Thunderbird Motel Ellensburg

We were satisfied with the price, service, convenience, and room. We wanted a cheaper place and didn't need many amenities. The bed was clean and comfortable, the office representative was helpful, and machines at the office had snacks, coffee, ice, and other options available around the clock. The place looked freshly redecorated in a pleasant way. A couple of things weren't quite right: there was some cleaner residue and hair left in the shower, and the bedspread was stained.

At check-in and check-out, the desk clerks were all pleasant and nice to work with. But the phone call beforehand was frustrating. I called to confirm whether my reservation included an in-room fridge because I have a medical condition that requires fridge access. The clerk politely said some rooms have kitchenettes but those were full for the night. I explained that I already had a reservation and only wanted to check what room I'd booked. She put me on hold for over six minutes, so I hung up and called back. A man looked up the booking and said I hadn't reserved a kitchenette, even though I thought I had, so I made other plans. About an hour later, when I arrived, I learned I did have a deluxe room with a kitchenette, making those plans unnecessary. The rooms have obviously been remodeled recently, though parts of the floor had tape on them. The beds were extremely uncomfortable, but that's normal for Motel 6 in my experience, and I always seem to forget and book there again. The price was affordable for the amenities, but it's odd to have to ask for shampoo and conditioner since they're no longer automatically in the room. They could use more customer service training.

The town itself is small, quiet, and quaint, but I wouldn't recommend this Motel 6 for more than a place to sleep. We paid more than it was worth, and I was very disappointed. The room wasn't clean: the floors were dirty, the walls had brown and black marks, the bathroom had mold and mildew, and there was dirt in the corners. When housekeeping came in, the beds were barely made and definitely hadn't been changed. We also found out after being away for a few hours that the room door didn't close properly, which raised a safety concern. It wasn't an awful stay overall, but the cleanliness and door issue were serious problems.

The young woman who checked us in was great, sweet, smart, and full of helpful information. We’ll be back, and the price was right. This is a basic place, but the clean sheets and new linoleum floors made the room feel much cleaner. The bed covers in both rooms we rented had stains, though, which really put me off. The extra blanket I asked the office for smelled like cigarette smoke. I don’t know whether that came from whoever runs the place or from where the bedding is stored. We usually enjoy staying at Motel 6, and I recently signed up for the app. This location has clearly had some upgrades.