Thunderbird Motel

I’ve stayed here for work quite a bit. Always friendly staff and clean, comfortable rooms. A lot of drillers stay here and it can get noisy, especially in the early morning (5am) when they are leaving for work. It’s not the motel’s fault, just that miners have no sense of etiquette.

Needed to cut road trip early due to the hot weather. One of the few cities on 180 Nevada I was drawn in by the sign. They accept dogs and there is a pool onsite. Girl at the counter gave me an awesome deal paid 50 bucks for king size bed and she let my dog stay with me on the lawn chair in the pool area since no one was around. Been so tired from the roadtrip and that night was so awesome. They have sort of grab and go breakfast with waffles and juice. Definitely worth it, will stay again if I stroll through Elko again.

Beds comfortable, and that is about all I can say on the plus side. We needed to plug in lamp and had to move bed and then found where it hadn’t been vacuumed well. Suppose the bathroom was clean, but toilet seat was up and none of that foamy clean smelling water that you often find to tell you that it was scrubbed. Carpet had mysterious stains. Exterior needs lots of work and had there been a fire we would have perished as there was only one way down. Don’t serve breakfast just because you think you have to. Unremarkable packaged items and coffee so so with lids that didn’t fit.

(Ignore the «free wi-​fi» statement on the sign. It was out on the second floor, but I was able to use it n the lobby.) We stay here every year. It is clean, although old. Friendly, relaxed. The usual free coffee and carbohydrates in the morning. Reliably not seedy. Short walking distance to local cafes, the arts center, and Roy’s Market.

The reasons I gave this a low rating are: free internet didn’t work, old plumbing, there were bugs in the bathtub, and not enough electrical outlets.
Positives were: other than the bugs in the tub the room was clean. The AC works well, nice TV and sitting area, and includes a microwave and fridge.

10 years ago I’d say they were a 4 star. Now MAYBE 2. Dirty, half dead staff, uncomfortable beds! WiFi horrible! Only reason they are 2 stars is because they are cheap. But, you do get what you pay for!

Good: they have updated the TV’s to flat screens. Fluffy towels, comfy leather chairs, beds were nice and firm, nice bathmats. Wi-​Fi worked well. Coffee and cookies in the lobby. Decent neighborhood. Parking was okay.
BAD: check out is 11AM, we are not morning people. We arrived after 1 AM and asked for a late check out. We were given a bad time about it. Was told it might be possible. (she implied it would be okay but wouldn’t commit) At 10AM on the dot people were entering our room. ummm hello we are sleeping and indecent. We stopped the housekeeper. Ended up checking out at 11:15. The person in the lobby was snotty and handed a receipt without a greeting, asking how our stay was, what our name was, or what room we were in. The paper she gave us indicated that we arrieved at 1:15 am… so we were in the room for 8 ½ hours when they came barging in… wind down, sleep, shit, shower, shave… um nope not happening if you are not an early riser. (we have stayed at both red lion and gold country inn in the past and not had an issue with a late check out. Both are with in 2 miles of the Thunderbird)
We had a smoking room. Had to go back to the lobby to get an ashtray at 1 in the morning.
I have a back problem and the stairs were difficult for me. There is no elevator.
People in reviews talked about bath and body works soap… nope generic hotel soap and NO SHAMPOO OR CONDITIONER.
People in reviews talked about coupons for breakfast discount… no such item existed.
Few outlets to charge electronics.

Quick summary: there’s a million places to stay in this town and there’s only a few on Unilocal.This place was $ 69/​night + $ 15/​pet + tax = $ 92/​night. There are much cheaper options out there. The room was clean but the TV was small/​fuzzy, and the Internet doesn’t work.
Long review: This place is highly over rated. I had to make three phone calls to get the «FREE WIFI» they advertised on their sign. I called the woman at the front desk to ask what was wrong with the Internet. She said she would reset the router. After waiting an hour, I called the technical support number listed on the login page… to a guy in Rochester, New York. He said the woman at the motel didn’t reset the Internet router. I had to call him back again to finally get things working. So I finally got the Internet working, after about 3 hours and 15 minutes before I had planned on going to bed.
When I complained about it the next morning, the guy at the front desk said they knew that the Internet wasn’t working but that the manager was on vacation and they couldn’t do anything about it. That’s pretty crappy to advertise something that you know doesn’t work. Bait and switch.

We found this motel to be clean and comfortable. There were comfortable beds, a refridgerator, tv, coffee, great shower. Etc, and for a good price. The staff were helpful and friendly.

This place is great! We were doing a huge road trip to the mid west and needed a quick clean place to house our large family. Yes, it’s dated but it was friendly, clean, inexpensive, and pet friendly! So glad we stayed here!

