Best Western Plus El Paso Airport Hotel & Conference Center

The lobby and pool looked fancy, but the hallway and room were filthy. The bathroom walls had thick yellow grime, dust covered the vent and room, candle wax was stuck to the floor, and the shower had mold. I requested a non-smoking room, but ours smelled smoky and run-down. My wife got scared when the radio switched on by itself, and it took me hours to persuade her to come back inside. We were up and out by 6am, glad it was only one night. They took a $100 down payment. The rooms are so old that I don’t understand what it was for. I’d just been at a Universal Orlando resort where the deposit was $50, was refunded, and the rooms were ten times better. The front desk lady said ours would be refunded after checkout, so we’ll see. If it isn’t, I might add “scam” to this review. I chose this place for convenience, but I’ll take my money back to Chase Suites. And breakfast isn’t complimentary unless you pay extra for a room that includes it.

The breakfast was probably the best I’ve had at a hotel. Best Western never lets me down on that. The pool was warm and relaxing, even in the rain and 45 degree weather, and the hot tub felt even hotter than 105. Rooms are spacious, and a balcony with a light is a nice extra, though mine had no chair. A couple things got in the way: light came through a big gap under the room door when I was trying to sleep, and the bathroom door wouldn’t latch and stayed ajar. The TV is locked to the broadcasting box, so bringing your own entertainment won’t help. Still, if you need a good place near the airport, I’d recommend it.

Sleeping in our car might have been more comfortable. We spend at least 100 nights a year in hotels across 12 states for work, and this stay was rough. There’s no elevator. We couldn’t carry our bags upstairs, so we had to take a ground-floor room with two double beds and sleep separately, which we don’t normally do. The room had no heat and we were cold. We both use CPAP therapy, but the reachable outlets didn’t work, including the ones on the clock radio. We had to pull the bed away from the wall to reach another receptacle. We paid an extra $40 for our dog, but weren’t allowed to bring breakfast back to the room because guests don’t return plates. Apparently the hotel won’t use paper plates. We went to McDonald's instead of leaving the dog alone. Then the fire alarm went off around 9:15 p.m. The room was poorly maintained: no carpet, cracked bathroom tile, a door that didn’t open or close properly, and a broken, wobbly nightstand that kept dumping our things on the floor. The overhead LED light flashed constantly. I left a business card, but the manager, Norma, never called to discuss it. Looking at the reviews, I bet she gets a lot of these calls. I’m going to contact the management people in Phoenix with Best Western. I don’t see what makes this a so-called Best Western Plus.

Everyone was helpful and friendly, and staying here worked out perfectly for my family. We went to El Paso for my sister’s birthday and could have the party and stay in one place. Lots of families live far from their hometown, so it was a great way to get together for a special occasion. I’d definitely recommend it.