diff --git a/jupyterhub/apihandlers/base.py b/jupyterhub/apihandlers/base.py
index b3e57c95..7b9918f9 100644
--- a/jupyterhub/apihandlers/base.py
+++ b/jupyterhub/apihandlers/base.py
@@ -111,9 +111,10 @@ class APIHandler(BaseHandler):
             for name, spawner in user.spawners.items():
                 if spawner.ready:
                     servers[name] = s = {'name': name}
-                    s['pending'] = spawner.pending or None
+                    if spawner.pending:
+                        s['pending'] = spawner.pending
                     if spawner.server:
-                        s['url'] = user.url + name
+                        s['url'] = user.url + name + '/'
         return model
 
     def group_model(self, group):
diff --git a/jupyterhub/apihandlers/users.py b/jupyterhub/apihandlers/users.py
index 853fb34a..63b9e995 100644
--- a/jupyterhub/apihandlers/users.py
+++ b/jupyterhub/apihandlers/users.py
@@ -185,6 +185,8 @@ class UserServerAPIHandler(APIHandler):
         user = self.find_user(name)
         if server_name and not self.allow_named_servers:
             raise web.HTTPError(400, "Named servers are not enabled.")
+        if self.allow_named_servers and not server_name:
+            server_name = user.default_server_name()
         spawner = user.spawners[server_name]
         pending = spawner.pending
         if pending == 'spawn':
@@ -194,8 +196,6 @@ class UserServerAPIHandler(APIHandler):
         elif pending:
             raise web.HTTPError(400, "%s is pending %s" % (spawner._log_name, pending))
 
-        self._check_pending(spawner, accepted='spawn')
-
         if spawner.ready:
             # include notify, so that a server that died is noticed immediately
             # set _spawn_pending flag to prevent races while we wait
diff --git a/jupyterhub/handlers/base.py b/jupyterhub/handlers/base.py
index 8283bd48..6d0ba398 100644
--- a/jupyterhub/handlers/base.py
+++ b/jupyterhub/handlers/base.py
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ from .. import __version__
 from .. import orm
 from ..objects import Server
 from ..spawner import LocalProcessSpawner
-from ..utils import url_path_join, exponential_backoff
+from ..utils import default_server_name, url_path_join, exponential_backoff
 
 # pattern for the authentication token header
 auth_header_pat = re.compile(r'^(?:token|bearer)\s+([^\s]+)$', flags=re.IGNORECASE)
@@ -377,6 +377,9 @@ class BaseHandler(RequestHandler):
     @gen.coroutine
     def spawn_single_user(self, user, server_name='', options=None):
         user_server_name = user.name
+        if self.allow_named_servers and not server_name:
+            server_name = default_server_name(user)
+
         if server_name:
             user_server_name = '%s:%s' % (user.name, server_name)
 
@@ -517,20 +520,24 @@ class BaseHandler(RequestHandler):
         spawner._stop_pending = True
 
         @gen.coroutine
-        def stop(f=None):
+        def stop():
             """Stop the server
 
             1. remove it from the proxy
             2. stop the server
             3. notice that it stopped
             """
-            yield self.proxy.delete_user(user, name)
-            yield user.stop(name)
+            tic = IOLoop.current().time()
+            try:
+                yield self.proxy.delete_user(user, name)
+                yield user.stop(name)
+            finally:
+                spawner._stop_pending = False
             toc = IOLoop.current().time()
             self.log.info("User %s server took %.3f seconds to stop", user.name, toc - tic)
 
         try:
-            yield gen.with_timeout(timedelta(seconds=self.slow_stop_timeout), stop)
+            yield gen.with_timeout(timedelta(seconds=self.slow_stop_timeout), stop())
         except gen.TimeoutError:
             if spawner._stop_pending:
                 # hit timeout, but stop is still pending
diff --git a/jupyterhub/proxy.py b/jupyterhub/proxy.py
index e2aa17e4..bda7dd44 100644
--- a/jupyterhub/proxy.py
+++ b/jupyterhub/proxy.py
@@ -231,9 +231,9 @@ class Proxy(LoggingConfigurable):
                       user.name, spawner.proxy_spec, spawner.server.host,
                       )
 
-        if spawner.pending:
+        if spawner.pending and spawner.pending != 'spawn':
             raise RuntimeError(
-                "%s is pending %s, shouldn't be added to the proxy yet!" % (spawner._log_name)
+                "%s is pending %s, shouldn't be added to the proxy yet!" % (spawner._log_name, spawner.pending)
             )
 
         yield self.add_route(
diff --git a/jupyterhub/tests/test_named_servers.py b/jupyterhub/tests/test_named_servers.py
index 5115766d..1ffd7fe3 100644
--- a/jupyterhub/tests/test_named_servers.py
+++ b/jupyterhub/tests/test_named_servers.py
@@ -38,6 +38,27 @@ def test_create_named_server(app, named_servers):
     assert prefix == user.spawners[servername].server.base_url
     assert prefix.endswith('/user/%s/%s/' % (username, servername))
 
+    r = yield api_request(app, 'users', username)
+    r.raise_for_status()
+
+    user_model = r.json()
+    user_model.pop('last_activity')
+    assert user_model == {
+        'name': username,
+        'groups': [],
+        'kind': 'user',
+        'admin': False,
+        'pending': None,
+        'server': None,
+        'servers': {
+            name: {
+                'name': name,
+                'url': url_path_join(user.url, name, '/'),
+            }
+            for name in ['1', servername]
+        },
+    }
+
 
 @pytest.mark.gen_test
 def test_delete_named_server(app, named_servers):
@@ -69,9 +90,9 @@ def test_delete_named_server(app, named_servers):
         'servers': {
             name: {
                 'name': name,
-                'url': url_path_join(user.url, name),
+                'url': url_path_join(user.url, name, '/'),
             }
-            for name in ['1', servername]
+            for name in ['1']
         },
     }
 
diff --git a/jupyterhub/user.py b/jupyterhub/user.py
index 654d9b7c..a3e6f57f 100644
--- a/jupyterhub/user.py
+++ b/jupyterhub/user.py
@@ -317,8 +317,6 @@ class User(HasTraits):
         url of the server will be /user/:name/:server_name
         """
         db = self.db
-        if self.allow_named_servers and not server_name:
-            server_name = default_server_name(self)
 
         base_url = url_path_join(self.base_url, server_name) + '/'