We were excited to stay here, as it was inside the Canyon de Chelly park. It was cute and seemed well maintained on arrival, despite its vintage. Unfortunately, the room's wall AC unit did not work and the July heat was staggering. We asked for help and someone did come, but was unable to do much. We asked for a fan, but they didn't have any, except for an industrial work blower. So unfortunately we had to leave. We went down the road to the Holiday Inn, which was great--working AC is all we needed at that point. I requested a refund but have not heard from them. If we end up receiving a refund, I will update this review. read more

We really enjoyed our stay. Within minutes of Canyon de Chelly. We stayed here as we passed through Chinle on our road trip. Rooms were updated and cute, clean and comfy without losing the historic charm. Fairly quiet. There is a trading post on site that had reasonably priced snacks and emergency toiletries. We enjoyed our stay read more

My initial welcome to the hotel was anything but. A person named Chasity was working the front desk. Despite my having spoken to her to make my reservation the night before, she insisted that my reservation had been for the night before and that they would be charging me for a "no show". I explained that perhaps she had made a mistake on the date, she rudely responded that I had not shown up and there was no reservation for the next day. She asked if I wanted to speak with the manager. I said that I did, but when she called the manager she provided them inaccurate information and did not allow me to speak with them. The manager instructed her to arrange for my night's stay and that they would refund me. I did receive my refund in a timely manner, but her behavior left me knowing I would never stay there again, and that I would share my experience. Such a missed opportunity on her part to be welcoming to a guest. read more

Stayed at hotel and went on the 4 hour tour. The lodge was nice, clean and comfortable. The tour was excellent, our guide Elton did a fantastic job, highly recommended. read more

Reserved the triple full (that sleeps 6) two months before our vacation. Arrived and was given a different room (that sleeps 4) Went to the office and was told the room I reserved was out of order. I assume that meant they gave my room I reserved away. Asked for blankets so my kids could sleep on the floor and the receptionist said she wasn't sure she could do that but offered me roll aways for $10 a night. I said I have to for rollaways when this wasn't my mistake? She then said she would have blankets delivered to our room. I emailed the hotel twice about the situation and asked them to refund the difference between the rooms I never got a reply. They don't care about their customers, especially after you've already paid. I do not recommend staying here. read more

It is definitely an older hotel but the room is large and has a refrigerator, microwave,, coffee maker, and other things you may need. Beds are firm pillows are firm as well which I truly appreciate. The tub/toilet area is very tight and the toilet is very low - hard on the knees. The ambience is great and really fits with the beauty of the area. Better than a chain hotel. The staff at the desk were great. And the young lady in the trading post was very friendly and helpful. read more

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Very old and dated facility. They need to invest a lot of money and upgrade the place. Stay somewhere else. Better yet...not worth visiting Chinle, AZ at all. Hard to find a place to eat. Many other nicer areas to visit than Canyon De Chelly. Go to Valley of the Gods instead and it's FREE!!! read more

Cute little lodge! We had great heat in the room, great hot water, decent water pressure and the beds were comfy enough with lots of pillows. There was kind of a funky smell on site but only outdoors in certain areas. We would stay here again, this lodge gave us what we needed. Everyone that worked there was polite and lovely. :) read more

This was the perfect place to stay and do the tour with to see the canyon! The staff was very helpful and David the tour guide was very knowledgeable (25years) The cafe on site was not too bad food was made to order and the prices were not too bad. The place reminded me as a location my grandparents would take me growing up. They did offer and night time Native American show which was very educational. read more

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Thunderbird Lodge is literally right across the street from Canyon De Chelly and staying here was super convenient! Upon arriving, we were greeted by well-maintained grounds, and a quaint little lodge across from horse pastures that is Diné owned and operated. Check-in was a breeze and the person at the desk was super nice and told us all of the pertinent information. She also gave us a map of the property, which was super helpful. When we got to our room, I noticed a big cricket in the corner and later on we found a daddy long legs spider. The room was also pretty dusty and there were con webs above the bed and on other areas of the ceiling. The bathroom had some hair stuck to the wall so overall, I wasn't pleased with the cleanliness of our room. Since COVID-19 I have been traveling with lots of disinfectant wipes, disinfectant spray, and for this trip I also brought some HotSpot bug spray. The bugs were removed and through the remainder of our trip (3 nights total) no bugs entered the room unless we (I) accidentally left the door open. The only other "issue" is that the toilet in the room wasn't elongated so it wasn't guy friendly if you catch my drift ;-) Once you get past the bugs (there's literally a lot of farmland and grass close to and on the property) and the dust (we're in a desert) this place is an okay place to stay. The grounds are immaculate and the staff was great. I especially liked how our room had a ceiling fan (even though I kept hitting my hand on it), and the staff was great! We booked a tour of the Canyon through Thunderbird Lodge and the tour was spectacular. Definitely a must go if you visit Canyon De Chelly. I loved learning about the history and our tour guide, Elton, was super knowledgeable, humorous, and friendly. We did the four hour tour as the all day tour wasn't available. read more

