El Rancho Hotel

The restaurant inside the hotel is good, but ask for an inside room if you can. The outside rooms are spacious, yet the heating and AC were awful. I measured 110 degrees with my handheld temperature gun, and it was almost impossible to set a comfortable temperature. A tiny adjustment sent it all the way to hot, while turning it down at all made the room freezing. When it was -20 to -30 outside, I woke up to a room that felt just as cold.

The room was quiet despite the large trucks in the lot and the workers staying there, and the bed was pretty comfortable. It was a large room with a big TV, fridge, and microwave, but there was no desk and the internet was weak. The old bedspread and blanket made me wonder whether they were washed regularly. There was no shampoo or conditioner, either. I was passing through for work, and as a woman traveling alone I didn't feel safe walking around this area. Check-in was casual and the receptionist was nice. When I offered my license, she said she didn't need it and believed who I was. My room was inside rather than opening to the outside. It was clean, though stuffy, with windows that wouldn't open. It smelled like the air filters needed changing, or maybe it was the old carpet. Along with a table lamp and floor lamp, there was a big fluorescent light.

The staff were nice and friendly, which kept this from being a 1-star review. But I didn't feel safe after a guy tried his key on doors, including mine. I think it may have been the maintenance guy, since I saw him working on the outside doors later that day. My shower was dirty and clogged, and there was no shampoo or conditioner the first night. A beeping sound in the hallway was really annoying, so I had to cover it with the TV or AC. The outdated AC and heater were very loud for the first 30 minutes, more than the usual hotel unit noise. The bed was comfortable, though the pillows were worn out. The gym had just four outdated cardio machines and no free weights.

We liked having parking right by the door, which is hard to find in a motel. The room was roomy and comfortable, and the staff were welcoming and friendly. Breakfast was the one letdown: the selection was mediocre, and there wasn't enough seating or space for it.