Carson Valley Motor Lodge & Suites

I’m Latino, and after this experience I’d warn other Latino and non-White guests to be careful. I kept getting nasty looks around the hotel, including when I took my wife and kids to the pool. It’s sad that there’s still so much racism. On our first day in Minden, Nevada, my wife sent me to the hotel’s gas station store for drinks for us and our friends. The employee looked at me in a way that made me expect an attitude. I’m 30. She asked for my ID, scanned it, and said it had expired a few weeks earlier on my birthday. I explained that I’d renewed it but was still waiting for the DMV to mail the new one. My wife showed her valid ID, but the employee still refused to sell us anything, as if my wife were buying drinks for an underage kid. We called the front desk, and a man came out to speak with her and then with us. After we explained what happened, he called someone and told her I was 30 and my wife’s ID was valid, so she could sell us the drinks. She refused anyway, saying she could deny service to anyone by law. Then she claimed we’d screamed at her, which wasn’t true. I told the man the cameras would show she was lying. He said there wasn’t much he could do because she had the right to refuse service, even though there was no reason to. He then told me I should file a complaint against them for racism, so I did and handed the paperwork to the front desk when I checked out.

The location worked well for getting to both Heavenly and Kirkwood by car. We had a great one-bedroom suite with a kitchen and living room. It was spacious and clean, and the full-size kitchen seemed newly remodeled and came with lots of kitchenware.

We had a good stay while visiting Lake Tahoe, which was a little under an hour away by car. The room was spacious and clean. WiFi struggled at times, which was frustrating since phone service was slow or unavailable. Check-in is at the Carson Valley Casino, connected to the RV parking and casino next door. A few restaurants stay open late on weekdays, and there are plenty of fast food choices nearby. We enjoyed our stay.

If you’re picky, I’d suggest staying in the main casino. The motor lodge gives you an idea of how great it is. The best thing nearby is Dominos pizza, and the shower water pressure is five-star.