Hotel El Rancho

El Rancho is a very unique experiencee. It evokes mid-20th century western atmosphere as interpreted by the Hollywood folks who were making movies in the area. Each room has a vibe and named after golden age Hollywood actors and players who made pictures in and around Gallup. The common areas have kept the look and feel of the time, and one can imagine Hedy Lamar elegantly entering the lobby down the gorgeous double staircase in 1949. The beds are comfy, everything has been updated without losing the vibe of the last century so mostly the room is great for a couple night stay. I warn any guest who may expect the modern comfort of a large bathroom: you won;t get it! The bathroom in some of the rooms, (dictatedby the tiny 200 sq ft or so size of each room) are so tiney you can hardly use the toilet without bumping your knees against the sink. Small price to pay for such a special hotel. Also, the staff is super helpful, very welcoming and kind. The restaurant had great service, and though we didn;t eat much from the menue, what we got was delicious.

El Rancho is an amazing piece of history. The building is gorgeous. Something awesome to look at around every corner. Loved the lobby area especially. The room was clean, bed fairly comfortable, pretty small room, loved the shared balcony. The bathroom is TINY. The shower is great, but the toilet and sink are inches apart; hardly room to turn around. I know it's an old hotel and they probably can't change any of that. There's no mini fridge or microwave which we definitely missed. The restaurant was good, staff was a little inexperienced and scattered, but nice. Not sure I'd stay there again but the ambience was delightful. Definitely something one should try at least once.

This hotel exceeds our expectations in every way. Before I booked this hotel I read comments from other customers and it was all good. The hotel itself is like a museum. It is full of characters and history. Many Hollywood movie stars stayed there during the cowboy movie making era. The murals, the movie star pictures,the decorations and displays are so unique and historical. Even the room has cowboy hat on the wall, old leather chair and heavy wood furniture, an iron bottle opener mounted on the wall. On the door of each room it shows the name of movie star who stayed in before. We stayed in #300 William Holden’s room who was my favorite movie star.

The lobby in this hotel reminded me of the lodges found in some national parks: very open with high ceilings with wooden beams. Really beautiful. Nice seating around the lobby. the fascinating part is all the many photographs of film stars that have stayed back in the day working mostly on western movies. All the rooms are named after an actor. Our very comfortable room was named for Jimmy Stewart. Bathrooms are small but very clean. The restoration work for this Route 66 gem is amazing. Loved our stay

This is an historic hotel so the original structure and antiques were fun, as well as the pictures of the movie stars that have stayed here. The restaurant served super delicious food that were named after movie stars. The gift shop was wonderful with lots of Native American crafts for sale. It's on route 66 so memorabilia from that as well. Lots of charm and character. Rooms very clean. The staircase is awesome!