Drifter Motel

My vehicle broke down, and they let me check in early. I really appreciated that. The room was very clean and quiet, with a comfortable bed, and the location is great. This is the ONLY motel I'll stay at in Silver City. Highly recommend.

It's an old motel, so you get what you pay for. The parking spaces are narrow, and the room could've been cleaner, but the bed was comfortable. Dogs are allowed, though there's nowhere for them to use the restroom.

The A/C failed in the middle of the night, leaving water all over my luggage and destroying my laptop and synthesizer. They refused to give me fresh sheets or towels. I didn't even want to ask the owners to fix it after seeing how they treated me and other potential guests, along with what I'd read on Google and Trip Advisor. I feel like if I'd said the appliance wrecked my electronics, they'd have yelled at me and demanded I repair their shitty air conditioner. Just avoid the LuLu. There's a better place down the road at the same price. I recommend the Murray 100%. It was the best hotel I've stayed at in New Mexico, such a treat. The management was polite, kind, and understanding. If Silver City was fully booked and the Drifter had a room, I'd sleep in my car on the highway instead. The rooms are called "soundproof" from other rooms, but you hear every tenant leaving their room on your side of the motel. Traffic comes through too. The TV was decent and the fridge was a good size, but black mold was EVERYWHERE. I know because I'm extremely allergic to it. I was taking so much benadryl, man. It was awful. There was mold on the floor, in the old A/C filters, in the HVAC system, and in the bathroom. The filters clearly hadn't been cleaned or maintained. You could smell the mold as soon as you walked in, and if you got lucky, the previous tenant had left a cloud of Marlboro Red. The way they mop seems to be dumping a bucket of soapy warm water and working around the edges, because the floor and wall edges were streaked black. I got stuck in the bathroom a few times because the door was the wrong size for a much too small frame. The bathtub is small and sloped, making a shower or bath extremely dangerous for anyone with a disability unless they get the walk-in shower room. They have slip mats, but they're extremely dirty, moldy, old, falling apart, and shedding bits of plastic everywhere. At the very least, they should sanitize them from time to time. The rubber mats must be at least five years old. Come on, you don't have employees to pay, so where's the money going? I feel terrible for the transient people who have to live there while trying to get their lives on track. Imagine being at the mercy of an older couple whose dilapidated business is slowly killing vulnerable customers.

The room felt safe, and everything was clean, from the sheets to the comfortable bed. The air conditioning worked too. I only needed somewhere for one night in Silver City, and the friendly, helpful service made it a great stay. There’s a Denny’s across the street. I’d stay again.