Traverse City’s Sierra Motel gets retro makeover with Michigan-made touches

The Sierra Motel’s new look does more than freshen up a 1957-era property on Munson Avenue. Barrett and Andrea Corrigan have turned the 20-room, two-story family-owned motel into a retro-themed stay that leans on mid-century design, Michigan-made products and a clear bet that travelers will pay for personality as much as location.

That strategy puts the motel squarely in Traverse City’s changing visitor economy. Rather than replacing an older lodging property, the Corrigans chose to reposition it, using the building’s age as part of the appeal. The result is a small independent motel at 230 Munson Avenue that now stands out in a market where guests often want something that feels tied to place instead of another chain-style room.

The Sierra Motel’s appeal starts with geography. It is open year-round and sits close to downtown Traverse City, beaches, restaurants, Northwestern Michigan College, Bryant Park and the Old Mission Peninsula, with easy access to the nearby wineries of the Leelanau Peninsula. That location gives the property a built-in advantage for summer visitors, college trips, wine-touring weekends and off-season stays that still want proximity to the city’s core.

Inside, the redesign pairs nostalgia with modern comfort. The motel’s listed amenities include cable TV, Wi-Fi, a mini-fridge, a microwave and a Keurig machine, a mix that keeps the rooms functional while the styling signals a deliberate return to a finer 1950s-era feel. Tripadvisor reviews describe the property as retro and say the Corrigans, who relocated from Napa Valley, bought the motel in June 2023 with a vision of turning it into a replica of a fine 1950s-era motel.

That approach also fits a broader pattern in Traverse City. The area has already seen nostalgia used as a marketing tool, including a 2022 Pabst Blue Ribbon promotion at the nearby Grand Traverse Motel that turned the property into a retro beer-themed stay. The Sierra Motel’s makeover goes further by making the theme permanent and tying it to local sourcing, which gives the project a stronger connection to Michigan’s maker economy.

For Traverse City, the significance is bigger than a new paint job or a refreshed lobby. The Sierra Motel shows how older lodging stock can be kept viable, differentiated and marketable without being erased. In a city where visitors respond to character, the Corrigans have made the motel’s history part of its business plan.