Hotel El Rancho

The El Rancho is simply a must-visit in Gallup, even if you're not staying there. We passed through previously in 2020 at the height of the pandemic and found it charming enough to want to visit in more normal times, and we are so glad we did. For a very reasonable price you get high-level service from the staff, cozy lodging, renovated bathrooms, nice restaurant and bar facilities on-site, a fun, kitschy gift shop, and just an overall fun and relaxed vibe.

There's not much to dislike here. Prospective guests should know that this is a historic property, with historic property room sizes. We've stayed previously in what is now a suite, and that was exceptional, but the King room we booked this time was much smaller. The pool area could also probably use a little love, and definitely some umbrellas, but this is minor nitpicking in our minds.

Very good job of upgrading an old hotel into a landmark. Really loved all the special effects and pictures. Restaurant was super good. Didn't make it out to the pool but it looked like fun. The staff is super friendly from the security guard outside to all the people in the restaurant and all the hotel people. Great job!

You know everybody says the bathrooms are too small but really it's plenty of room. The shower has a shower curtain that is displayed because it has the hotel's name on it but if you pull the curtain to one side the bathroom looks three times bigger because it's one of those bowed out curtain rods.

it’s a beautiful hotel, we loved all the historical stuff, the information hanging on the walls, and the pictures of movie stars, the rooms named after movie stars, the quaint elevator, the sweeping staircase, the upstairs porch, and the restaurant was amazing. We ate there several times. we also liked the gift shop.

the bathroom is very small. It’s hard to get into the shower, because the sink is in the way. When we booked, booking.com charged us an extra $16 to upgrade to a room with a bathroom, but the hotel told us that all the rooms have bathrooms anyway. so don’t fall for that and we will be trying to get a refund for it.

The hotel was a classic with beautiful main area and restaurant. The rooms themselves were sumilarly charming. The photos of movie stars really rounded things out, as did the displayed handicrafts. The gift shop was lovely with an excellent supply of Native American jewelry and handicrafts at good prices. Restaurant had good prices for dinner.

Room bathroom was miniscule making it hard to use, much less have a place to put our bathroom supplies. There also was no hair dryer. And there was confusion about the breakfast. Booking advertised that breakfast was a flat price of $15 per person, which was not the case. Then the hotel told us coffee was complimentary but we paid for the breakfast. We ended up paying for everything, including the coffee. Get your act together on this so we don't feel ripped off!

Boutique feel with historic restorations done well. Each room is named for an actor/actress that stayed during its golden years and a narrative is given for the room about them and the movie they were filming while staying there. Restaurant was fairly priced, perfect serving sizes and tasty. Appreciated that it was open until 10 pm since we arrived at 9 pm, we could have a late dinner and drinks.

Sketchy neighborhood, but there was security on the property and it was evident they were taking their job seriously. Staff wasn't very friendly, but they weren't rude. King Rooms were very small, the bathrooms would likely be unusable by moderately large people.

this place is really nice and if you love really rustic and things that are history, this is the place for you. It was super cool.

my only downside was that there was no AC and the first night we stayed. I almost died. It was so hot in the room. They said we could open the windows, but there was no window that we could open in the room that we had the first night we stayed but the second night we stayed because we came back through. We were on a different floor and we were able to open the window and it was so much better because they can’t turn on the AC if the heater still on which is understandable because it got down to like 30° at night, but the first night it was 78° in our room

The Hotel has been kept in many ways in the old style it has been used during the movie days in the Gallup area. Bathroom has been renewed and brought to nowadays standard. The room we stayed in was very small and mostly occupied by the king bed. The welcome at the reception was friendly and quickly handled, no breakfast included in the price. The restaurant in the hotel provided good service, the food was appropriate for the location and the standard of the hotel. The service and the drinks at the additional bar was good too.

Price is above the value as a hotel, you have to take into account the history of the place to justify the price for the room. And, many people do, as one in our party !

We loved this property. We are on a Route 66 road trip for vacation and are trying to stay at retro hotels. This location did not disappoint! The rooms are renovated and have luxurious linens. The beds are so comfortable. Each room is named for a famous actor or actress from the time, many of which visited and signed photos are displayed throughout the hotel. The bathroom was small due to the original layout of the building, but the fixtures were wonderful. We even enjoyed eating at the restaurant which was quite tasty. Loved our stay!

I cannot say anything negative.

The food was excellent both the breakfasts and evening meals. The first evening when we arrived we ate in the bar, I chose sliders and they were delicious. The price of food and drink was reasonable as well. Good selection of beers. The hotel is attractive, really well themed, fun but remains tasteful . It had a lovely atmosphere.

The bartender was not the most charming man I have come across. On the Saturday morning when we wanted to set off on time there was only one waitress. It took 10 minutes to be seated and then another 10 minutes to get a coffee. To be fair I think there was staff sickness and the waitress was working so hard. It would have been nice though if someone had communicated this to us. The bathroom space between the lavatory and the basin was tight, fine for us but if you were large quite tight squeeze, but immaculately clean. There was a drain odour on using the shower which was a shame. The dining room was the one area that lacked the artful decoration but was adequate.

We chose this hotel because of its history with Route 66. It did not disappoint! The hotel was beautiful and well maintained. The restaurant was good and it was great to have a drink in the bar. They poured one of the best Old Fashions I have had in a while. We found out after we booked that it was supposed to be haunted and that our room was one with documented history. Unfortunately, we didn't experience anything, but we did have fun wandering around and taking in the entire hotel.

The bathrooms were very small but hey, if John Wayne can handle it so can I!