She's Behind California's Coolest Motel Makeovers

PASO ROBLES, California — The American motel turns 100 this year. The motor lodge rose up alongside road trip tourism in the 1920s as travelers ventured off the beaten path to explore the wild west, home to America's vast expanses and National Parks. Motels catered to a newer, more free lifestyle on the road, allowing clientele some much needed shut-eye, a fresh shower, and hot coffee before another day of driving. The affordability of the motel, along with its quick turnover and transient guests, sometimes made for seedier accommodations and reputations.

Several motels and inns along California's central coast have been lovingly restored by Kimberly Walker, the creative director and founder of Nomada Hotel Group. These include Skyview Los Alamos, Hotel Ynez in Santa Barbara, and Farmhouse in Paso Robles. Walker's surprise career in hospitality began in 2012 when she fell in love with a rundown spot in downtown San Luis Obispo and opened a cozy bistro and wine bar in the former hotel bar with friends. She quickly found her passion for creating spaces that build community and a sense of spontaneity among travelers. Collaborating with local and global artists, she meticulously sources vintage furniture, materials, and art for each property that speak to their roots, community and storied past of each California destination. This led to the creation of Nomada Deco, an online retail store selling the furniture, decor, artwork, and textiles found in each hotel, and promoting artists and craftspeople along the way.

Nomada's latest project, River Lodge, debuted in June 2024 with a meticulous restoration of an iconic mid-century motel in Paso Robles wine country at the intersection of Highway 101 and Highway 46. Transforming a pitstop into a destination, the iconic neon motel sign leads to 28 colorful guest rooms surrounding a rose garden with firepits and a spacious lawn for games. The 21-and-over pool and hot tub turns into a lively scene. All-day poolside restaurant and cocktail bar Ciao Papi serves local Paso wines and wood-fired pizzas.

I caught up with Kimberly to chat about the evolution of motel design, the importance of a passion project, and how a $30-hotel stay changed her life.

How did you get involved in the hospitality world?

I got into hospitality the way a lot of people do. Essentially, it began as a stop on the road to something else — and I fell in love. I opened up a small wine bar and bistro in the building that is now the Granada Hotel. I was only going to operate it for a year while I was getting another business off the ground. I would work my day job all day and then at night I would run the bistro with a close friend. We would serve wine and make panini and cheese plates and whatever we could cook in a crockpot. When someone is having an amazing experience that you have taken part in creating, it feels like a good use of time. Sitting in front of a computer every day just doesn’t provide that same feeling of being around humans. That’s when I realized this was something I enjoy doing.

What is the vision behind your hotels?

It is very much driven by passion, even though we’ve expanded to several hotels. Your career and what you do for the majority of your life should feel like a passion project. We ended up buying the building that the little bistro wine bar was in — which was built in 1922 as a hotel — and restoring it back to its former life. We even found an original postcard from its early hotel years. Our thought then was, all we care about is saving this little bistro that we love so much. We thought: We love to travel, we love this building, we love San Luis Obispo, and the restaurant industry. Why not give it a shot and see what we can do with it? It’s very challenging, and it's also very rewarding and in line with all the things I love to do.

What inspires you to be a leader in travel?

Ours is a collaborative team of men and women — a motley crew or an orchestra. There are so many people participating from all walks of life, different genders, religions. It's all varied — a melting pot by design. I feel like it's a wonderful place to be a woman and a wonderful place to be a human, serving other people.

Tell me about an impressionable travel experience.

I was in Marrakesh for the first time. I love seeing new hotels when I travel, and the first hotel I stayed in was a riad — this guy’s house that he opened up to travelers. I walked through a labyrinth of alleyways, which is very much the medina. I opened the door and saw it was smoky and very cool. Classical music was playing on vinyl, there were three or four different languages spoken, and everyone was fabulous looking. I was in a single bed — I think my room was $30 a night — and it is still one of the most important hotel experiences I’ve ever had. I remember laying in my tiny room, listening to all these people laughing, speaking in different languages, and listening to music. I thought to myself: What a cool scene. It didn’t have to cost $1,000 a night. In fact, if it was $1,000 a night, it wouldn’t have happened. This memory always comes up when I'm thinking about hotels and how we want to position ourselves. The types of places I like to visit are more of an expression of someone, a personal gift shared with the travelers, as opposed to a stay that feels corporate or predictable.

Tell me more about the design inspiration behind River Lodge.

Paso Robles used to be a total cowboy town. A lot of ranches, a lot of agriculture. There was a wine scene, but it wasn't what it is now. Now it's fantastic restaurants, incredible wine, just a really cool scene. It’s been incredible to see that transformation. The thing that winemakers do with the wine — it blows my mind. In Paso, if you can dream it, you can be it. Paso is cowboy culture infused with a high-end wine experience. The tension and excitement between the two is really what I focused on in the design of River Lodge. There’s a lot of energy in the colors and the materials. We focused on creating this awesome pool scene fueled by cocktails and wine and food all day by the pool. 

What are you dying to go to next and where you always return to?

I really want to go to Bolivia for the salt flats, to sleep in igloos under the stars, and to explore Uruguay for the art scene. There are three places that I crave: Marrakech once or twice a year, Paris a couple times a year, and Mexico. I come home feeling so inspired. Those places are a well of inspiration to me — and that's what's so important about travel. It's education, inspiration, and a way to keep you open-minded. It's the most important thing.