Comfort Inn & Suites Rapid City South - Mt. Rushmore Gateway

The hotel’s location was great, there were lots of restaurants nearby, and the beds were really comfortable. Breakfast looked hot and fresh, but the service was horrible. Laurie was rude and disrespectful to my son when he plugged in the waffle maker. There wasn’t a sign saying it was out of order. She could have politely told him not to plug it in, but instead yelled that it was unplugged and he needed to pay attention. I tried to explain that she didn’t need to shout or be rude, but she kept at it. It ruined breakfast for us, and I’m sure for other families too. I apologize to them. I hope Laurie will think about how she treats others next time, especially a child, an innocent teenager.

A decent stay. It was clean, there was no bad smell, and the free breakfast was pretty good. Those are the things I look for. They also had donuts.

The people working there were great, with smiles that felt real, and they paid attention to the details. Our room was comfortable and very clean, with beds that had a nice balance of firm and soft. The AC worked well enough. There’s a pool that looked nice, though I didn’t use it. Breakfast was a simple continental spread. I liked the location, with several restaurants and a gas station a short walk away, though the route is slightly downhill. Lots of area attractions are an easy drive, too. I loved this hotel and highly recommend it.

Updated 4/20/2025. After reading the general manager’s response, I can tell my review wasn’t read in full, and there was no compassion again. The general manager didn’t ask to discuss it further or provide an email address to contact them directly. The Comfort Inn & Suites stay wasn’t what was advertised. My stepfather had a terrible accident on April 18, 2025, and ended up in ICU at Monument Health in Rapid City. By April 19, we didn’t know how long he would be there. My brother and I booked a room on the Comfort Inn & Suites website for our exhausted, emotionally drained mother, using my credit card and listing her as the guest. When she arrived, “Kyle” (I don’t believe that’s his name) said it wasn’t paid for and asked her for a card. She called me, confused, and put me on speaker so I could talk with him. When she tried to hand him her phone, he stepped back and said he wouldn’t touch it. He said he would charge my card only if we completed a credit card authorization form. I explained that I’d entered the card details when booking online, but he said that was only to hold the room, not pay for it. I’d worked in hotels for several years. When someone arrived for an online reservation, we would ask whether they wanted to use the card on file or another payment method. If they used the booking card, they didn’t need to do anything else. Mom was crying and upset, wanting only to go to bed, while Kyle focused on the authorization form and showed no sympathy. I told him I’d worked in the hotel industry and stayed at many hotels, and had never been asked for a card or authorization form for an online booking unless it was a large party. Frustrated, Mom told him to forget it and said she’d drive home to Custer. She didn’t need more stress and disliked how he treated her and me, and how disrespectful he was. I called the main line to cancel. A woman answered, I asked to cancel, and she put me on hold without warning. Kyle then picked up and canceled the reservation. Thankfully my brother and I found another hotel for Mom: Holiday Inn Express at 1611 Caregiver Cricle, Rapid City, SD 57702. Its front desk clerk was extremely helpful and understood what our family was going through after the tragedy the day before. They worked with us to get Mom a room and split the payment. Because they were so kind, we extended her stay for two more days, since we still didn’t know how long my stepfather would remain in ICU. I recommend DO NOT STAY at this hotel. They were uncompassionate and disrespectful. Given how dirty the lobby was, we can only imagine what the rooms are like.