We arrived early and asked about an early check in. For a small fee, the office staff asked housekeeping to prepare our room in an hour (12:30). When we stopped by the office as suggested, our room was ready. A clean and pleasant room, comfortable beds and very nice staff make this an excellent place to stay. We had reserved a tour of Canyon de Chelly through their associated tour group, which was also excellent. read more

This a lodge type hotel with quite a few rooms right at the entrance to the Canyon de Chelly park. It's been here for many years I am told. The rooms were kept up to date -- somewhat rustic but clean and nice. Horrible AC though -- they had not turned them on and the rooms were unbelievably stuffy and never changed despite running AC all night. We were there for one night so it sufficed. I would suggest bring your own food as the restaurant there is not really very good (at least for breakfast) and expensive. I know the Navajo nation has been through a lot with COVID and is trying to cope the best it can. Check the hours for restaurant closures, etc. as there are limitations in place right now. Prior to coming into Chenle or you may find yourself without food. We fortunately found pizza in Ganado. Fortunately we had other good with us as read more

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This lodge is very accommodating on a number of levels. It may seem run of the mill but they are very friendly and accommodating being able to help get us a room for a last minute trip. The rooms are nice and clean. They have everything you need and the guest information books are really handy. It can get hot in the rooms but they have fans and air conditioners that are really not that loud. The staff were very friendly and flexible. So be aware that they still observe covid-19 protocols since the entire tribal land follows those protocols. We forgot ours but one of the locals purchased a package for us and was very kind. So do be respectful of their choice in following the protocols overall. They also have AAA discounts and again great service. If in the area for sight seeing or just passing through highly recommend this establishment! read more

Must say a word about how lovely the staff was to me. I left my kindle in the room when I left and was heartbroken. I called and they confirmed they had it. I gave them my credit card info and they mailed it back to me for just the postal charge. read more

Only stayed one night as I was traveling through the area, but the Thunderbird wonderful. Quaint and next to Canyon de Chelly. The motel has been remodeled and updated. Bathroom was tiny but not a big deal. Super comfy beds and a ceiling fan made for a nice night. Watched the sunset from the chairs outside each room. The cafeteria has decent food and the gift shop was packed with gifts for reasonable prices. Can't wait to return. read more

Clean, quite, and inviting! Close to exploring the canyon areas. Customer service was great when checking in. No external noise during the night. Enjoyed our one night stay. The air conditioner was a bit loud but just became background noise which wasn't a big deal. Overall, I would definitely stay again. read more

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Stayed here while visiting Canyon de Chelly. The room was clean and quiet (concrete walls, no 2nd floor rooms). The WiFi was free and fast. Plenty of parking right outside the room. Friendly but professional staff at the front desk and gift shop. 10/10 would recommend! read more

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I had visited the Thunderbird Lodge many years ago and that had been a magical experience mainly because of personnel . This time around the place just seemed tired and with a need of a face lift. There were bugs in the room, no tissue in the Kleenex dispenser, the greeting staff was not enthusiastic and even cold, the lady in the adjourning gift shop trading post was late and there was so much less merchandise, and the famous Navajo tacos were devoid of salt and taste in general. I could not figure it out and we continued to be our polite, respectful selves. I would go elsewhere next time as this part of the country is a recurrent destination for us read more

Quiet and green grounds, comfortable beds with pillows that are definitely not comfortable. Nice place to stay when visiting Canyon de Chelly. Avoid the cafeteria if at all possible. There's a couple of decent places in town, or bring your own food in with you. read more

Staying at the park was wonderful and gave us a chance to go back in the evening and enjoy he views after the snow had cleared at the higher elevations. Staff was very friendly and check in was easy. Room was perfect except the door frame was a little off so there was a cold breeze coming in all night. Room was clean and nicely laid out. We also enjoyed dinner at the Lodge and the gift shop. read more

