not your mother's motel
home of the golden banana
Hotel Zazz is the brainchild and passion project of hospitality visionary Dr. Sharmin Dharas, an Albuquerque and Nob Hill native. Her parents owned and operated the property as the University Lodge motel since 1996. This meant many long days and late nights as a child, with just the hallways, rooms, and her imagination as her playground.

Ever since then, her mission was simple: create an unforgettable immersive boutique hotel experience though unique art, a melody of chromatic visuals, and a vibration of sounds that breaks free from the ordinary. With a dream, a lot of elbow grease, and some help from local artists, she turned an old motel into a bold hotel that prides itself in it's sustainability, community, and charitable giving.

“The vibrancy and life of my culture has been at the heart of the Hotel Zazz design. I hope this project will bring a new colorful culture and experience to the already diverse Albuquerque community, in a different way than we’re used to.”

View our brand pillars below, or click here to read all the press buzz!

Hotel Zazz is women-owned and mother-daughter designed!

Hotel ZAZZ

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