Koolwink Motel

07/30/2026

Something for our kids.

07/30/2026

We love to have motorcycles stop for a stay! So nice and friendly.

07/22/2026

07/22/2026

We’re honored to be nominated for Best Boutique / Independently-Owned Hotel in WV Living Magazine's Best of West Virginia! 🧡

The Koolwink has been welcoming travelers to Hampshire County since 1936, and we’d love your help keeping this little piece of roadside history shining.

Please take a moment to nominate us now through July 28:

🗳️ Nominate the Koolwink:
[https://newsouthmedia.secondstreetapp.com/og/ba0bdbd3-e865-4449-a109-fdd77538d05c/gallery/550990573]

Every nomination helps us move closer to the finalist round. Thank you for supporting our independently owned motel and the small businesses that make West Virginia special! 🛎️✨

07/18/2026

Who remembers Wallace and Pauline Mauk and the Koolwink Motel?

Every now and then, a small piece of local history turns up where you least expect it.

This vintage Koolwink Motel coffee mug recently appeared for sale on eBay—a simple souvenir that instantly brings back memories for generations of travelers and Hampshire Countians alike.

The Koolwink’s story stretches back much farther than many realize. For nearly 90 years, the Mauk family has welcomed guests to one of Romney’s most beloved landmarks. It began as a modest roadside tourist home during the 1930s and 1940s, welcoming weary motorists traveling the old highways through Romney. As automobile travel flourished, the motel expanded during the 1960s and 1970s, creating the distinctive mid-century look that still greets visitors today.

What makes the Koolwink so special isn’t that it constantly changed to keep up with the times.

It’s that it didn’t.

Walk onto the property today and you’ll find much the same architecture, the same unmistakable Mr. Koolwink, and the same retro charm that guests enjoyed decades ago. In a world where so many roadside motels have disappeared or been modernized beyond recognition, the Koolwink remains a rare survivor—one of those special places where it almost feels as though time simply paused.

Known far and wide for its spotless rooms, genuine hospitality, and wonderfully nostalgic atmosphere, Wallace and Pauline Mauk built a reputation that extended far beyond Hampshire County—a tradition their daughter, Kay, proudly continues today. For countless travelers, staying at the Koolwink isn’t simply finding a room for the night—it’s returning to a place that has always felt familiar.

Sometimes history isn’t found only in old photographs.

Sometimes it comes in the form of a well-loved coffee mug.

07/15/2026