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    El Rancho Hotel

    3.4 (331 reviews)
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    Outside
    Tony B.

    If you are driving across New Mexico and are looking for the quintessential Route 66 experience this is the place for you! We stayed here, in the Fred McMurry suite, and loved it! All the rooms are named for classic movie stars because this was a popular place to stay for old Hollywood when they were filming movies in the area. The building is beautiful inside and out with plenty to see and explore. There is also a restaurant with great food and gift shop with some unique souvenirs of New Mexico, Route 66, The El Rancho & western lore. The rooms, common areas & grounds are kept clean and neat. There is even a hidden room behind a bookshelf in the balcony over looking the main lobby! The staff across the board was friendly and helpful. They also do a great Christmas celebration with a giant tree in the lobby with the huge fireplace that we plan on coming back for. For a one of a kind experience you can't beat the El Rancho!

    Joseph P.

    Traveling along historic Route 66, this hotel is an awesome place to stay from check-in to check-out. The experience was incredible--I had a blast exploring the hotel grounds, admiring all the cool photos of Hollywood western legends and unique art, relaxing in the courtyard, or sitting on the upstairs balcony. It was so peaceful. I tried to capture it all in a few pictures, but I'd definitely recommend everyone experience this true classic for themselves. El Rancho Hotel - A+++++

    Outside during day.
    Athena M.

    This hotel is on Route 66 and was built in 1937. The family is third generation and saved the hotel from demolition so that's really cool. It's just old so the rooms are small and the bathroom is insanely tiny. It's close to the road, highway and train tracks so you can hear some noise if you're a slight sleeper but it's definitely an interesting and novel experience! The staff was all super friendly too.

    King room (only place to put your bathroom items)

    No AC, wasn't told until after we paid (no cancellations). Only recommend stopping by to shop and have a meal but I do not recommend an overnight stay. The bathroom is very tight, no exhaust fan. When the door is shut you sweat it's so hot. We slept with the ceiling fan running, which is not good for my sinuses. Even with the ceiling fan on the thermometer on the wall read 80 degrees. Cool place to see, great place to visit, had the penny machine souvenir (which I enjoy), the restaurant was reasonably priced (food and service were great), good selection of shirts, caps and other souvenirs. Parking was a challenge, she said it was due to the restaurant being busy and would be easier to park after 9pm

    El Rancho Hotel Lobby
    Rachel W.

    Such a cool historic hotel right on Route 66. If you love old Hollywood charm and preserved historic buildings, the El Rancho is worth an overnight stay. The lobby is warm and welcoming. When we visited in January, the roaring fireplace made the perfect spot to curl up with a book. The on-site restaurant and bar are also solid, which is nice since dining options in Gallup can be limited. The rooms are small but cozy, nicely decorated, and dog-friendly (a big plus). We may or may not have had some ghostly visitors that night, but that's on us for watching the Ghost Adventures episode from bed. Not too spooky though; I'd absolutely stay again. While there were a few colorful characters passing by outside, the hotel has security doing rounds, and even with multiple late-night dog walks, I always felt safe.

    Carla L.

    My husband and I drive through Gallup all the time going into Albuquerque. We decided to spend the night here and see what it was all about. What a lovely hotel! It has so much history and character. The staff was amazing starting from the front desk with Ashley. You can't stay here without spending some time in the Gift Shop. Elizabeth and Lawrence were so helpful and kind. I had fun shopping along with them and they helped me pick some great items! We had dinner upon arriving in the restaurant and again for breakfast. I would say breakfast was my favorite. The food was delicious. I had the huevos rancheros with both green and red chili. Yum! For dinner I wanted to try one of the margaritas. Both myself & my husband had to send it back and I opted to get a beer instead. My husband got the old fashioned he really liked that one there. I don't know if it's the mix that they use for the margarita, but it does not taste as good as I expected. We tried another flavor and it still wasn't good. I hope they consider changing it up. Karina & Arielle were very sweet about swapping the drinks out and wanting to see customers happy. Thank you for that. We look forward to our next stay! I told my husband I wish we would've stayed two nights instead of one. I don't feel like it gave us enough time to really enjoy the hotel. They have a beautiful seating area with a big fireplace. I saw a couple there with a bottle of wine sitting having a fireside chat with one another. Very inviting area to relax. We will stay 2 nights on the next trip! ;) Again, thank you for everyone at El Rancho for making our stay a very memorable and relaxing one!

    A/C is super modern and easy to use.
    Keith K.

