The first vision for Rangeway was California Coastal.
I imagined charging stops along Pacific Coast Highway, on the ocean side of the road, overlooking the coastline. You would pull in, plug in your car, and walk into a lounge with floor-to-ceiling windows. Outside, you could see the cliffs, the rocks below, and waves coming in from the Pacific.
One of the earliest concept images even had a terraced path down to the beach. You could take a walk while your car charged, then come back and continue your drive.
What stayed with me was the feeling of arriving somewhere you wanted to spend time. The charging was the reason to stop, but the place itself was worth enjoying.
California Modern, Built Around Hospitality
California Modern is the design direction we’re taking at Rangeway. We’re bringing its mid-century roots into the present through warm wood, concrete, comfortable modern furniture, and lighting that makes you feel welcome.
I don’t want a period recreation. I want the clean lines and connection to the outdoors, with furniture you actually want to sit in and spaces that work for people traveling today.
When you walk into a driver’s lounge, the details should help you settle in. The lighting feels warm. The chair looks comfortable. There is somewhere to put your coffee. You can see outside without having to stay outside.
Those choices are how we begin to make an unfamiliar place feel like home.
Polished Without Pretense
My hospitality career taught me to notice how a place makes people feel.
From large hotel and casino properties in Las Vegas to small properties across the South, the goal was to make guests feel welcome, give them a good experience, and create a reason for them to return.
Something I learned in my time at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas has stayed with me: polished without pretense.
That is how I think about premium at Rangeway. A beautiful couch should make you want to sit on it. A chair should look comfortable enough that you naturally gravitate toward it. You should feel welcome to put your drink on the table, use the restroom, and settle into the space.
The quality should be apparent, but so should the invitation to use it.
You shouldn’t have to wonder whether you’re allowed to get comfortable.
The View Changes. The Feeling Carries Through.
Rangeway was founded in California, and those coastal beginnings are part of our identity. But this approach does not depend on an ocean view.
In the desert, the windows might frame rock formations and Joshua trees. In the Rockies, they might look toward the mountains. In New England, the view could be wooded hills, with the changing colors of fall bringing a different character to the same familiar stop.
The building should give you a connection to wherever you have stopped. That means responding to the landscape and climate, rather than putting the same coastal building everywhere.
Hotels taught me the value of that balance. Working for different hotel brands, I saw how a property could reflect its surroundings while delivering the familiar experience guests associated with its brand.
I want someone who has visited one Rangeway location to arrive at another and recognize the feeling. The materials, lighting, furniture, and attention to the guest should provide a consistent thread. The setting gives each location its own character.
A compact, automated Waystation and a larger, staffed Basecamp serve guests differently. Both should feel thoughtfully designed and welcoming.
Somewhere You Want to Stop
The original coastal concept still gives me a clear picture of what we’re working toward.
Your car is charging. You’re sitting in a comfortable chair. Through the windows, you can see the coastline and the waves below. You have a few minutes to enjoy where you are before continuing your trip.
The view will change as Rangeway develops. The intention stays the same: give people somewhere they feel welcome, somewhere they can get comfortable, and somewhere they would choose to stop again.
This is why we say, “Travel farther. Stop better.” The places you stop should be part of what makes the trip worthwhile.
