Great experience to have in Hill City SD. Everyone should experience slow travel on a 19th century…read moretrain.

1880 train ride was a fun experience riding from hill city, SD to Keystone, SD. It takes you back…read morein time to what it felt like riding a steam locomotive and what it may have felt like riding to go mining for gold in the black hills. It's a wonderful experience for family, friends, couples or singles who want to experience a steam locomotive . If you have time for the ride and want to experience a relaxing peaceful ride on a train while in South Dakota hop aboard the 1880 train and get a history lesson.

I keep going between 3 and 4 stars, but decided to bump up to 4. For a train enthusiast, young or…read moreold this is a fun experience to get to ride the train in a historical setting. It is something different to do in the area and good for all ages. I was expecting the seats and train cars to be very uncomfortable, but we had enough room to spread out and the seats were mostly comfortable. The windows open or close to your preference if you aren't in an open air car. We brought a foldable stroller that we had no problem putting under the seats or by the door of the train. I know we passed through historical areas and there is info being shared about what you're seeing, but we could not hear anything over the speaker on the train so it was mostly just a slow, hot scenic train ride where we didn't know what we were seeing really. It lulled both of my kids and husband to sleep on the way back. The Keystone depot is much smaller than Hill city but has bathrooms and a small gift shop and is right in the heart of downtown which makes walking somewhere quick and easy. We wish we would have taken the train right back from Hill city instead of having a three hour break there. The rules about food on the train are a little confusing. The website when you bought tickets said no outside food that you didn't buy there but then when I got there, there were signs that said food is welcome on the train. They did sell popcorn and candy and drinks on the train which we did not purchase. My kids had a few snacks that we brought while on the train and there was nobody there to monitor it or say anything. Again, our kids enjoyed it (although got a little bored toward the end) and it was a nice break from the area parks and active activities, but I don't think it's something we would repeat if we were in the area.

Wonderful experience! This was a fun train ride. Great way to get from Hill City to Keystone…read more without having to drive. Great views from the train and education about the area along the way. We were in the area for Operation Black Hills Cabin. Thank you for supporting their mission and for supporting wounded veterans.

Here for the last night of our tour of the region. It is an interesting combo of classic western in…read morethe lobby and dining areas and a bit modern in the room. We were in #902. The room was spacious and unique with a hi-top coffee bar facing out over the city. There was an easy chair and King bed. We had a fridge. The bathroom was fine - everything worked. We slept well the bed was comfy and the a/c was quiet and easy to use. The furnishings did seem a bit dated. The wall had a large map of Rapid City. We had a sit down dinner with our group and the service was outstanding. I ordered a filet mignon which was prime beef that was truly excellent. My wife got a walleye that she did not like apparently too bony. We had a nice breakfast before leaving and this was the only restaurant on the entire tour that provided me with crisp bacon which I always ask for. We would stay here again when in the area. Mark & Nancy.

"The lightnin' rod, strike it hot It's gonna hit you like…read morethe Rushmore rock" (AC/DC) WHAT WENT WELL: The location is excellent, within a very walkable distance of many restaurants and Presidential statues. The room was decent sized, the beds were comfortable, the HVAC and Wi-Fi worked well, the room had a nice work desk, and the shower pressure and temperature were excellent. Bottles of water were available in the lobby for just one dollar with payment on the honor system. We had one dinner here and that was fantastic. The food servers and staff in general were very good. BREAKFAST REVIEW: The buffet had some good hot dishes, especially corned beef hash which is always appreciated. There were just two types of cereal, and there was just bread - no English muffins or bagels. There were zero Danishes, pastries, or muffins, which are pretty much standard in other hotel breakfasts. They had whole fruit for your yogurt and granola, but the cut fruit was obviously from a can. IMPROVEMENT OPPORTUNITIES: We saw many examples for improvement opportunities. The arms on the room's upholstered chair were badly worn out, and more significantly, the vinyl on both headboards were badly ripped and missing chunks. Our room had no refrigerator. We stayed at seven hotels on our tour, and this was the only hotel room without one. Even the peephole on the door was an issue, it was set so high on the door, I couldn't even see through it when I stood on tippy toes. There were enough electrical plugs in the room for for charging, but the two on the nightstand didn't work. The bathtub floor was chipped and was extremely slippery. Thank goodness there were grab-bars on two walls. The tub drained slowly, even with the drain removed, which is how we found it when we took occupancy. The water pooled for a while before it emptied.