    It's a motel and hotel in one, well two actually, but they're only separated by a parking lot. I first booked a theme room in the hotel, but ended up switching out to a room in the motel (I needed a fridge and the hotel rooms don't have them). I'm actually glad I switched, the motel room is way cooler and much bigger (for the same price). It has all sorts of Route 66 kitsch decor including a working record player with some great LPs you can play (I highly recommend it, it really gets you in the mood). Even the mini fridge is themed in a Route 66 sort of way. It's a drive up and park in front of your room setup with two floors of funkiness, including a Cadillac grill poking out of the building mid floor. The rooms have been updated nicely, think lots of outlets and charging spots for all your electronics and a really big flat screen TV with all the channels. The free wifi comes sans passcode, so use a VPN or at your own risk. As for A/C, the room had a wall thermometer that kept the room at a comfortable 73 degrees with no effort on my part, nice considering it was over 100 outside. You are right on Route 66, but it's not that busy and the rooms are quite soundproof. Check out my pics of the motel room vs the hotel room. Unless you really want to stay in a specifically themed movie star room, the motel is a better pick, with more amenities and more space. But it's definitely worth a stroll thru the hotel's main lobby and gift shop, The giant lobby area opens up to the second floor with lots and lots of wood everywhere. Rustic. If you can arrive after dark you'll get the full show with all the flickering neon signs on both the hotel and motel. A very nicely restored hotel/motel from the glory days of Route 66.

    Hotel entrance
    Derek R.

    Stayed here on a trip east. The hotel is right off the 40 and while there is a decent parking lot it is pretty popular. Even with that there should be some parking. It looks as though there is the main hotel and restaurant and then a second hotel on the side. Maybe an addition. It is not connected. The staff were very friendly and check in was quick. They give you an actual key like back in the day. The lobby is pretty cool and is kept up nicely. To get to the room you could use the stairs or take the elevator. The elevator is one of the real old ones where you open and close the door and the gate. Pretty cool. The room is small but well done. The bathroom is tiny but again nicely done. I'm sure when this hotel was built having any bathroom in the room was luxurious. The only thing was there was a really weird smell. It wasn't like an old room smell it was more like some kind of food or something. Couldn't put our finger on it. I would give 3.5 due to that smell but since no half stars allowed and the cool factor of the place I will go 4 stars instead of 3.

    Lobby

    This was our second time staying here and would definitely return. Why stay at some basic chain hotel when you can stay somewhere with a piece of history and some character? Each room is themed after a famous silver screen actor/actress. The elect appears to be the original and is old school! Very fun! We love this place. The only reason I give four stars is because they have a lot of homeless people walking around outside. Our friends had issues with them messing with his trailer and had to come outside every couple hours through the night to check on things.

    Rebecca H.

    This is an extremely hotel that you should stay in for nothing other than the fact that you won't find anything like it elsewhere. We were doing the route 66 thing and even though I'm a chain hotel bitch, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to stay here. I'm also not sure if they have a chain hotel in this town, but that really isn't the main reason. They have both a hotel and a motel and if you're bougie like me when you drive up and see the sign for the motel and you say "oh...." don't worry, there is a hotel portion as well. As the person checking me in informed me, it isn't clear when you book online which side you are booking and, unbeknownst to me, I had actually booked the motel side. Fortunately, it was a quick fix for the concierge to move me over. The motel side, I was told, is bigger and has a fridge and shit so it's all about priorities. The place is decorated in such a way that it is quite the sight to behold. Tons of history here. The room we received in the hotel was extremely small. It was a challenge to maneuver around the room with our suitcases out. The bathroom was equally small, just a place to stand both in front of the toilet and taking a shower. If you are showering and nature is calling for your roommate, you'll be standing in the shower for a little bit longer. They did provide a bunch of towels that were soft and large. There was a balcony but it was off limits per the sign on the door. It is possible that I am cognitively impaired with hotel thermostats but I couldn't figure out how to turn it on so that COLD air would come out. For a while, the room was like 76-77 degrees and super hot, despite the air being on. It was hard to sleep until I figured out how to get the ceiling fan on. We opened the door to the balcony out of desperation. I did try another setting on the AC which did the trick and a few hours later, it was nice and cool in the room. Very interesting hotel with a few quirks.

    The menu has specialty drinks. This was a Cadillac margarita.
    Jim B.

    You will really enjoy discovering this historic Route 66 hotel and dining room. They play up the connection to Hollywood celebrities. The dining room offer specialty drinks and menu options.

    Coaster
    Catherine W.

