The Movie Manor Motel—Monte Vista Colorado
When Arletta and I made the decision to go the 50th wedding anniversary celebration for Jerry and Pat Pearson, I began looking for a place to stay. Needless to say I did not find a wide selection in Monte Vista and Del Norte Colorado. But I did find a motel outside of Monte Vista—the Best Western Movie Manor Motel, about two miles west of Monte Vista. The motel included a nice restaurant where we had breakfast every day, some great Colorado scenery, but the most interesting part—a drive-in movie theater. The rooms in the motel faced the screen of the drive-in and sound was piped into the rooms. That meant you could sit in a comfortable chair and watch the movie of the evening. We watched "Get Smart" and enjoyed the movie and the comfort of watching from inside our room. Here is the story of the Movie Manor Motel:
As a young man George Kelloff was fascinated with the concept of drive-in movie theaters. He has seen one in Brownsville Texas in the early 1950s. George made a promise to himself he would someday own his own. In 1955, George and Edna Mae Kelloff purchased the site of the old airport west of Monte Vista on highway 160 and built the Star Drive In Theater.
For several years the Star Drive In continued to grow with the Kelloff family providing a very personal level of management. As the Kelloff children grew George recognized that he needed a more secure, a year-round financial base. In the evening while working in the box office of the theater, he formulated a plan for a motel that would wrap around the theater and allow guests to view movies from the comfort of their rooms. In 1964 his dreams were realized when construction was completed on the first 14 units of the Movie Manor. Most units were equipped large picture windows facing the movie screen complete with piped-in sound. The concept was a success and expansion was soon needed.
Over the past 30 years the Movie Manor has grown to its current size.
In 2003 a second screen was added to the drive-in. Although the new screen is not visible from the rooms, guests are welcome to park their cars in the drive-in and get the real drive-in experience. They can even visit the snack bar and get their favorite snacks. From the information found in the room
My response—it is a great place to stay in Colorado. If you are going to the San Luis Valley, consider the Movie Manor Motel at Monte Vista.
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