Hotel ratings for me are always benchmarked against other local options. Hotel Alex Johnson offers…read moreeverything you'll need as traveler for business or pleasure: - recently renovated rooms - friendly front desk and valet staff - excellent housekeeping - decent fitness center - lots of character reflective of the historic city (ghosts not included) Super convenient location to local merchants and restaurants.

This is a nice enough historic hotel right in the middle of Rapid City…read more I stayed for 3 nights with my family. We had a one bedroom suite. The suite was very small, barely bigger than the king bed in the bedroom and the sofabed in the living room. The bathroom was pretty tiny, not big enough for 4 towels without hanging them on random doorknobs. There was no door between the two rooms. We arrived around 5PM, and our room was not ready yet. We were given two $15 vouchers for Starbucks to be used the next day only for the inconvenience. That was nice. When I made the reservation, I noted that there would be 4 of us in the room. When we got to the room, there were only 2 towels in the room, and there were no pillows for the sofabed. Also, the sofabed was brand new, and so the moving straps had not been removed, and the sofabed could not be opened. I had to call down to the front desk to bring scissors to open up the sofabed and to bring up more towels and pillows. The bed was comfortable, although the pillows were not great. The bathroom, as mentioned, was small with very little counter or shelf space. The shower/bath combo was cramped with a cloth curtain. Water pressure was not great, and even on the hottest setting, the water wasn't very warm and was very susceptible to getting colder. We were in town to visit the nearby sites, so we were out of the room most of the days. Imagine my surprise after returning that no housekeeping came after our first night. That was weird. After our second night, the housekeeper had come and made up the bedroom but not the living room (sofabed not made). She (she left a card with her name, Melaney) took the towels and again left only two clean towels. She did not take out the trash in any room. I was exhausted after a full day of driving and sightseeing, and the last thing I wanted to do was call down to the front desk to ask for two more towels and fresh sheets for the sofabed. It was very frustrating. Parking. The hotel itself only offers valet parking. There is a lot of street parking, and it is only $1/hour from 7am to 6pm on weekdays, $0.50/hour from 9am to 5pm on Saturdays. There's an app, so you can remember your space # and pay from your phone in the morning. The location really is wonderful, and there are neat historical things about the hotel. The kids loved looking at all the pictures and the stuffed bison heads. The staff was friendly, even if the hotel wasn't run particularly well.

This Holiday Inn has inside that is more like a full service hotel than your typical Holiday. It is…read morealso a quick walk to Main Street which is a huge plus. Housekeeping did just an average job. The buffet was also just average and this Holiday Inn charged for it albeit a reasonable price. Parking is free. Overall it was a decent experience in an area with limited downtown hotels.

As a spire member, I expected more on this hotel. I requested housekeeping service 3 times and for…read moresome reason, there is no communication between the front desk and housekeeping department. Finally, one of the front desk clerk at night was apologetic and made sure the housekeeping service was made in the morning. We didn't need the service anymore. We just requested for replacement of towels. Other than that, it's a good hotel. About 17 minutes away from the airport. Hotel shuttle to and from the airport is available. The drivers are awesome and informative. Front desk staff were amazing. Our room is big and very clean. When we finally met the housekeepers, they assisted us with our supply needs. Ample parking for everyone. There's a restaurant at the lobby. Elevators were fast. About 20 minutes away from Mt. Rushmore. We highly recommend this locations. One of the best Holiday Inn we've visited so far. 8-19 to 8-24, 2021

This motel is priced right for what you get…read more We chose this motel because it was located within walking distance of a music festival we were going to at The Park. The location is great! There are lots of restaurants, a grocery store and things to do within a couple of blocks. There is plenty of parking, which is shared with a Burger King. This is a family-run motel with Days Inn signage. I don't think it's an "actual" Days Inn. The check in process was a bit time consuming (which is always frustrating when you need to pee and they claim they don't have a lobby bathroom). But, the motel has its own bar (I have never seen that in a Days Inn before) and the bar is connected to a small, outdoor pool. We really enjoyed chatting with Kojack behind the bar. Our room could best be described as "efficiency". It was clean and had all the necessities, like good water pressure, air conditioning, a refrigerator & nice tv (although the multiple remotes were challenging to use and several channels paused often). There is no closet and no chest of drawers. There is a combo bench with one drawer and a cubby hole with coat hooks, instead. It would be nice if the combo bench had been oriented to face the tv, so you could sit somewhere other than the bed to watch, but we made it work. Many of the outlets did not work, we had to test several to find the right ones to charge our devices. They do not clean the rooms daily. They did not clean the room at all during our 3 night stay. This is our preference, so that was fine. But, they didn't even have that "do not disturb" door thingy, so clearly this is a normal practice for this motel.

