The Trade Winds Motor Hotel & Restaurant once had 2 locations in Oklahoma, with matching neon signs and amenities. Whether stopping for the night in Oklahoma City or Tulsa, travelers could "Dine in Delight by Candle Light" at the Club & Restaurant. According to this 40-count matchbook, other amenities included: swimming pool, playground for the kiddies, qualified baby sitters, patio-dining, free TV in every room, and COLOR TV in the lobby.
Part of the Best Western Motel system, Trade Winds was AAA approved. For whatever reason, the tropical/Caribbean/ swaying palm trees theme was popular among motel owners who wanted to offer their patrons a scene of exotic relaxation at the side of a busy interstate. The actual "trade winds" are a prevailing pattern of easterly surface winds found in the tropics used by ancient mariners to cross the ocean from Europe to the Americas.
Today, the Tulsa location is still operating under the same name, with 2 complexes on the same stretch of E. Skelly Drive. The original motel has been updated and the restaurant is now named "Elephant Run". The KC Matchgirl kids you not; anyplace that sounds more like a zoo exhibit than an eating establishment should probably be avoided. Lastly, the neon sign pictured on the matchcover has been replaced by a lighted plastic sign with a drawing of the original- a rather sad tribute to its former self.
In Oklahoma City, at the intersection listed as an address for the motel, the 4 corners feature 2 large business buildings and 2 large vacant lots. Whether the Trade Winds was demolished recently or years ago, it is clearly gone with the wind.
Interestingly enough, miles away, on the other side of town, there is a Best Western Motel operating under the name "Trade Winds"- the name and the concept lives on.
Date: Mid- 1960's
Location: Oklahoma City, 31st & Lincoln, just blocks from the state capitol building, on Route 66
Tulsa, 3141 E. Skelly Drive, off Interstate 44