The hotel is kind of in the middle of nowhere, after a long drive through empty fields, beside an escarpment that leads down into Chinle. The properties outside the hotel are trailer park scruffy. But the lodge itself is on lovely grounds, recently updated and has fresh, quality linens. There is plenty if parking for cars, and long vehicles. The appliances are old, but they work, and the walls are very thick. The furniture is real wood and substantial. WiFi is free but horribly slow. The staff are friendly and helpful, and the gift shop has a lot if quality merchandise at reasonable prices. read more

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This was a great place to stay and they accept pets. This was a quiet location very nice. The room was very comfortable, good shower and comes with a kurig, iron and ironing board. If your staying there don't forget to check out the north or south rim. The cafeteria also had great food for breakfast lunch and dinner. I don't have pictures of the inn but here is the rim. read more

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Thunderbird Lodge is located within Canyon De Chelly just north of the entrance to the Visitor Center to the National Monument. Have stayed here several times. Rooms are modern and clean, service is excellent. There is also a cafeteria that is open from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. It is part of the original 1896 Trading post. Rooms have AC and fans, refrigerator, microwave, WiFi and flat screen. Great location, I prefer it to the Best Western or Holiday Inn. Those are about the only three choices in Chinle. read more

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I scheduled a stop to see Canyon de Chelly, and opted to spend the night at this motel based on price/reviews. This is located within the park boundaries, past the welcome center for the National Monument. It appeared that some sort of trading post had been in the location for decades, but the facilities seemed well-maintained / updated. You check in at an office next to the current gift shop / cafeteria. We stopped by around 12:45 p.m. on a Thursday to see if our room might be ready early (so that we might drop off our luggage and not leave it in our car while we spent 3 hours in the canyon). Unfortunately, the room wasn't ready (no problem; I'd have been pleasantly surprised if it had been). After the tour, we easily checked in and drove around to our room. All the rooms face a semi-circular parking lot so that you can park just outside your door; there is no building / interior hallway. The room itself was clean and comfortable. The location is at the extreme end of Chinle, which is not a huge town anyway. It also sits at least 100 yards from the road into / through the park, so there was no discernible traffic noise. Everyone slept well in our room. There is a cafeteria on-site, as well as (limited) dining nearby. In my limited interaction with the staff, they were friendly and welcoming. All the staff I encountered appeared to be Navajos / Native Americans. I do not know whether the property is owned by locals or not, but it certainly employs them. There were a few other lodging options in town. Were I to return to Chinle, I would consider staying here again. read more

I made reservations through a booking service, but didn't get their normal request for feedback following my stay, so I'll leave my review here. This is an older, traditional tourist lodge that is well maintained (sort of), clean, and tucked away near the entrance of Canyon de Chelly. When I checked in after a long day on the road I was informed they had a small issue with no water in a couple of their buildings, including the one with my room and the cafeteria. They said the water would be on by that evening. I asked if there was a room with water that I could move to - nope. I asked if there would be any compensation for having no water - nope. The lady behind the counter said I could cancel my reservation, but made no offer to secure accommodations somewhere else, which would have been the caring thing to do. It was obvious she didn't (care). As it turns out the water was off the whole time I was there and no one checked to see how I was doing. Any compensation? Nope. They also didn't even offer bottled drinking water or anything else to make up for having no water in the room. The desk personnel weren't apologetic at all and seemed to care less - like it was a common occurrence - maybe it is (?). Again, they told me the water would be on soon, but of course, it wasn't. The room was in one of their original buildings and was actually nice and quiet, except for when a maintenance man opened the door and came in unannounced to do something with the water. He apologized, but obviously he was not told there were people in the room. Anyway, a very disappointing experience and one that will keep me from ever staying at this place again. read more

Thunderbird Lodge is located at the entrance to Canyon De Chelly National Monument. The location makes it convenient for touring the canyon as many tour operators will pick you up at the lodge. The lodge offers all first floor rooms with parking next to most rooms. We reserved a King Bed room but when we arrived they could not get us 3 rooms close to each other so we changed to 3 rooms next to each other with 2 Queen Beds. The rooms are rustic but our room #78 was clean and the bed was comfortable. A mini refrigerator is a great amenity. FYI - The lodge is located on the Navajo Reservation and alcoholic beverages are not available. read more

Quiet, clean , friendly staff . Definitely the place to start your morning off. Great coffee! Eggs made to order! Large dining area. Look forward to another visit great service ! read more

