historical references are drawn from various images of motels located in a real motel strip in Tucumcari, New Mexico.

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