Thunderbird Lodge — Hotel in Four Corners States

We stayed for two nights; 9/2/2016 and 9/3/2016.

We arrived in the middle of a torrential downpour, as we now know that early Fall is considered "monsoon season" in and around the Grand Canyon.

So this is worth noting because....given the rain and wind, and our total and complete unfamiliarity with the area, we had no idea where we were going. First off, there are zero signs for the Thunderbird Lodge as you make your way down the various roads after entering via the South Rim entrance. So a heads up....follow the signs for the "Bright Angel Lodge". After circumnavigating the hotel area two times (including the train depot and the "village"), we decided to roll the dice and pop into one of the hotel-looking structures and ask for directions. Next tip....some of the free-standing structures are standalone and there isn't a "front desk" or anything remotely helpful to assist you in determining where you may be. We came across a fellow traveler, and they directed us to the Thunderbird Lodge front desk. We arrived, and as the gentleman behind the counter seemed preoccupied with his computer, we gave him a minute. Or two. After several moments, he looked up and appeared to have been rudely interrupted when he asked "Yes....?". I asked if he could check us in, and he said he could. Great; from my years of travel, that is one of the main functions of a front desk. Anyways, I attempted to inject some levity and suggested that the Thunderbird Lodge add a sign or two to help folks determine where they are. Well, he didn't like this one bit; he said there were signs all over and implied I simply didn't see them. So after getting our keys, and once the rain stopped (it did finally stop, and the rainbows were magnificent), we looked about for the signs. We saw two; one was a sign affixed to the side of the building by the door, that you could only see if you were on the sidewalk on your way to the building. The second was one that maybe someone could see if they knew exactly where to look; understand that this sign was located in the proximity of the parking lot, and a vehicle's passengers would only see if if they turned INTO the parking lot assuming they knew where they were going.

The location of this hotel can't be beat. We had elk right outside our window one morning. The rooms were cozy and clean. We had a wonderful experience with the young lady at the Kolb Studio; she went out of her way to act as a tour guide for ourselves and another party. Hats off to her.

Bottom line: decent enough hotel, some really annoying quirks, but at the end of the day, they know that you can't stay anywhere else....because there is nowhere...

We stayed at Thunderbird Lodge for two nights in mid-May. I can't remember why I picked this lodge over the others, but I think I was thinking it would be quieter as it doesn't have its own restaurant or even its own check-in/registration area. Guests staying at Thunderbird check in next door at Bright Angel Lodge.||Our room was perfectly suitable although, like many hotels rooms these days, the lighting could have been better for my eyes. We had a generous supply of towels as well as an in-room coffee set-up and a small fridge. I seldom find pillows firm enough in hotels, and this was no exception, but they were okay.||We didn't bother having housekeeping as we stayed only two nights, but I did go looking for extra coffee packets, and the staff person who helped me couldn't have been nicer. Also, the staff at Bright Angel were very nice and helpful.||Our room was on a low floor (there are only a couple of levels), but we were lucky enough to get a room overlooking the canyon -- just pull the curtains open and there is was.||The best part of staying here was that it did turn out to be very quiet. But that may not be desirable for everyone. I could certainly see the convenience of staying at Bright Angel or one of the other options that have a registration area, restaurant/bar, gifts shop, etc. ||There was a water station near our room (and I assume on every floor). One thing to note: I don't think there are elevators in this lodge. We didn't see one, and there are some stairs up and down here and there. (After we were at the room we realized we could have used the opposite side door and avoided...

I strongly recommend you either flip the buck and stay at the more expensive hotel or go cheaper and stay in the local town 5 minutes away. We called and we're told there was a full canyon view room with a king size bed and a couch for just over $400 after tax. We booked and upon arriving I realized we've wasted $200. But I'd like to get the pro's out of the way first: Great location to the grand canyon, you can see see it fairly well from your room depending on which room you get. You're inside the national park. Cons: not family, elderly pet or handicap accessible at all. You have to know which entrance to use to get to your room since inside there is no ramp or elevators only stairs. The rooms are extremely outdated and lacking typical amenities. The rooms are very stale, stagnant and musty smelling. The ac / heat doesn't seem to work well. Our room we've had to lower to 66 heat but it feels like 90 to everyone in here. The room does not have a full view of the canyon as we were told on the phone, it's a partial view as explained by the front desk upon check in. There is no couch. The rooms is quite small. The king bed takes up the entire room. There's a couple food options immediately surrounding but all are extremely packed pretty pricey. We drove 10 minutes to the local town and ate some great food at the foodie place. Biggest con of all though is that there is an insane lack of parking. We had to park our car a good mile away. Save yourself some money, get a hotel in the local tow,drive over here and get a good spot...