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What a great little place. The staff was amazing and our room was perfect. Clean and very comfortable. I would recommend staying here versus anywhere else local. Beautiful historic location. read more

Please come out here for a visit! We really enjoyed our stay! My family lived in Chinle for quite some time years ago (no I'm not Navajo, that's the first thing people always ask). Having returned for visits over the years I know how bad accommodations used to be. Luckily, that seems to have changed, at least at the Thunderbird Lodge. I was really impressed across the board. I highly recommend staying here, especially if you're on the fence about visiting Chinle or Canyon De Chelly for the first time. This place is great and you'll be taken care of the Dine way. If you want info on their Canyon jeep tours scroll way down for that review. Rooms: Comfortable, nicely updated, and very handicapped friendly. At first glance they may look a bit Route 66 dated but it's all good! Especially for us East Coast snobs! Comfy beds, a million tv channels (more than mega national hotel chains!), a blow dryer that lights up as a night light in the dark, and a really impressive AC unit that, despite looking like it's from 1972, works like a charm! There's also a mini fridge and a ceiling fan. Staff: Everyone I talked to was super nice and helpful. If you're checking in late at night/after hours call ahead of time to let them know in advance. Thankfully, they're also lenient with the checkout times. Part of our group went on a jeep tour of the canyon the morning we were checking out. Check out time is 11 (right smack in the middle of our tour) and they were more than happy to give us a late checkout so we didn't have to worry about scrambling around to check out before our tour. Much appreciated! WiFi/Cell Service: They have WiFi! I found if I needed to use it in my room certain areas worked better than others. Outside of my room both worked totally fine. Trading Post: Having lived on the reservation before we have quite a few rugs and sand paintings. How they've laid it out is spot on in keeping up with the times while explaining their various crafts to those who may be unfamiliar. The rug room was my personal favorite. Food: Don't worry about the whole "cafeteria" thing. The food is pretty darn good. I think it's more so called a cafeteria for historic purposes as it's been called that for...well...just about forever. I promise it's not like a middle school cafeteria. In fact, they renovated it in recent years so it has more of a restaurant vibe than it used to. I'd call it Navajo Fast Casual. I enjoyed everything I had - especially the green chili stew and of course the fry bread. Breakfast was good too but there was often a long line so many plan some extra time for that if you're grabbing food before a jeep tour or a hike. Only complaint: The last two days we were here there was some large bus tour staying at the lodge. Their bus driver took it upon himself to park his loud charter bus across 7 or so parking spaces right smack in front of our rooms. Thus, we couldn't park our car in front of our rooms, which was kind of necessary since my mom has difficulty walking. Not to mention good ol bus driver thought it was a brilliant idea to start up his loud bus (which quite frankly sounded like a helicopter) at 7:30 in the morning, two mornings in a row! Best part? He didn't even move the bus until at least 10am. It's not the Lodge's fault but still annoying. Overall: Highly recommend as a visitor and former resident of Chinle. The beauty of the surroundings, the warm hospitality and welcome of the Navajo people in sharing their culture and land is an incredible experience. It may be a bit out of the way and in the middle of nowhere but it's worth it! ---------- Edit - Canyon de Chelly Tours I didn't realize there isn't a separate yelp page for their jeep tours so I'm editing my initial review to include this part. Our group went on a tour when it was pouring rain. Like crazy downpour. I think most people would have said no thanks to the tour given how hard it was raining but half of us on the tour used to live in Chinle and saw the rain as a blessing. So we suited up in the provided ponchos (which I'm pretty sure were courtesy of the US Government and recycled from either WWII or Vietnam). Either way they were serious ponchos and did the trick. When it rains they do not put a tarp over the jeep which at first annoyed me and my hair but I eventually realized it was a blessing in disguise. You cannot see the true beauty of Canyon de Chelly with a roof over your head. Part of experiencing the bottom of the Canyon is being able to look up, something you can't experience while taking a tour in a covered SUV. We were soaking wet and looked absolutely ridiculous in our ponchos but when the rain stopped we also got to see the incredible waterfalls. Many thanks to our guide Orlando. He was great! read more

Thunderbird Lodge - Canyon tours are a must! - Hotels Near Me - Chinle, Arizona

Come for the fun, go somewhere else to shower! Old style motel venue. Clean rooms, a/c works, firm beds, good sound insulation, interesting open-truck canyon tour, middling cafeteria, no restaurant, no bar, and not enough water pressure to take a shower :-( A sign in the shower leads one to believe it might work: "DUE TO LOCAL ENVIRONMENTAL EQUIPMENT RESTRICTIONS Water Pressure Fluctuates From HOT to COLD. Please Be Careful In The Shower!" read more

