Pawnee Valley Lodge — Hotel in Jetmore

Just ok is the honest assessment. It’s basically a roadside motel, but at hotel prices. If we had paid about $100 for a 2 night stay it would have been about right, but it was about $160 total. I guess though, when you are the only lodging place in town, you can charge whatever you like. Bed was not great. We (my wife and I) got a “Queen room” but it felt more like a twin or double size bed. Also felt more like a cot than an actual bed. I would have gone with 3 stars because the room was at least clean and it had a fridge, but we had a pretty big problem the 2 nights we were there. Both nights, around 3am, we were woken by strange sounds coming from the wall above the bed. Almost like something was IN the wall. The best way to describe it; it was as if someone in the room next to us was trying to hang a picture with a hammer and nail. Tap tap tap tap non stop pretty loudly for at least an hour, nearer 2 the second night. Maybe pipes expanding or something. Really strange. Finally, on check out day, at 10.50am with checkout being at 11am, I went to the front office to check out and get a receipt. After about 10 mins of waiting I finally gave up on anybody showing up and so I just left the room key on the counter and we hit the road. Next time I think I’ll drive the extra 25 miles to Dodge City; a much better room can be found there at the Super 8 or Best Western for not a whole lot more...

Just ok is the honest assessment. It’s basically a roadside motel, but at hotel prices. If we had paid about $100 for a 2 night stay it would have been about right, but it was about $160 total. I guess though, when you are the only lodging place in town, you can charge whatever you like. Bed was not great. We (my wife and I) got a “Queen room” but it felt more like a twin or double size bed. Also felt more like a cot than an actual bed. I would have gone with 3 stars because the room was at least clean and it had a fridge, but we had a pretty big problem the 2 nights we were there. Both nights, around 3am, we were woken by strange sounds coming from the wall above the bed. Almost like something was IN the wall. The best way to describe it; it was as if someone in the room next to us was trying to hang a picture with a hammer and nail. Tap tap tap tap non stop pretty loudly for at least an hour, nearer 2 the second night. Maybe pipes expanding or something. Really strange. Finally, on check out day, at 10.50am with checkout being at 11am, I went to the front office to check out and get a receipt. After about 10 mins of waiting I finally gave up on anybody showing up and so I just left the room key on the counter and we hit the road. Next time I think I’ll drive the extra 25 miles to Dodge City; a much better room can be found there at the Super 8 or Best Western for not a whole lot more...

I usually have a detailed plan for travel, but we decided to wing it on this trip. Our family was traveling the two lanes from Kansas City to Southern Colorado for a summer vacation. As we approached southwest Kansas, we were hours behind schedule, it was dark and we had no hotel reservations. It turned out that Dodge City and Garden City were fully booked. Oops. Luckily we happened upon the Pawnee Valley Lodge in Jetmore, Kansas. I didn't even know Jetmore, population around 900, even had a hotel. But we called after 10:00 and the owners went out of their way to help us: a true oasis in the plains. While the finishes and furnishings were humble, the room and linens were spotless. Seriously. I highly recommend the hotel for a value stay off the beaten path. (but it is probably better to call for...