Kinda sketchy and old

This was the first time I stayed at a Red Roof Inn and the last time. I took a chance because of no pet fee, and what I thought was a decent price; $80+ tax. I stayed here thankfully only 1 night on a return trip from TX to CA.

The only pro I have for this hotel is the good amount of grass for walking the dog. The entire hotel had a 6 foot wide strip of well watered grass around it. Plenty of space for dogs that prefer doing their business on grass, instead of gravel and sand.

The cons: It was an older hotel that was in serious need of updating/renovation. The walls were very thin, so you could hear everything from two rooms away. The tub had old or excessive caulking on the outside that was very dirty; and the inside of the tub was not very clean. So much so that I decided to skip showering for that evening and washed up in the sink instead. The lighting was poor; very yellow and dim throughout much of the room. Only a small fridge with barely enough room for a few drinks, and no small freezer. It did have a microwave which functioned adequately.

Most of the guests at the hotel and a few staff members did not wear masks, which was very uncomfortable compared to other hotels I stayed at on my trip where everyone wore masks. I figured it I catch Covid, it's because of this place.

The outside of the hotel was the worst feature of the place. Several vehicles in the parking lot with missing body work and/or taped on bodywork. Plenty of signs stating that hotel is not responsible for damage or theft of any vehicle or belongings, which is very nerve racking after a 600 mile drive; especially when your vehicle is one of the few newer ones in the parking lot. One of the dog waste stations had been used as a convenient garbage can and was overflowing with trash. Luckily I was able to park close to my ground floor room and had a good view of my vehicle from the window. Didn't get much sleep, as I felt to look out the window every few hours to make sure all was well.

The location is not the greatest; near the campus of Arizona State, but difficult to locate off of the Interstate. You need to go across 4 lanes of traffic to make the exit or else go around and try again, which happened to me.

Overall for the cost, I expected a better experience. I've stayed in plenty of La Quinta Inns for roughly the same price, that also do not have pet fees, and none of them were as poor quality as this place. I would have easily paid 50% for a cleaner, newer, safer location hotel. Next time I will not cheap out. You get what you pay for.

Mar. 17, 2021

Great little state park off the beaten path

I stopped at this state park near Deming on a trip to California. It's a little drive (about 18 miles) off Interstate 10, but is a great desert mountain park to spend some time in. It's fairly primitive, but does have a new/clean bathroom and a small handicapped accessible picnic area.

Upon arriving a ranger provided information about the park and the nearby Spring Canyon state park. He also gave me a brochure listing all of the state parks in New Mexico. It was nice to meet such a friendly ranger out in the middle of nowhere that took the time to explain everything available at Rockhound park; especially in March 2021 during the pandemic.

There are two main trails a shorter 0.5 mile trail and a longer 1.5 mile trail. The trails are rocky with lots of cactus, so beware of snakes when travelling with a dog. My dog and I basically used this park as a rest stop, spending only about 20 minutes here to stretch, and enjoy the landscape.

Mar. 13, 2021

Pleasant stay with a little grass area for the dog

This was a 1 night stay on a return trip to California from Texas. Very nice hotel suite. Had a full size kitchen, comfortable bed, and a ground floor room near the side entrance. The hotel is close enough to Hwy 54 to be convenient but far away enough to not hear noise.

The location was great as there was a Walmart and several other grocery stores nearby. A movie theater was next door, but this was during March 2021, so was not open due to Covid pandemic.

The hotel had a small lush grassy area, that must have been watered constantly, as the rest of the surrounding area is very dry in El Paso. The grassy area for the dogs was equipped with bags and waste station, but the area was only about the size of a small outdoor shed (8 x 10) maybe. There was a nice sidewalk around the hotel that was great for walking the dog.

There is a $25 pet fee, but I think was worth the extra money. The only improvement would be to provide a little better lighting outside in the grassy pet area.

This hotel is also near Franklin Mountain state park, which I did not have the chance to visit but looked like an interesting desert mountain park, even with the construction on the road leading to it.

Mar. 13, 2021

Newer hotel with very good outdoor space

This was a 1 night stay on a trip from California to Texas. The hotel was a little difficult to find. Googlemaps was showing it on the north side of Interstate 20. Little difficult to navigate to it after dark.

The room was a ground floor unit near a side entrance which was great for loading/unloading the vehicle and walking the dog. The outside surroundings of the hotel were very large with a good amount of grass for west Texas. They also had bags and a waste station which is extremely convenient. The hotel was near the highway, but far enough that noise was not an issue.

I had requested a disability accessible room to ensure a ground floor unit for my senior dog. The room was nice, but the shower was a roll in shower, which did not have a great seal on the edge of the floor. This resulted in a very wet floor in the bathroom while taking a shower. Also the hotel had a small fridge inside a strange furniture console the TV was sitting on. I'm not sure how accessible this fridge would be to a disabled guest, as it required me to get down on my knees and crawl inside to reach anything in the fridge.

In short the room and grounds were above average and a great value for the price. I would stay here again in the future.

Mar. 13, 2021

Nice room but needs more space for dogs

I stayed at this hotel on a trip from California to Texas in mid February 2021. The hotel is a newer Holiday Inn just off the highway; far enough not to hear traffic. I thought it was a little pricey for a small town outside of Tucson, plus there was the $20 pet fee. I only stayed for one night, so it was okay.

Traveling with a senior dog, I requested a first floor room, but was given a 2nd floor room. The hotel had several large trucks/construction type and freight in the parking lot that would start up from time to time, which can make some dogs nervous/anxious with the noise. There was not much area to walk the dog around the hotel itself. There was an open gravel/sand lot next to it, but the lighting outside was so poor you needed a flashlight to navigate around the building.

Okay for a night or two, but a little pricey even if it was newer. Probably would research the surrounding 50 miles to see if there were better options if traveling through AZ on Interstate 10.

Mar. 13, 2021

Okay for short stay

I was traveling to Texas from northern California in mid February 2021, and this hotel had a good price. You do get what you pay for. The location is very close to the highway, and does not have much space to walk the dog. The parking lot is fairly well lighted, which helps with midnight strolls. It is motel style in that your room opens out to the parking lot, which is good for nervous dogs and quickly loading/unloading. The room itself was old but clean. The wifi worked well enough. The most annoying thing was the smoke detector constantly beeping every 10 minutes. I was able to drown it out with headphones and my dog was able to ignore it for one night. There is a nice park, Lakeview park not too far away in a nice neighborhood. If I were to stay in the area again I would spend a few dollars more and see if I could find something near the park. Okay for one night.

Mar. 02, 2021