Best Western Gallup West

Breakfast was my favorite part of the stay. The food was warm, tasted good, and was kept up, and Cecilia made it feel like home. She was always wiping things down, greeting people, fixing things, and looking after guests. I heard she’d been called in on her day off, but she still had a great attitude. The front desk staff were efficient and professional too. I’d absolutely stay here again. I was here for a couple of days, and everything in the room worked. I liked the little light by the door switch, which helped me find my way at night without turning on bright lights. The rooms are well insulated, so I didn’t hear other guests. There is a train through town that sounds its horn about every 20 minutes, so light sleepers might want earplugs. The exercise room was clean and easy to use, with a treadmill, bike, elliptical, weight bench, free weights, and yoga mat. The laundry setup was modern: you download an app, put money in it, then connect over Wi-Fi to start the machines. No cash needed.

The employees were really nice, but I wouldn’t come back. The freeway location is convenient, though the room was freezing at 62, the walls were thin, and the linens looked old and due for replacement. An extra blanket would’ve helped. The room wasn’t very clean either. There was also a very detailed list of charges for anything missing, which made me feel like the owners were tired of theft and didn’t do much to reassure me about safety in the area.

The location worked for my drive home, but there was almost nowhere for a dog to go, just a tiny gravel patch, and the hallway noise carried into the room. People coming and going, especially early in the morning, could be heard clearly, so a sensitive dog might bark a lot. Parking was tight, with overflow on gravel. Some premium spots were set aside for Tesla drivers who weren’t staying at the hotel and kept coming and going. I felt the back and gravel parking were unsafe, since someone could break into a car and get away over the dark hills or through the neighboring lot. Breakfast was a big disappointment. The breakfast attendant was unpleasant, and when I came back twice within the last hour, nothing had been restocked. Yogurt was gone, eggs were nearly always empty or down to one someone else grabbed, and the sausage was gone the whole time. I saw several other people searching for food too. I got the last bagel with more than 30 minutes left. Complimentary breakfast is one of the main benefits of a place like this, but there was hardly anything to eat. At checkout, no one collected my card. It was left in an open bucket, which made me uneasy that someone else might take it, and I got no checkout confirmation. Gallup felt run down to me, and I saw speed traps all the way through town. I didn’t feel safe stopping places, and the buildings and people around the area added to that feeling. The photos seemed very deceptive, as if AI and Photoshop had made an old refurbished hotel look brand new and much larger. The actual place had dark parking lots, small dark rooms with no view, and nothing pleasant outside. I’d expected it to be bigger and better lit all around.

My car broke down, and I spent a week at the Best Western waiting for parts. The staff and facilities made the stay feel like a vacation, not just a stop in a small town. Everyone was helpful, cheerful, and energetic. They looked after both me and Gypsy, my working signal dog. She goes everywhere with me, and after nearly nine years she’s my companion too. On the day I left, I lost a key and called back. Several staff members searched for the missing car key. The room was great, even if the decor was spartan. Great people and hotel. The look on Gypsy’s face says it all.