Right at the Canyon de Chelly rim! Easy access for hiking and Tim tours. Clean and comfortable rooms. Friendly staff. Well stocked trading post. Cafeteria next door! read more

Thunderbird Lodge - Great accommodations! - Hotels Near Me - Chinle, Arizona

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Perfect for the price. Native owned and managed, nice staff. Clean and spacious room with fridge, microwave, hair dryer, iron and iron table, descent size flat screen. Breakfast not included but the restaurant /cafeteria is good. It's right at the entrance of canyon Chelly's south rim. I would definitely go again. read more

Thunderbird Lodge - Nice and clean room - Hotels Near Me - Chinle, Arizona

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Stayed there last night. Very nice and very clean rooms. We were surprised. There is only 3 motels in the area & the reviews were not great. I would highly recommend the Thunderbird lodge if you are in the area. Keith Eloy AZ. read more

The Thunderbird Lodge is a wonderful place to stay with excellent room accommodations, exceptionally clean, and we LOVE the beautiful grassy center area to enjoy on the benches outside our room. Wow the double meat hamburger on fry bread is huge delicious and a great deal! Being so close to Canyon De Chelly is a treat. We have stayed here twice and it will be a place to go in the future as well. BONUS POINTS go to Lisa at the front desk! She answered all our questions and made our stay even better. The only things that we would improve would be another community ice machine and a few softer pillows to go with the firm pillows. read more

Thunderbird Lodge - Hotels Near Me - Chinle, Arizona

Nice place. Some of the rooms are newly renovated and some are older. I got one of the older ones and while initially it seemed kind of small and dark, the charm of it has won me over. My room opens to a grassy courtyard which is quite pleasant. There are a couple of chairs outside in front of each room - on a shared patio for 6 or 7 rooms. It's lovely to sit out there at night and just take in the wonderful natural surroundings. You are right next to the start of the South Rim drive of the Canyon de Chelly so, really, you are very very close to the canyon itself. And I think that is just awesome and is why you should stay here instead of one of the chain hotels that are further away. My room is nice and quiet with kind of a loud air conditioner that works very well even on low. The free Wi-Fi works ok but is sometimes slow and drops connections. If I came back to stay I might request one of the newer rooms in the long back building (rooms 50-90), especially if I was staying more than one night. I think those rooms have more amenities like refrigerators and microwaves. However, the rooms in the back open onto the parking lot, so I think I really do have the best deal for tonight. read more

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Room was clean and had all we needed. Very cheap rates. We would stay here again. Cafeteria however was not good. Ate at 5:30 in the afternoon... the hamburger ordered ok,but food off the "buffet" line was terrible. Like gas station, dry, old, terrible. Just bad. read more

This updated older hotel is well situated if you are visiting Canyon de Chelley national monument. They offer tours which leave from the hotel, which is really convenient. The tour guides are knowledgeable and fun loving. The 6 wheel tour vehicle is a blast to ride on. While I really enjoyed this hotel and its staff, we did come across 5 cockroaches in our room during the two day stay. Hopefully this was a unique experience. read more

We spent one night here so we could visit Canyon de Chelly. If you call to reserve they do offer AAA discounts. The room was clean. The A/C didn't work at first, but after turning it off and on it kicked in. The beds were comfortable. After visiting the canyon we wished we would have had time for one of the jeep tours. It is located inside the entrance to the south rim drive-very convenient. read more

Nice accommodations. Not real fancy but good water pressure, comfy bed, fridge, microwave. Only complaint is no fan in the bathroom. Cafeteria style restaurant had good food & friendly staff. Our tour was through the Lodge in an open troop carrier car. I would recommend that tour. Great for taking pics & not so much getting in & out because everyone has a good view. read more

I stayed at Thunderbird Lodge for a night the last week of September 2022. It was filthy. There were four spiders in our room (#10). Their webs had been there quite some time. One small spider in the bed. The water was a light brown color. The nightstands were sticky. The smoke detector did not work (yes, we were curious and tested it!) The clerks in the gift shop were friendly and helpful. The front desk staff left a lot to be desired. After noticing the discoloration in the water, we elected to eat our meals in town, which was only 5 minutes away, so I can't comment on the restaurant next to the lodge. Definitely worth a trip to see the scenery, but don't waste your money staying at Thunderbird Lodge. read more