El Rey Court

The rooms were spacious and clean, the property is charming with large outdoor and indoor common spaces, and the staff were helpful and friendly. The location is short drive to downtown and although the hotel is on busy Cerrillos Road, most of the rooms are set back enough from the road that it feels peaceful. We stayed here twice during our time in New Mexico and I would definitely return on our next trip.

Very cute and hip vibe, the amenities of the bar and pool were very nice. The atmosphere really lived up to my expectations and more and I really enjoyed this aspect of the stay The other amenities like the spa and sauna seemed pretty old and run down and our room was really quite uncomfortable for the price. Nothing was updated and felt like a motel level experience. The worst part was the old air conditioning unit in the room. It was so loud it made it very difficult to sleep. Less than expected for a nicer “cool” hotel. I also found the front desk not very accommodating. While the employees were incredibly nice, and very welcoming, they didn’t seem well trained in hospitality. We mentioned far in advance we’d be arriving early and we requested an early check in. We were told to call the day of arrival to see whether the early check in would be possible. All totally fine. But when we arrived and called the desk really had no information about whether early check in was possible. When we arrived in person we asked again and they said that it depended on when room service would get to the room to clean it as they were currently making rounds. I asked for an estimate of how long it may take. They said they had no idea and couldnt give an estimate. I asked “ballpark number, are you thinking it will be minutes or more like hours. They could not even make the slightest guess even though I found out later they have the ability to call room service. It seems like they could have asked room service to check on our room specifically but no attempt was made until we had been hanging out in the lobby for hours already and I went to check with the desk again. If I had known the staff would make no attempt to actually do anything to accommodate an early check in, I wouldn’t have even bothered asking them so much it just seemed very odd. Again the staff could not be nicer, they just seemed inexperienced and to be frank a little helpless. I understand a bit of an exchange of comfort/typical accommodation for unique atmosphere and experience. But in this case it just felt a bit unprofessional.

Clean rooms. Retro was nice.

Very good

Great breakfast! Nice pool. Clean rooms.

Really a wonderful place.

Good

The design of the rooms and the overall building, the swimming pool and the vibes! Young and modern

Loved the historic Route 66 appeal!

Exceptional

This is minor, but the faucet water wasn't clear, so we didn't drink it. I'm sure it was a temp situation.

The room was clean somewhat outdated.

I perhaps did not have a room that represented the hotel as a whole. Like many nice Mexican hotels the El Rey was very nicely designed with several courtyards, a "swim club" area, and winding passageways with benches and gardened paths. But my room was off in a corner of the "Alamo plaza" which was not as nicely maintained as the rest of the grounds - it was dark and for me that area and the room felt dreary.

The retro setting is a fun entry/exit point for our time in New Mexico. The pool is kid friendly, which is great, but could have used a cleaning.

Unique property

A very disappointing room, would not recommend.

I am giving it 4 stars because it is a clean historic motel with mostly beautiful grounds. That said, the pillows were small, lumpy, uncomfortable and cheap. Next time we stay, we will bring our own pillows.

The spa (hot tub) was lovely, however the sauna wasn't working. Guests must wait until 4 PM to check in; the front desk charges a fee to check out at noon; the cost goes up for a 1 PM checkout. They also charge a resort/amenity fee. The staff kindly provided access to the pool post-checkout; although I did not take advantage of this, the gesture was appreciated.

Our first room had a very soft bed (hard on the back) and a noisy air conditioner. We switched rooms and the new room's bed and air conditioner were good, but it was extremely noisy.

What a great hotel. I love the combination of historic charm and modern amenities. The food truck that serves as the hotel restaurant is a great idea.