Accommodations
Find more accommodation reviews throughout the On the Road chapters.
Accommodation Types
Hotels Hotels range from the humble to the luxurious. Most have ample in-room amenities, cable TV and private bathrooms, and many have restaurants, bars, swimming pools and fitness centers.
Motels The mainstay of towns across America, motels are usually simpler than hotels and rooms have independent entrances opening onto the parking lot. Some have kitchenettes.
B&Bs Usually in the midrange, inviting homes offer a higher level of interaction and personal attention.
Camping From fee-paying campgrounds with tent and RV spots and basic amenities to primitive sites, America loves its outdoor living.
Dude ranches Converted farms and working ranches with accommodation and activities such as horseback riding, fly-fishing, mountain biking and the like. They range from rustic to luxurious.
Hostels Found in urban centers, especially in California, the Pacific Northwest and the Southwest. Some are connected to Hostelling International with segregated dorms.
Lodges Usually in national parks with a mix of rustic and comfortable accommodation.
Resorts Best for multiday stays, they’re part of a wider complex that may include swimming pools, golf courses, tennis courts etc.
PRICE RANGES
The following price ranges do not include taxes, which average more than 10%, unless otherwise noted.
$ less than $150 (less than $200 in San Francisco)
$$ $150–$250 ($200–$350 in San Francisco)
$$$ more than $250 (more than $350 in San Francisco)
Best Places to Stay
Best on a Budget
From budget hotels to happening hostels, Western USA has a good smattering of high-quality budget accommodation. In addition to hostels and hotels, campground cabins, mountains huts and well-priced B&Bs sometimes fall into this category.
A Yotel San Francisco, San Francisco, CA
A Hotel Mayflower, San Francisco, CA
A Hostel Fish, Denver, CO
A Shady Spruce Hostel, Missoula, MT
Best for Families
Family-friendly accommodation is easy to find across the West, from resorts and dude ranches with a range of activities to places that go out of their way to make children feel welcome. Many standard rooms in US hotels have two double beds.
A Vista Verde Guest Ranch, Steamboat Springs, CO
A Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa, Anaheim, CA
A Devil’s Thumb Ranch, Winter Park, CO
A Cody Cowboy Village, Cody, WY
Best B&Bs
In Western USA, many B&Bs are high-end romantic retreats in restored historic homes that are run by personable, independent innkeepers who serve gourmet breakfasts. These B&Bs often take pains to evoke a theme – Victorian, rustic, Cape Cod – and amenities range from merely comfortable to indulgent. Rates normally top $120, and the best run $200 to $350. Some B&Bs have minimum-stay requirements, some exclude children and many exclude pets.
A C’est La Vie Inn, Eugene, OR
A Valley of the Gods B&B, Mexican Hat, UT
A Queen Anne Bed & Breakfast Inn, Denver, CO
A Nagle Warren Mansion B&B, Cheyenne, WY
A Briar Rose B&B, Boulder, CO
A Inn at Halona, Zuni Pueblo, NM
Best Lodges
Western USA has some fabulous lodges within national parks. Standard rooms start at around $120, but can easily be double that or more in high season. Since they represent the only option if you want to stay inside the park without camping, many are fully booked well in advance. Want a room today? Call anyway – you might be lucky and hit on a cancellation. In addition to on-site restaurants, they often offer touring services.
A Timberline Lodge, Mt Hood, OR
A Vista Verde Guest Ranch, Steamboat Springs, CO
A Sun Mountain Lodge, Winthrop, WA
A El Tovar, Grand Canyon, AZ
Booking
It’s advisable to book well in advance during the summer months and school holiday weeks, and for ski-resort destinations. For popular national parks, it’s not unusual to book a year out. Some local and state tourist offices offer hotel reservation services.
Airbnb (www.airbnb.com) Search online for homes, apartments and other private accommodation with real-time availability.
Booking.com (www.booking.com) A vast range of hotels and other accommodation.
Hotwire (www.hotwire.com) This platform is one of the more popular online engines for booking hotels in the US.
Lonely Planet (lonelyplanet.com/hotels) Find independent reviews, as well as recommendations on the best places to stay – and then book them online.
National Park Service (www.nps.gov) Information on national parks and monuments, with camping reservations also possible.
Recreation.gov (www.recreation.gov) Camping reservations on federally managed lands.