Carlsbad Inn — Hotel in Carlsbad

I’ve stayed at just about every local motel at this price point in an effort to try to find my Goldilocks. You know the place, not too loud, not too cringey, staff don’t make you want to guard your valuables when you leave your room (or even let you back into your room because they can’t figure locks out; oh, yes, that was a winning experience I’ll tell you: five straight days of having to get the staff to open your door. Every. Single. Time), or can’t grasp the concept that you might stay more than one night and after explaining that you are, seem to insist you’re somehow lying and want to come into your room anyways (and worse still, don’t care that your Do Not Disturb sign is clearly posted on the door handle), or getting bit by bed bugs, having spotty to no WiFi. Yes, these are personal experiences from motels I’ve stayed at in Carlsbad. No, you won’t get that at the Carlsbad Inn, thankfully.

What you will get is great service staff that know how to run a motel of this sort. You need something? They’re right there. If you want to be left the heck alone, they’re happy to oblige. You get solid Wi-Fi, a decent sized TV, beds free of bed bugs or spiders, and clean bathrooms. During the summer you even get a pretty solid outdoor pool that’s kept clean and proper like.

What you won’t get is a disastrous “continental breakfast” like other motels around here. Oh, you know, the eggs that taste like they’re some kind of mystery goop, sausage and bacon that may or may not have come from an animal, and juice that’s more water than juice. With the money you’re saving you can go visit the Blue House or the Pecos River Cafe down the way, which are far superior to the dysentery you might have gotten from said “continental breakfast.” There’s even a Dollar General next door.

I’ve been staying here for the better part of 6 months or more and I always find my way back here because the Carlsbad Inn is the Goldilocks of the local 2-star motels and you’d do well to...

Summary: Easy to find. Great value for the area. I travel for work and normally stay at the big chains, but decided to try out this independent motel. I only needed to stay a couple of nights, but will definitely stay again if I'm in the area. Seemed safe, and was clean/freshly renovated. It's still a motel, but it's a nice one.

--Extra Info-- Parking: No issues, even with most of the spaces filled up on arrival. Small-ish parking area, with Lots of work trucks on a weeknight, BUT the spaces are planned out well with big vehicles in mind. Lots of large truck spots, plus some well planned parallel spaces and a couple compact spots.

Front desk: Awesome service, even checking in at 9pm. The attendant was nice and welcoming. I booked online without calling or speaking to anybody in person, and check-in went smooth when I got here.

Room: I had a queen 1-bed room on the ground floor. SUPER spacious. No tripping over your stuff in here. Loveseat, desk, office chair, dresser/fridge, queen bed, and still plenty of floor space. Plenty of outlets/plugins. CLEAN!!! It looks like it's been newly renovated, or just kept up well. The walls have fresh paint. There is partial carpet and partial wood/laminate flooring. It looks like they actually mop/clean the floors! The linens were fresh and clean. The whole room just smelled and felt CLEAN. (Not perfumed or febreezed either, like actually just crisp and clean)

Bathroom: Great shower pressure with adjustable pressure shower head. Plenty of hot water. No vent fan, but has a window that can be opened. Clean white towels. Extra vanity shelf and closet area outside of the actual bathroom....

It had already been a long day for me, rising before the Sun, 24AUG2024, and was quite ready to turn in by the time I arrived in Whites CityNM. Unfortunately, it was Saturday late afternoon and there were no vacancies; I had to push on another 15miles/24kms to the thriving community of Carlsbad. The oil & gas boom had exponentially increased the number of overnight hotels/motels , but the best for me was a long-time favorite decades ago for my family & me: the CARLSBAD INN. It was more expensive ($90usd) than from way back then, but it had been significantly upgraded, especially with a functional swim pool. In fact, that became an essential factor in my recovery from lack of rest & rejuvenation of my road-weary body! I was extremely grateful to be assigned to Room 125; not only was it on the ground level, but there was an ice/coke machine close by the entrance. Visions of easy ice cooled me off until I saw NO ice had been generated! Good thing the bag of ice I had bought in Cornudas was still mostly full! The large king bed left ample space for me to exercise. I really liked the near total blackout curtains, but the highly effective a/c unit is occasionally noisy. There is no restaurant on the premises, but a few are in easy walking distance, including the always important Dollar Store. I liked the good water pressure & excellent cold/hot water was available. The soap/hair shampoo/cleanser was quite adequate. I actually got rather decent rest on the firm mattress, but was quite disappointed that “sleeping in” didn’t help the deflated left front tire on my ‘07! Good thing the Wal-Mart tire shop was...