Kinnikinnik Motor Lodge — Hotel in Estes Park

In October 2025, we spent 2 nights in the family suite (#4) at the Kinnikinnik. We absolutely loved our stay. The remodeled rooms are decorated nicely with a homey feeling. Our kids loved having their own room to spread out in and mom and dad appreciated a separate room with a king size bed. All of the beds were very comfortable and towels and bedding were also very nice. I had read in reviews previously about squeaky bed frames. Yes, the king in the family suite was a little squeaky but not bad enough to keep me awake or wake me up in the night.

The bathroom was small but efficient. The tub/shower was plenty big and it was nice to even have a window in the bathroom. There was not a lot of counter space but under the sink was a clean and empty cabinet so easy to store whatever. Water pressure was good and the provided shower toiletries smelled great and were lovely to use.

The kitchenette with microwave and fridge was handy for our family to have snacks, drinks and light food on hand. Restaurant prices in Estes can really add up so it was great to be able to have some breakfast or lunch items ready to keep it simple or to pack a cooler for a day in RMNP.

There was a wall unit in each room for heating/cooling. You could set to your desired temperature in each room and it worked well to maintain those temps. When it was running, it was similar to a fan. For me, it was like white noise and helped me sleep.

After a couple days in RMNP, we tried out the hot tub on property. It was plenty hot and clean. 2 adults and 2 kids fit comfortably. And you can even see the mountains in the distance as you relax in the hot tub. We also tried out the gas fire pits. At first we couldn’t get it started, but a quick Google search and we had it started immediately after that.

I’m not sure that I’ve ever stayed in a motel before but I actually love the motor lodge concept with parking just steps away from your room. Similar to a cabin or VRBO, it is so convenient when you forget something in the car. The keypad doors are nice and worked out well. And so long as you aren’t a total slob, there is no issue not having housekeeping every single day. I took trash to the dumpster one day and made an exchange for clean towels. Both activities took me less than 5 minutes -not a big deal. The woman that lives on the property is just a text away and super attentive should you need something.

No complaints about the location. You did have to drive through town to get to RMNP but it was only about a 10 minute drive. (Recommend avoiding Elkhorn Ave if heading to the park). I looked at several accommodations that put you closer to nature but the set up of the Kinnikinnik family suite with the modern decor and reasonable prices won me over. There were elk on the golf course behind the motor lodge every morning and evening. Honestly just driving through Estes Park you could see numerous mule deer and elk at all times of day so I wouldn’t worry too much about being in town and “away from nature.”

Overall, we loved staying in a family suite at Kinnikinnik as we explored RMNP for a couple of days. The separate rooms and small kitchenette are great for families traveling with kids. If we ever visit Estes Park again, we would for sure...

So, I'm going to show you the pictures that aren't on their website for the super cute queen with a fireplace, Rm 11. For the price, you can't beat it in Estes Park. I think this room was $198 all said and done and that's not typical for this area, especially during tourist season. Hassle free direct booking on their site and hassle free access to our room. I love finding these kinds of places! This one came highly recommended by my son who lives and works in Estes Park. He mentioned that Kinnikinnick recently came under new ownership and these folks have their poop in a group! I got a text as soon as I booked with everything I needed to know so we could arrive at our own convenience without having to chase anyone down. The entire room has some of that old school kitsch like the Frigidaire and some post modern furniture accented by random pieces of art... Definitely a couple photos from the RMNP which couldn't be any closer and just some really cool stuff in nearly every corner and check out that fireplace! It's July, so we didn't start it, but it's a really nice touch. Everything is super clean, the bedding is plush, the towels (I'm sorry I used every single one) are also plush, the bathroom is tight and the water pressure is perfect. There's shampoo, conditioner and body wash mounted to the wall of the shower. Each bottle was filled which is REALLY appreciated by a person who travels light after spending the day on planes. The tub is oddly shaped; it has a weird dip in the middle of it toward the drain but I'm sure that's a cast iron tub and it's pretty narrow. I banged the bejeebus outta my shin on the side of it when I nearly slipped stepping in. Yes, there is a mat on the bottom of the tub but this thing was so clean that it hadn't been wet yet in order to create a suction lol. I've got a knot forming on my leg but I'm also melting into this bed. The remodel still looks and functions great! Once I got the mat suctioned to the tub, I took an amazing shower. If I weren't only coming through for one night, I would go on about how close ALL the good stuff is, but I just wanted to take a moment and gush over the part of this trip that really stood out for me. 10/10 next time I plan the hard way to Moab or just want to spend some time enjoying a place I love that's stress free and gives me the comforts of home, I'm booking Kinnikinnick Motor Lodge for more than one night. Thank you! Oh, the light inside the closet might need a new bulb. That's also really useful, especially for an...

This place deserves all its star ratings. I usually shy away from this style of accommodation (motel), but the reviews were so great, and it had the exact amount of space my family of 4 needed, so I went ahead and booked it. I was NOT disappointed.

The morning we were supposed to check in, I got a lovely detailed text message giving me our room number and the code to our room, along with directions on how to use the keypad. I was a bit worried about the entrance since a lot of people said it's a steep entrance right off the road, but it wasn't near as steep as I was expecting and we had no problem finding the place. It does have a high but smaller sign next to the road so keep an eye out for it. Google maps took us straight to it and we were coming in during the day so it was easy to find.

We booked a family suite since we had two of our teens with us. There was plenty of space for all of us to spread out, a decent size closet in the kids bedroom, a nice size table with four chairs, a mini fridge, coffee maker, and a microwave. There is no fan in the bathroom, but there's a small window you can open for ventilation. It also has shampoo, conditioner, and body wash pumps on the wall. (None of that 2 in 1 stuff! Yay!) I Don't know what scent they use for the soaps and such, but it smells lovely. They also have cute little makeup towels for washing your face with. I was also happy to see that they provided us with four, fluffy bath towels, whereas most hotels only provide you with three. The whole place was beautiful inside and really felt cozy and homey.

The beds were comfortable, but the pillows, which I always seem to find lacking at hotels, were perfect! (It's the little things that make a place great). The only complaint I might have was that the air conditioner was a wall unit in the main room, and there was no air conditioner in the kids room or fans. Luckily my husband and I like to sleep with it cold, so we turned it down to 60 at night and kept the kids door open. They said it worked fine for them and they were comfortable.

There are a lot of great places to eat and neat little shops in Estes Park, and Kinnikinnick is perfectly placed. It's not too far that you can't get there quickly, but far enough that there's not a lot of traffic or noise, despite it being right off the highway.

100% will stay here again if we are in this area...