Bishop Thunderbird Motel

BEWARE! BEWARE! Don’t get scammed like we almost did!
We booked two rooms through
and showed up and the lady at the front desk had room keys and everything ready then all of a sudden said «oh sorry we are full but we another hotel down the street that I will call and let him know you’re coming over». We thought this was very strange but thought maybe we weren’t «trashy» enough for this run down motel? Either way we head over to the Econolodge, which was a much nicer hotel anyways so it seemed like a great deal. They gave us two rooms and matched the price of the other hotel rate.
Here’s the kicker, since we booked the first hotel through
we believe we were sent over to other hotel so they can collect the cancellation fee for «not showing up» to our original reservation, when actually they sent us to another hotel. So in this case the hotel still gets their cut from
as well as two open rooms to book for walk-​ins… Luckily we caught on to what was going on and squared away with
and warned them of the scam that these people are pulling on their guests… You have been warned! PLEASE STAY AWAY FROM THIS PLACE!

Probably one of the worst motels I have ever stayed at. The staff was nice and accommodating but the state of the motel needs a serious revamp. It was old and worn out, the TV was on top of two small nightstands (stacked), random toilet paper covering holes in the walls, 5 locks to lock the door (very scary) and the small refrigerator made a ton of noise all night long. The only reason for 2 stars was the bathroom was clean and the staff was nice. Avoid staying here unless you are in a desperate situation. Good luck Thunderbird Motel, please update your rooms!

PROS:
Cheap
Off-​highway, so quiet (except ***)
Staff is nice
Clean enough
The sign looks super cool at night
Across the street from AAA and you can walk to Looney Beans and Jack’s
Great ice machine (even if it looks like s**t)
CONS:
Tired and shabby inside and outside
*** A/​C made a ton of noise!!! (cooled OK, but couldn’t leave it on at night)
Linoleum was peeling up in the bathroom
Drain in tub was slow (reminded me of hotels in Mexico)
Room layout is just plain dumb
Place was plumbed in reverse! (left was cold, right hot, wtf???)
Dinky fridge with worn out insides (cooled OK)
Crappy wi-​fi
Bottom line: this place is a dump, it’s better to spend up a bit for nicer, more spacious digs. I grew up poor and I’m not a snob; maybe if it was around $ 50 it would be better.

Pulled in around 1:30AM. First thoughts: noticed the state of disrepair from the exterior of the building (which should be expected given the less than average price of its competitors)
Reserved a room via
–the only way you can do it– three days before our arrival. Got there and was told they never got our reservation and was over-​booked. Suggested for us to go elsewhere.
Next day: received a no-​show charge from
. Called thunderbird motel and spoke to the hotel owner who said they would take care of it.
Decided to call customer service at
for good measure and was told that the owner had just called to tell them that we had cancelled our reservations due to «unsatisfactory conditions» and would have been charged the $ 65 fee.
Literally the worst place to even try and stay. Definitely should’ve listened to past Unilocalers. Would recommend sleeping in your car overnight if it came to that decision. Terrible, terrible place.

Staff was friendly and room was as expected. Stayed about a week and a half and room was cleaned only half the time unless we specifically asked for cleaning. Owners were otherwise accommodating and it somewhat felt like home for a little while. The motel sign is pretty cool! Is very near shops and restaurants.

I’ve stayed in four different low cost motels in Bishop over the last seven weeks. Thunderbird was the most recent and a real disappointment. Not cheap at 60+ dollars a night. Few of the light fixtures functioned, there were uncovered wires hanging from a socket near the bed and the wifi code had to be continuously retyped. I stayed two nights and no room cleanup after the first night. The place was noisy and unattractive. Yes the shower functioned and was hot and left the bathroom floor covered in water. Stay elsewhere.

I have rented motel rooms here on two different occasions during the summer and my stay here was very pleasant. The lady at the front office was very nice and the check in process was quick. The rooms did look old but other than that, I did not experience any other problems as listed by some of the reviewers previously. We definitely did not experience any bed bug problems. There are other amenities tv/​microwave etc but we only ended up using the Wi-​Fi service. I felt that it was in a great location as everything is just walking distance away from here. It is an affordable place and I would definitely not mind going back to this place again.

We paid 90 dollars for a Saturday night. Spend the extra ten and go to the motel six. The beds are hard. Pillows are flat. Lifted the pillow case and there was blood stains on the pillow. Asked for a new one and all of them had yellow stains. The walls are dirty. There were spots where the carpet was coming up and they used duct tape to fix it. I slept on my sweatshirt and my pants tucked into my socks because I don’t want to touch anything. It was the worst motel I have ever stayed at.

Older motel some rooms big, some small rooms and smoking rooms available, microwave, coffee pot and small fridge. Great water pressure! Parking so so. But in good location to walk around bishop, room furniture old, no hassle checking in air con works well bed comfortable and clean linen. No bed bugs! I feel comfortable staying at the Thunderbird

