Roy’s Motel and Café is in Amboy, California, on the old Route 66 alignment.
Roy’s began as a gas station and roadside business in the Mojave Desert. Roy Crowl and his partners developed the property into a recognizable stop for motorists traveling between Arizona and California. Its tall sign and streamlined roadside buildings became symbols of the isolated desert highway.
Amboy’s fortunes declined after Interstate 40 bypassed the original Route 66 route. Reduced traffic left the settlement largely quiet, but Roy’s remained a celebrated example of roadside architecture and Route 66 commercial history.
Roy’s is sometimes identified with nearby desert cities such as Needles or Barstow because those places also have important Route 66 sites. The landmark itself, however, stands in Amboy, near Amboy Crater and the Mojave National Preserve region.