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.

See above re bathroom size.

Very cool interesting place, Beds were very comfortable, staff very friendly, room and hotel were very clean.

When I booked the room I assumed we were in the big main hotel, but when we arrived we were told we had booked for a room in the little motel beside the main one. Good thing for us the motel was. Under construction so they gave us a room in the main building. This was more an issue of the booking site I used not being clear, but be aware. Also the area where the hotel is was a little bit shady at night, I wanted to go for a walk after being in the car for 9 hours but soon realized I should wait till morning.

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.

Our cross country travels almost always include a stop in Gallup, NM and a stay at El Rancho. They accept small pets and that is a real plus for us as well. With an excellent restaurant and bar on site all with a friendly staff, it is a perfect place to recuperate after visiting the local sites or coming off the interstate. Just as it was built to support many of the movie stars and staff that used the beautiful backdrops for may an Old Western ... it is an excellent hub to enjoy the sites. My wife loves it because there is an excellent gift shop stocked with many native American items as well as each access to the numerous shops/antique stores in Gallup. Recommend booking a room in the older section if you want to really immerse yourself in the history of the place.

That we could not stay longer ...

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.

None

The historical qualities of the entire experience.

We sat in the 49ers lounge for dinner. The ONLY service person was the bartender taking orders, since we presume that the lounge was short-handed. He did a quality job considering that the room was almost full. I talked to the receptionist at the restaurant desk, but she didn't do anything to correct the situation. People were walking out of the lounge after a time of not getting service. When we did get service, delivery of our meals, it was totally fine. It took 1/2 hour to get our check. The bartender apologized for delays, but we could tell that he was quite disturbed by the situation. Food and drinks were fine once we got them. This was all the night of October 3rd.

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

Nice lobby and furnishings. The pictures of movie stars were very entertaining, and it was fun to learn of the history of the hotel. Great decor and ambiance. Restaurant was very good and reasonably priced. They had an identified security man roaming the property and parking lot 24/7 which is very nice. He actually chased off some characters asking us for money in the parking lot.

Be prepared for a very small room. The furnishings are very nice but there is nowhere to put clothes and things. We literally had to live out of the suitcase. The bathroom is extremely small and tight. Apparently, that is how they built properties back in the day. You literally can sit on the toilet and rest your forehead on the sink. Nice room furnishings and decor, and a very comfortable bed, but be prepared for small.

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!

We liked the entire experience. FYI, the rooms are small because the hotel was built in 1937!

An historic gem! I have been going here for years...and not that long ago it still had all the charm, but was definitely dumpy. Worth it...but now REALLY worth it. SO much fun! And OMG the green chili stew is just to die for, as was the margarita!

The bathroom is tiny, which is fine, but the toilet does not have a seat top...this sounds silly but it is such close quarters that it is really easy to knock things - even your towels which are hanging over it - into the toilet without a lid to close. I am kind of a spaz, but not that much of a spaz. A toilet lid would be good.