Motel was substandard to say the least. Stayed recently for 5 nights while fishing in the Bishop area. Owner’s son gave us a good rate, $ 60 per night which was $ 10 off normal rate. But that was the only hi-​light. Beds are indeed one mattress on a plywood platform. Linens are from the 60’s I am guessing and marginally clean. Bathroom needed MAJOR repairs. Wall was coming apart, mold at the base of the tub and the sink faucet came apart the first night we were there. They did fix it, but only with used parts. No new faucet which would have been better. Ants were a problem from the 3^rd night on and they were everywhere. Oh and the first day we were gone, we came back to NOTHING being done in the room. We asked and were told if we wanted room service, we had to go to the office and ask for them to do our room. Not sure what this was all about as I had never been anywhere where this was the norm.
Also, first night we were there, had food in the fridge. Went fishing the next day and came back to the fridge having been turned off. So everything was warm and a few things went to waste, When we inquired at the office about why this had happened, we received a «we do not know.» Owner’s son was pleasant but after numerous times of having to go to the office to ask for toilet paper (they did not leave any) no towels etc, the owner’s daughter advised us they could refund our money and we could just leave since we had so many problems. This place is reasonable but it I will not stay there again, that I can say for sure. It needs upgraded, general maintenance and I think maybe a good spraying for bugs is in order. Not surprised that someone else found bed bugs.

this place is probably under ranked because folks expect too much from Bishop. the rooms are small and clean and it is one of the lowest prices in town. if you are looking for a five star resort do not come to Bishop but if you’re looking for a clean nice place to stay while you are fishing or backpacking or doing something else this is your place. the owner is polite and helpful and the hotel is located within walking distance of most places you want to go. most importantly, it is right across the street from Jacks restaurant and Mac’s sporting goods.

Absolutely terrible. Disgusting, really. First off… The rooms haven’t had any improvements since the 70’s. Probably the same fixtures, door handles, moulding, etc. At least that’s what our room looked like.
My buddy and I checked in really quick, dropped our bags in the room and head out for food and drink and more food. Didn’t return back to our room until 2am. Never thought I’d find that much night life in Bishop. But I digress.
When we got back to our room we discovered the nastiness but we were too tired and drunk to complain and move our stuff to another room. Anyways… on to my complaints. There are no box springs under the mattresses… only plywood boxes. The sheets on both beds had that «lived in» feel. Oh yeah! I’m talking about that familiar human scent and slightly too soft feeling that only comes from used sheets. I picked up my pillow and smelled, you guessed it, stale cologne smell! From someone with bad taste in cologne. I was so mad at this point I almost woke up the family that runs the joint. Then my friend finds a round, rusty red stain on the fitted sheet on his bed. I can’t say with certainty… but it sure looked like blood. TV didn’t turn on… At all. Odd smell in the room… Dirty looking bathroom… Old carpet. Just a dump! Oh and one more thing… I almost puked walking into the office to check in (before alcohol), the nasty smell coming from the owners’ living quarters was crippling.

It was labor day weekend, everywhere else was either booked or more expensive. We were heading to LA from Burning Man (my girlfriend and her friend) and were tired and needed to stop for the night. paid about $ 88 after tax. Kind of expensive for what it was; but wasn’t that bad. stinky and cheap, had some bugs and firm beds, but slept well.
Best part of the room was the shower head, it had so much pressure it made it worth while because we were dirty, dusty, and smelly.

This place is fine. Not great, but it does the trick.
The price is right ($ 55 + $ 5 for a dog), the facility is clean and cared for. Check-​in is friendly and painless. Wi-​Fi is free and you are very close to a decent coffee shop.
The few downsides are that the pillows are flat, the sheets threadbare and the mattress not the best. If you want better than all that, pay more than double somewhere else at a sterile chain hotel.
Bottom line: I am satisfied and will be back.

We found some bugs on both our beds. That night I decided to sleep in my car trunk, while my travel companion slept in the bath tub. They were nice and refunded our lodging fees. Probably they fixed the bed bug issue. They can’t really help it. Travelers will bring them I guess.

At least the a/​c worked. Upon arriving you are overwhelmed by a strong urine smell. No fire alarm in the room and broken latches on the window so anyone can climb in. The mattress is so hard it is like sleeping on the floor (not recommended) which should have been changed years ago. The wife is very friendly but the husband is argumentative. I will never return to this place again.

Seems reasonable. Small place, low price, better amenities than motel 6, (microwave, wifi, coffee maker, bath tub, fridge). 1 block off main street, (which is good).
My room is missing one venetian blind, which is a little scary. I use my room to stash my stuff, (rather than leave it on my motorcycle), but leaving it visible kind of defeats the purpose. Still, a good deal here.
(I’ve seen no bugs yet.)

Bedbugs! A very heavy infestation of bedbugs, plainly visible when the sheets were off, making me wonder whether they change sheets between guests, because you just couldn’t miss seeing them. The motel owner was nice about refunding us for the night but refused to pay our laundering expenses.

This is a dumpy hotel. I paid $ 90 for a Friday night, king sized bed.
Its shaped like a horseshoe and the parking is cramped. So dont expect much privacy.
On the positive side, they did have free wireless internet access.
This place should have been $ 50 a night, not $ 90.

A no-​frills motel for wanna-​be/​aspiring dirtbags who need some luxuries. Or, if it’s too cold to camp with the gear you have. I stayed there for the first time last weekend and it was pretty decent. $ 70/​night. We got two rooms, one had two queens and the other had two queens and a twin. Pets are allowed, that was the main reason we came as we had two dogs in our group. They now have free Wi-​Fi and apparently a free continental breakfast, but we didn’t try this out.
The room was pretty basic with a dresser, TV, night stand, small table, luggage stand, etc. It’s nice to have the sink separate from the shower so more than one person can get ready faster in the morning. I can’t speak for the bed quality as I slept on the floor with my Thermarest and sleeping bag. The owner/​manager is pretty chill and casual. We rolled in at about 2:30am without any issues, although we warned him in advance. The water pressure in the shower was amazing, super powerful, almost too powerful.