The hotel options between the Bay Area and Yellowstone are limited, especially when you get going on I-​80 in Nevada. If you look at a map, Elko pops up and is the natural place to stop — about eight hours into the two-​day drive to Yellowstone.
After looking on Unilocal for hotel options in Elko, all roads pointed to the Thunderbird. I love mid-​century charm and the price was right, so I booked a room. As we exited the freeway and headed to the old school downtown, the neon Thunderbird sign was a beacon of light beckoning us into the parking lot. Other hotels and motels on the street had empty lots, however, the Thunderbird was full, which made me glad I had thought ahead to make a reservation.
The place is old, but very well kept and clean. Nice fluffy towels, ice machine (important when you’re on a road trip with multiple ice chests), free wifi and a cute pool make the Thunderbird a great place to stay when passing through.
For the price and what you get, the Thunderbird is road tripping perfect.

I booked a room here because of the good reviews and because it was pet friendly. We checked in with no problems and the staff was nice.
The big problem with this being a pet friendly motel is that there’s no where to take your dog except for an alley with broken glass. I did find a nice park about ten blocks down.
The place did have fantastic AC though. Our room was chilly which was perfect for the 105 heat outside. The plumbing wasn’t the greatest. The bathroom sink had a hard time just draining water.
The place is cheap though so for the price it’s okay. There is a really nice looking pool they have right in the center which would be fun for kids.

Clean and reasonable, that’s what we needed, that’s what it was!
Would go back again.

This place is great. Cheap, clean, quiet, rooms big enough for our family of4. A little dated but thst was kind of cool in itself. The staff is friendly and helpful. Best bsng for your buck!

Comfortable motel. I don’t know how you can furnish a place in 70’s furniture doesn’t look 40 years old, but they have, and it’s kinda cool. Our biggest complaint was some 2 am domestic drama behind our room in an alley that wakened us. Price was right.

I’m an Elko resident and stayed here with my mom when she came to town. The room was large and clean and having a mini fridge and microwave was very nice considering we stayed a week. and didn’t plan on eating out every night. Within walking distance of some great restaurants, and the movie theater. Never heard a sound from the guests on either side of us. The staff was friendly as well. I would not hesitate to recommend this motel to folks traveling to Elko!

What an awesome surprise !!! I’m very particular when it comes to hotels, but I can’t stand to pay $ 100 – 200 for a regular hotel when your just driving through. After reading Unilocal reviews I decided to chance a hotel with the name «Thunderbird Inn» and at $ 60 a night I won’t feel ripped off if it’s a dump. It was great. Clean white crisp sheets, large room, quiet never even heard our neighbors .
Management: Please do away with the parking space full of chairs for your staff to sit, smoke and talk. Looks very tacky…

Pretty nice motel for downtown Elko! We selected this place based on Unilocal reviews and were not disappointed. The place is right out of the 1970’s, well maintained and in a nice central location. AC was great, internet was great, pool looked inviting — although we did not partake. Our room was large and clean with a refrigerator and microwave. The TV was a small CRT — I would have given 5 stars if we would have found a 40″+ flatscreen — with a bazillion channels! Note — you gotta eat dinner at the Star Hotel about 2 blocks away — just walk. It’s a Basque restaurant and the food is plentiful and delicious! Room was about $ 70 out the door — and we did not have a reservation. Next time I need a room in Elko this is where I’m going!

This is, of course, a relative star rating… Given rural, northern Nevada, this is as good as it gets. Would I give it 5 stars in Boston or Chicago??? Probably not. But again — you’re in Nevada. Everything about this place is fantastic, and I’m picky and have germ-​a-​phobic tendencies. And there is nothing so unique and down-​home in large cities anymore anyway, so there you go…
I felt like I had slipped into the early 70’s with the 2 leather captain’s chairs and the amazingly stylized décor — but it’s not threadbare or dirty, it seems somehow preserved and inviting. Microwave and fridge/​freezer included and the rooms are immaculate. The carpet could use a cleaning, but aside from that, it’s the best I’ve ever had in Nevada — especially for the price. It’s quaint, charming, friendly and endearingly retro. It’s obvious the staff takes pride in their product and cares about their customers. Considering it’s only $ 10 more than the skeezy, bug-​infested Motel 6-​of-​shatterted-​dreams down the street, it’s a no-​brainer. You will remember this stay, I guarantee. Comfy beds, good showers and a block away from the best restaurant in town (Machi’s.)
If you find yourself in this part of Nevada, I’m sorry for you, and you should treat yourself to this respite from the mundane and depressing surroundings which encroach at every turn. It’s retro, cool and welcoming. No complaints. Free wireless that works and a friendly vibe.

Thank you other Unilocaler’s for leading me to this place! And to think I almost driver on to Salt Lake City last night. What an amazing place I would have missed.
The area that the Thunderbird is located in looks like mini Vegas. It’s pretty freakin’ adorable. There’s cute shops everywhere, and a ton of interesting things to look at.
The Thunderbird, itself is great. There’s a pool! The rooms are incredible affordable, and really well-​kept.
The staff is very friendly, and the beds are even pretty comfortable.
There’s no coffee maker in the room I had, but they have it flowing 24 – 7 in the office, which I really enjoyed this morning.
Thanks Thunderbird! I’ll be seeing you again, for sure!