Wagon Wheel Motel — Hotel in Cuba

There is something seriously wrong with the owner Connie....We booked on line directly off their website and detailed that we were travelling with a service dog. When we arrived at 3:30 pm mid afternoon the owner was rushing to leave for the day and said that she had no vacancy I showed her my reservation where she had taken my deposit already and advised rudely that was Visa not her that we were lucky she was still there and that she only had one room available but let us know we were putting her out because now she would have to arrange to have the room cleaned on our departure. My 27 year old daughter and I were on a route 66 adventure from Ohio to California so we just killed her with kindness as we did not want to taint our day, we were exhausted and my daughter has medical challenges that required us to rest. To that point in our trip everyone along the route had been so pleasant and we figured maybe she is just having a bad day. In fact I was not going to write this review until i read some of the others here that had similar experience. We were parked out front of the office and My daughter let the dog out of the car in plain view and walked him over to the room. The owners left and we settled in. In the entire motel there was only two other guests so she lied about the vacancy claim....The room was pleasant although the bedspread did have a rather large stain on it (it was clean it was just a set in stain). The mattresses were super comfortable and we had the best most restful sleep. We were up and out 5:30 am the next morning to continue our adventure and journey. While we were stopped at a site called the Blue Hole, we received a phone call from Connie who was super irate that we had deceived her by having a dog with us to which we took offence and said that we had declared the dog on the original booking and that she had to be blind to not have seen him on check in she continued to literally scream and scold my daughter the owner of the service dog. I mean what kind of low person does that screams at someone with a service dog especially someone who legitimately booked said animal. She went on to say that she had sent an email to us about the booking which was also a lie and she knows it was because when we stood at her desk we had searched wagon wheel hotel to show her our original reservation and that was the only email we received. She went ahead and charged us for the entire room fee on top of the security deposit that she had already taken that was supposed to be deducted from the cost of the room. After yelling at us and advising us that she knew we were trouble from the moment she laid eyes on us she hung up. We tried calling her back to clear the air and evidence that we had done nothing wrong but she no longer picked up the call. She really shook my daughter up it took us a couple hours to reset after that for our mother daughter adventure and shake the stigma she had inflicted out our vacation. At the end of the day I did not pursue the money that she had illegally charged for my own peace and we continued on our journey and stayed and three other lovely establishments where the staff were outstanding, kind and pleasant. I would not give Connie your...

Updated from 2 to 1 star, based on the responses (yes, there was an original they deleted; if you think the current one is unprofessional....). I guess I should have read the other reviews first, so I would expect an unprofessional reply. My issue is not that they updated things, but that they go out of their way to advertise the originality of the place, and it's not truly as original as their website leads you to believe (no pictures of rooms, no mention that the decor is not even period...). That shows intentional deception to lure customers in who are looking for the historic experience. I'm sorry that they felt their path with renovations was their only option, but don't try to snow folks into staying there by boasting about it's "originality", when enough critical features have been changed from that. Blue Swallow Motel in Tucamcari, NM has been in continuous operation for almost as long, and has maintained the vast majority of their originality. I didn't even mention Wagon Wheel's poor quality of construction of the renovations, nor that the room smelled like there could be mold. If my only gripe was the sign, I wouldn't have mentioned it; it was mainly the room that left us feeling deceived.

Notice that they don't deny the statements I made below. Like I said, it's sad, because I don't think they will survive competition. They only seemed to be 20% occupied on a Friday night, and from what I've read since our stay, this is the norm. It won't take a big motel to take away their remaining business. Sad.

Original 2 star review: Honestly, one of our biggest disappointments on our Route 66 trip. Stayed here on our last night, expecting more of the authentic Route 66 feel we'd been getting at other historic motels, given it's the longest operating historic motel, and that they advertised they still had the original doors, floors, and windows. While the grounds are nice, and I can confirm the doors and windows are original (floors also, about 90%), at some point in the last, I would guess, 10-15 years, the rest of the room was replaced with cheap, modern furnishings, fixtures and decor. We would have expected a place advertising their authenticity was actually authentic where it counts. Half the neon sign was also out when we checked that night to take a picture (a minor detail, but in light of everything else...)

We plan on doing many more Route 66 trips, having fallen in love with the Mother Road after this trip, but I think next time we will be staying at the nearby Shamrock Motor Court (currently being restored to period condition). Don't get me wrong, I love this motel has been in operation all this time, but I don't think we'll be staying here again, truthfully, unless and until it's actually restored to period (I can definitely say that I would pay more to get a more authentic feel, given that was what we were loking for with our stays). The sad thing is, I think this will become necessity, if other abandonned motels in the area are being restored to period style, like the Shamrock. Once they open up, I think it will be hard for the Wagon...

After passing this place on old Route 66 in Cuba Missouri for years we finally stayed a night. It's a memorable experience--a piece of old Route 66 history built back in the 1930s, but fortunately revamped since then. :D Rooms are in "cabins" (2-3 suites per structure), varying considerably in size, with a gravel drive, and a separate building in back that has washer/dryer units.

We requested (and got) one of the larger rooms, which are more comparable to modern hotel room sizes (and, alas, prices). Reservations are made through a basic web site, but unlike most web reservations you can't lock in a specific room type. You'll need to specify what sort of room you're hoping for in the notes. There is no automatic confirmation--I recommend calling to make sure the reservation was received and to confirm what room you got. Also, the office isn't manned 24/7 like some major chain hotel -- if you're going to be arriving really late, I advise calling in to make arrangements.

Room 22 is the "jacuzzi" room, which made it a particularly memorable adventure since: a) there were no instructions, b) the controls aren't labeled, and c) I have never used one before. Tip to anyone staying in Room 22: it is important to get the water level such that once you are in the tub, it is above the upper jets, before you start the jacuzzi. For similar reasons you want to turn the jets OFF before getting out (and lowering water level). If the machine stops on its own, it has NOT turned off--it will turn back on in a few minutes. (The power button is a toggle so you can't just switch it off to be sure.) This can result in a "surprise" as the jets suddenly GEYSER WATER EVERYWHERE! Thank goodness for the tile on the walls.

For Room 22 at least, the bed is comfortable, there is a dehumidifier to help offset humidity from the jacuzzi (though the water collector may need emptying), there is a handy mini-fridge and microwave combo, and the room was comfortably cool even in hot summer (the thermostat is NOT accessible to set a specific temperature). Layout consisted of a front room with bed, TV, table and chairs, and then the back room included a sink, mini-fridge, microwave, bathroom with shower, and jacuzzi tub.

There were two wi-fi networks active, but the connection was so spotty from our cabin that they were useless to check email or browse sites; fortunately, local cell coverage is solid. By pure chance, when we turned on the TV to the local PBS station right after checking in, it was showing a program about Route 66, and even showed some of the murals in nearby Cuba, Missouri!

There is a wonderful BBQ spot ("Missouri Hick BBQ") right next to the office. The gift shop has a nice selection of Route 66 souvenirs, though hours vary as to when it's open.

We will likely stay again the next time we're passing through the area. It was a fun and...