Coming down Broadway to turn into Ranch Motel, the first thing one may notice about the renovated property is that there is no direct entrance off of the major corridor. The motel is tucked neatly behind bushes and trees, its driveway actually located on the backside of the building off of Avenue B. The only giveaway to the motel’s location from the bustling street is a giant old-school, neon sign with a yellow arrow.
That’s intentional — owner and developer Jayson Seidman told the San Antonio Report. Seidman, who acquired the property in 2021, has transformed the once decrepit and crumbling structure into a destination boutique hotel and leisure club.
His vision for the property has been both to ensure it maintains its timeless charm and to create an urban getaway that fits seamlessly with Brackenridge Park — located just behind the motel.
Over the last few months, he’s opened five new pickleball courts for hourly rentals where the 1920s-era Kiddie Park was formerly located, along with a courtyard complete with fire pits and a coffee truck. He’s considering adding a small stage.
“I felt the last thing people want — this is after my decades of living in New York City — is cars everywhere,” Seidman said. “When you live in New York, you want to escape to nature. I was drawn to that. I love landscape design.”
Seidman, founder and CEO of real estate development firm Sandstone, is known for reviving historic hotels by transforming them into boutique getaways. Having redeveloped hotels in New Orleans, Marfa and Austin, Seidman said the most unique part of his concept for Ranch Motel was to keep some of the nostalgic aspects of the 1948 property. He reopened Ranch Motel in 2023 after two years of redevelopment.
“Before, I instinctively thought of motel as, you know — cheap, gross, dirty. I think a lot of us do,” Seidman said. “This time I wanted to lean into the motel name and make it something really different.”
Complete with a heated pool, outdoor bar, retail shop, mezcal lounge, listening room and changing area, the motel today looks very different from its former state.
Seidman told the Report he decided he wanted to save the 26-room motel when he heard it was going to be razed in 2018. He began talks with the owner about acquiring it in 2019.
While driving down Broadway with some of his Boerne-based family members, Seidman first saw the motel and a for-lease sign out front. He recalls thinking that it looked like a great location for a property.
After he acquired the motel, Seidman learned that the motel’s previous owner also planned to turn the neighboring property that had once housed the Kiddie Park into a car wash.
“I said, ‘Please don’t put a car wash there,’ and so he said, “Ok — I’ll lease it to you with a purchase option,’ and we figured it out from there.”
The idea for adding pickleball courts and an open courtyard concept came from Seidman’s own love of racquet sports and healthy living in general. Having been an avid tennis player growing up, Seidman jokes he was “anti-pickleball” at first. After settling down and having a family of his own, however, he said he was appreciative of the sport’s low barrier for entry, and decided the courts would be a good fit with the surrounding area.
“We didn’t just want to do it just for the gimmick perspective or because it is trendy,” Seidman said. “I’ve read what racquet sports can do for you and your brain — any sort of racquet sport — has been proven to have health benefits and to affect your longevity.”
In total, Seidman estimates he’s invested more than $5 million into the two properties.
When thinking about the setup for the motel, Seidman said he wanted to encourage guests and visitors to get outside and interact with nature, which is why the majority of rooms don’t have TVs in them and there are a lot of outdoor lounging locations around the property.
Heather Jowers, events manager at the Ranch Motel, said the property aims to keep its local events calendar active and very “Texas.” Public events so far have included specialty markets, wine tastings and themed happy hours.
The motel offers annual pickleball memberships that start at $1,500 and leisure club memberships at $2,500 that give guests access to the hotel’s amenities. Court rentals start at $18 per hour but vary depending on day and season, Jowers noted. Day passes to the property and pool can also be purchased online.
Joey Boatright, general manager, said everything at the hotel has been curated for guests from the hand-picked toiletries, specialty linens, and king-sized beds to the grab-and-go fridge options and retail store offerings.
Boatright said he hopes that the property becomes a popular hangout not just for out-of-town visitors, but for locals as well.
“We want the public to know this location is really open to them as well,” Boatright said. “And we’re really excited to be here.”
