Motels: Season 8
The places Sam and Dean stay during each episode provides a very important backdrop to each episode. Whether they stay in a motel, squat, stay at Bobby's, or sleep in the car, we are reminded of their nomadic existence. The sets are always excellent, with wonderful attention to detail, the work of Production Designer Jerry Wanek and Art Director John Marcynuk.
The motels in particular have become a signature of the show, with each one have a different theme, and the set detail often contains in-jokes that only the most dedicated fan will get. Jensen said of the motel rooms: "Jerry Wanek's just a crazy guy, and likes to use his talents when he gets the ability to, and the motel rooms are his passion. source."
Season 8 is significant because of the introduction of the Men of Letters Bunker. Even though the Bunker became Sam and Dean's home, they still have opportunities to stay in motels during their hunts.
See also Motels: Season 1, Motels: Season 2, Motels: Season 3, Motels: Season 4, Motels: Season 5, Motels: Season 6, Motels: Season 7
Episode | Accommodation/ Motel name | Motel Location & Other Locations | Trivia | Picture |
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8.01 We Need to Talk About Kevin | Palm Motel | On the way to Centreville, Michigan | The room is decorated with foliage - palm trees, leaf pattern on the bedspread and room divider. This could symbolize Dean’s time in Purgatory. The boat painting above Dean's bed is seen again in 8.07. It was used earlier in 5.12 . It will be seen later in the house in 10.19. The blue lamp base is also seen in 6.09 and 8.07. | |
8.02 What's Up, Tiger Mommy? | Unnamed motel (Room 126) | Laramie, Wyoming | We never see inside this motel room. The exterior is The City Centre Hotel in Vancouver which is also seen in 2.07, 3.03, and 4.07. | |
8.03 Heartache | Unnamed motel
Bob's Bighorn Lodge |
Ames, Iowa
Boulder, Colorado |
Bob's Bighorn Motel features a rustic/western theme, including horse with cowboy room divider and a bighorn sheep above the fireplace. It even has sheep feet for coat hooks! |
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8.04 Bitten | None | Washtenaw County, Michigan | ||
8.05 Blood Brother | Arroyo Motel (Room 118)
Paradise Motel |
Kermit, Texas
Enid, Oregon |
The Arroyo Motel is where Amelia is living in Sam’s flashbacks. It features plaid wallpaper - matching Sam’s shirt. The curtains are also seen in 7.15
The Paradise Motel uses the orange lamp base seen in 4.06, 7.05, and 8.08. The painting above Sam's desk was earlier seen in 7.06 and later in 8.08. The room divider is used in 6.08. The teardrop-shaped art work is also seen in 8.08. The motel sign is used again in 10.12. |
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8.06 Southern Comfort | Little Dixie Motel | Kearney, Missouri | The colors in the room reflect the division in the north and south US during the Civil War. Stars and stripes are featured in the room design. The big mural behind Dean is of the Daytona 500 (NASCAR) - It's a big sport in the south, where the episode is set. | |
8.07 A Little Slice of Kevin | Unnamed motel (Room 21) | Salina, Kansas | The bedspread was used in 6.13. The curtains, fridge and bedspread were used in 3.14. The boat art is seen in 8.01. The boat painting was seen earlier in 8.01 was also in 5.12 . It will be seen later in the house in 10.19. The brick wall is used many times - 3.11, 3.14 5.07, 5.08, 5.14, 6.02, 7.15, 7.18. | |
8.08 Hunteri Heroici | Possibly "The Moonlight Motel" | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma | This room is brightly decorated and features squares on the bedspread and room divider - possibly reflecting the cartoon element in the episode. The small lighthouse picture is used in 8.05. The orange lamp base is used in 8.05, 4.06, and 7.05. The bedspread is used later in 9.13. | |
8.09 Citizen Fang | None | Carencro, Louisiana
Kermit, Texas |
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8.10 Torn and Frayed | Arroyo Motel (Room 118) | Location: Kermit, Texas
Whitefish, Montana |
The painting above the sofa in Amelia's motel was also seen in 7.18 . The green flower chair was seen in 8.04 and in 6.09.
The Green Cooler can be seen beside the wall in Rufus's Cabin. It’s interesting to note it is slightly different to the one usually carried by the Winchesters. |
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8.11 LARP and the Real Girl | None | Farmington Hills, Michigan. | ||
8.12 As Time Goes By | Byway Inn (Room 110)
Strip 91 Motel |
Normal, Illinois
Lebanon, Kansas |
Production Designer, Jerry Wanek, tweeted that the wallpaper in the motels symbolised hour glasses - to reflect the time travel theme in the episode. The exterior of the first motel is the same motel exterior used in 7.18 | |
8.13 Everybody Hates Hitler | Men of Letters Bunker | Lebanon, Kansas | ||
8.14 Trial and Error | Men of Letters Bunker | Lebanon, Kansas | ||
8.15 Man's Best Friend with Benefits | Sleepy Lodge Motel (Room 40) | St. Louis, Missouri | The wooden headboard has been seen many times in the motel rooms over the years - 2.09, 2.11, 2.14, 2.10, 6.02, 6.09, 7.05, 7.11, 8.15 | |
8.16 Remember the Titans | The Round 'Em Up Motel (room 7) | Great Falls, Montana | The interior is a western theme - including a wagon wheel divider, antler lampshade(!), and a fabulous mural. | |
8.17 Goodbye Stranger | Men of Letters Bunker | Lebanon, Kansas | ||
8.18 Freaks and Geeks | None | Conway Springs, Kansas | ||
8.19 Taxi Driver | None | Kansas City, Missouri
Warsaw, Missouri |
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8.20 Pac-Man Fever | Men of Letters Bunker | Lebanon, Kansas | ||
8.21 The Great Escapist | Two Rivers Motel | Route 34, Colorado | Native American theme. | |
8.22 Clip Show | Unnamed Motel (room 116) | Indianapolis | Sam and Dean don’t stay in this motel. It belongs to Sarah Blake. The light blue and white colors nicely contrast the darker-colored motels Sam and Dean usually stay in. | |
8.23 Sacrifice | None |