    Pros Easy to access from I40 Quaint Has a restaurant and a bar Pet friendly Clean facilities and rooms Very polite employees Cons Between busy streets Train noise every 12 minutes! What are they doing???? Freeway noise Can hear guests using the restrooms Lots of hall noise Not a walkable area Tiny pet area Expensive food Not enough help No front desk person readily available Price on web is cheaper than booking directly Did not receive an internet code not sure if one is available Tiny restroom Paper thin walls The sheets feel like sand paper I slept 1 hour total it was so loud Heck, the dog couldn't even sleep

    Blanco W.

    This place is a trip. It's a national historic site and a lot of famous old Hollywood stars stayed here. The staff has bent over backwards to be helpful, and everything is really clean. They accept pets. The food at the restaurant was fine, but rather overpriced. My only complaint is that if you're traveling with a dog, there is nowhere for the dog to go to the bathroom. There's a dog park not too far but who wants to schlep them there for that early morning jaunt?

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    Mexican food was VERY mediocre. Service was equally mediocre. Margarita? Ditto. Local beer on tap was good.

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    Page 1 of 9

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    Review Highlights - El Rancho Hotel

    . I was in the Jane Wyman room next door to the presidential suite (Ronald Reagan) and across the hall from Kirk Douglas

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    Comfort Inn Gallup I-40 Exit 20

    Comfort Inn Gallup I-40 Exit 20

    (53 reviews)

    $$

    This was the third night accommodation for my wife and me on our westward travel. We checked in at…read moreabout 8pm after a long day of travel and this put us within four hours of our destination, saving that for tomorrow. Check in was easy though the rate was higher than other Choice hotels that we had been to earlier in the trip. The desk clerk was pleasant. We checked-in to room 207 and it smelled fresh and it was clean. A nice room is always welcomed after a long day on the road. The A/C quickly cooled down the room. The bathroom was clean and bright, an important touch in this situation. The bed was firm and comfortable and we had a great night sleep. The breakfast area was clean and well maintained and it was good to find a couple protein choices among the carbs. Though, I will add that the eggs looked a little dry and had been out for a while. Checkout was easy and again the AM clerk was very friendly. It was nice to be back on the road in the morning refreshed and with a full belly. Kudos to all the housekeepers and staff for a nice stay. Choice hotels is almost always a good stop. This location did not disappoint. Peace.

    Great stay passing through. Excellent by price! Read reviews and looked at pictures- sold! Slowed…read moremy puppy! Applebees across the lot ... this place is the cleanest hotel! Nicely kept not the typical slap paint on the wall etc- just big rooms nicely kept clean! Ample parking for our Rv trailer. Nice area too. Would stay again!!! 10

    Days Inn by Wyndham Gallup

    Days Inn by Wyndham Gallup

    (39 reviews)

    $$

    I chose the days in in Gallup, New Mexico, for my most recent pass through the area. The young man…read moreat the desk when I arrived was exceptional. Polite and informative, and an example of customer service at its finest. The room was as expected. While the king size bed wasn't the most comfortable I slept well on it and was only awakened one time by the passing trains. The ice machine in my part of the building was out of order however another one was available. The floor in the bathroom had some gaps in it, which should be addressed as they could provide a trip hazard. All in all, a pleasant stay for a road weary traveler. Travel safe.

    This was the worst hotel experience I have had in over 10 years…read more Filthy bathrooms, breakfast area was filthy, juice left uncovered, no options for breakfast food, machines out of order, lobby smells like curry, parking lot had trash, blood on the interior room curtain, no tissue stocked, hair in the bed, no staff on duty overnight... every trash can was filthy. When you check-in, there's a man from India on a TV, but no physical person. I requested a room away from anyone above me, as there were only a few cars in the entire parking area. He put me below a guy who was making noise all night. The walls are paper thin, the ceilings crack like thunder, everything in the rooms is from the early 90s except the TV. I paid for the room through booking.com but the owner hard charged my deposit onto my credit card the day I checked out. The deposit was supposed to be returned within a couple business days but this thief owner from India charged me the $50 deposit plus something else. The deposit should've remained a pending charge until it was reversed. We noticed when we pulled up that this hotel was essentially empty except for an abandoned SUV, the owner's car, and 1 other car on the side of the property. The room was so filthy we didn't even use the shower. I provided a screenshot showing the double-charge. The booking.com transaction is followed by a hard charge the following day. I think this hotel owner does this assuming either people won't notice or people won't report him. I would also like to point out that I sunk about a foot into the mattress. The mattresses are about 5 years past their throw away date. Do not stay here, under any circumstances.

    El Rancho Hotel - hotels - Updated May 2026

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