Ho Hum Motel

We eventually made it to West Yellowstone on Friday and stayed at Yellowstone Country Inn instead. The night before, our car broke down on the way there, and repairs took a day. We asked Ho Hum to move our Thursday stay to Friday. Expedia considered the problem valid and called them about changing the date or refunding us. A Friday room was available, but I was told Thursday’s charge would only be refunded if they managed to rent that room to someone else. Our family at Yellowstone County Inn had no trouble switching days, and the staff there were helpful and caring. Ho Hum didn’t return calls, and when we reached them, they refused to help and seemed not to care. We ended up paying for the night we couldn’t be there, on top of the breakdown and repairs. Being stranded a thousand miles from home was already stressful. If you can, choose Yellowstone Country Inn; they were helpful, caring, and clean.

The motel was in a perfect location, but the room had such a strong, unpleasant smell that we couldn’t stay until the 10 a.m. checkout. We’d arrived late and planned to leave early anyway, so we spent the night, but the odor was overwhelming. We’d even considered extending our stay, but couldn’t manage it.

The street stayed noisy late at night and again early in the morning, so a courtyard-facing room might be quieter. The room was clean and the motel is centrally located, about a mile from the Yellowstone entrance. There was no shampoo or conditioner in the shower, so bring your own. The window was very hard to open for fresh air. A little WD40 would probably help with that.

We first stayed here about 15 years ago and plan to return whenever we visit Yellowstone. The rooms are clean and spacious, and the owner is a very accommodating host. It’s only a couple of minutes from the west gate, with plenty of shops and restaurants nearby. We loved staying here.