Worst hotel experience. During a recent stay at this property, our experience fell significantly…read morebelow reasonable expectations for safety, cleanliness, and basic operational standards. Having been backpacking for the prior week we actually felt dirtier after staying in these slummy accommodations. Upon check‑in, we were directed to a room that was not in acceptable condition. The room contained multiple maintenance and cleanliness issues, including a broken outlet cover with improvised electrical repairs, several non‑functional light fixtures including cracked glass bulbs, bedding had visible rips in the sheets, window treatments partially detached from the wall, unidentified liquid splatters on the walls, and a bathroom light fixture that was nearly burnt out, leaving the space extremely dim. When we requested an alternative room, the front desk informed us that no other rooms were available. Staff attempted to locate a replacement lightbulb but later stated none were available so we used a flashlight to use to light the bathroom. Given the number and severity of the deficiencies, this stay did not meet basic hospitality standards.

We stayed one night at the Holiday Inn Express in Rapid City and it was exactly what we needed. The…read morebeds were super comfy, the hotel was clean, and the breakfast in the morning was great. Our kids loved the pool, and the staff were incredibly welcoming and helpful. A perfect quick stop on our trip.

I rarely compliment the "free" hotel breakfasts, but this one satisfied. This Holiday Inn had a…read moremore extensive breakfast buffet than the downtown Holiday which charged. The rooms were relatively large and clean. Being located on an interstate it's probably not the best part of town. Unfortunately, the TV screen had a lot of static to the point I just turned it off. Parking is free and staff were friendly. Thank you for a decent desk chair so I could work!

The front desk lady was very rude. The air conditioner does not work. The bathroom was not clean…read more The room was clean enough. But the fridge was not. They brought us a rollaway bed, it does not fit in the room. We spent 2 nights here. The same lady worked the front desk both nights. She was not any friendlier the 2nd night. There is a dog down the hall that has been barking for over an hour. Front desk lady does not care.

There hasn't been a review of this place for awhile, so I'm going to add my opinion here. I stayed…read morein a filthy dump a short distance away two nights ago, so I was desperate for an affordable option. I booked this room through Priceline for the same price as the filthy dump down the street and it is a 180 degree difference. The room is clean, the pillows are plump, there are tons of tv channels, the wi-fi is working and I am happy! The only negative thing I can say is that the front desk person seems very unhappy in her work. I'm not a person that needs a South Dakota "nice" interaction, but eye contact and a pleasant tone of voice, rather than inaudible mumbling, would have been adequate.

AVOID AT ALL COSTS!!!!!…read more This place says it is pet friendly on Booking.com and at the bottom of the website. The hotel in fact is NOT PET FRIENDLY and the management is rude and goes back on their word!!!! We arrived with our cat and were told no cats are allowed along with another guest who had a cat. The other guest booked with booking.com and somehow was able to get a refund from the hotel after arguing with the management that it wasn't the guests fault. The front desk person we talked to agreed to give us a full refund too but when we called back the next day after going through booking.com we were denied a refund. The front desk manager was doing everything they could to not give us a refund even though it is the hotels fault for misrepresenting its self on booking.com and the hotels own website!!!! Moral of the story, this place is not accommodating in anyway and there are soo many hotels in Rapid City go find somewhere else!!!!! I wish I could give this place zero stars.

My wife and I stayed here from May 23-25, and unfortunately our experience was disappointing due to…read morea major issue with the room: there was no hot water in the shower/tub for our entire stay. Not "lukewarm" genuinely cold. I contacted the front desk three separate times, and each time was told to let the water run longer. We tried that repeatedly, including letting it run for around 30 minutes, with no improvement. On the second day, we were offered a room change, but by then we had already unpacked and settled in, and for a short stay it wasn't a practical solution. What was especially frustrating was the follow-up response afterward. Management stated the sink had hot water and suggested maintenance could have fixed it, but during our stay the issue was never resolved despite multiple calls. Hot water in a shower is a pretty basic hotel expectation. To be fair, staff did eventually offer to move us, and the hotel may work fine for others. But after paying for a stay without one of the most basic amenities and receiving no refund or meaningful compensation (only a future discount), we left disappointed. Would consider giving them another chance only if customer service and issue resolution improve.