Magnuson Hotel Park Vue — Hotel in Ely

Firstly, this is no longer a BestWestern. It is under Magnuson now.

I came to stay in Ely by way of the Astronomy Festival in Great Basin and this was the closest place with a decent hotel that wasn't a tent or an RV within an hour's drive.

Ely is kind of a town that time forgot and I was a little nervous and dismayed when I pulled into this place off the main drag. The outside facade leaves a lot to be desired, but this place is the pillar of the old adage "don't judge a book by its cover"! Though, some of the other guests staying at the hotel were a bit suspect.

After a weird interaction w/the front desk clerk (who I could not get to understand that I had already paid for my room through my Orbitz reservation) where I had to call my credit card company to tell her the charge for the room had already been made and who seemed a bit out of it, I finally made it up to my room. Thankfully, I was on the 2nd flr and had no one staying on either side of me, so I had a very quiet experience. Also, parking seemed limited, but there did not appear to be a lot of other guests there when I was, so I never had a problem finding a space, especially right in front of my room.

To my very pleasant surprise, the room was spacious, well appointed, clean, had great water pressure in the shower, a big tv, micro and fridge...and the best part (I rarely say this about a hotel) was the bed! It was sooooo comfy, like pillow top mattress comfy and the pillows were plump and plentiful! I was only there for two nights and considering I was sleep deprived due to late night stargazing and the 2hr roundtrip trek to Great Basin NP, it was a welcome relief to come "home" to a warm, clean room, comfy bed, a Law & Order marathon, and a strong...

If you're coming into Ely from the east you'll see from the signage that there are two Magnusons. Though if you see someone who looks like a dead ringer for The Guy from HBO's "High Maintenance" you're probably at the wrong one (and breathing a sigh of relief on learning that, as it looks pretty run-down) ||||The Park Vue stays true to hotel-court "roots", where maybe 50 years ago you'd roll into town and that's what everything was. But hey, it's COVID-ERA now and that's apparently forced a few changes, like a bit of diminishment in the breakfast offerings. Also, the ice machine was broken in a not-sure-it's-temporary sort of way, which is a ding. ||||Room was OK though a bit tired in places, like with a carpet stain or two and the sink/shower appearing to have gone quite some time without an update. TV selection was pretty good, including enough channels to get MSNBC. And Korean baseball on ESPN, with the crowd cut-outs behind home plate and canned audience noises. What could be more Covidian than that? ||||The lady at the counter was nice, though I had only the initial interaction. Location is a plus, as you can walk to the downtown casino or two (or a bar), tie one on, head to the Big 4 for a happy-ending massage, drink some more and not have to get behind the wheel for any of it. Though all that's mostly a fantasy with the virus shutdowns hobbling it while I was there. You'd have to settle for Denny's. (Also, the lone 420 dispensary isn't in walking range).||||So overall I'd say it's 2-stars at best on standards and not the place you'd go if wanting something at or near the top of the market, but if you're looking for something budgety and can get a decent deal then it should be...

Anyone who pays below $100 a night and rates such a great place less than 5 stars doesn’t have his head screwed on right. The price/quality in this place was AMAZING. Staff was unbelievably kind, helpful and accommodating. Room was spacious, very convenient and had all the amenities necessary (some were better than in Hilton in SF for which I usually pay 4x-5x as much a night). Breakfast, while following a typical continental motel breakfast format, has a great selection of things to eat and drink, including vegan and vegetarian options. Premises are a little dated, but I attribute it to the overall charm of Ely. Icing on a cake - they let you stay with your pet free of charge!! Long story short - if you wanna spend a night in this charming town (and you should), don’t look any further than Magnuson...