Rawlins Western Lodge — Hotel in Rawlins

I stayed at the Rawlins Western Lodge for an extended stay of 6 weeks. I loved my time there! I stay at a lot of hotels and the best part for me of staying here was waking up knowing where I was- this isn't a cookie-cutter hotel. This place has charm! It's unique. The lobby and the rooms truly have a western feel. I would wake up knowing I was in Wyoming with the woodsy décor of the room. The RWL made me feel at home. I caught myself calling my room "my apartment" from time to time because coming back to my room at the end of the work day felt like I was truly going home to my own space. The room was clean and the bed was super comfortable. The room also had a microwave, a mini fridge, a desk, and a television. There was a generous amount of table space for me to spread out my things and actually unpack my bags instead of living out of my bags.

Mike (owner) and Mike (manager) are some of the nicest guys you will ever meet! They were amazing! I called and needed a place to stay last minute, and they hooked me up! They held a room for me until I finished my drive into town. Manager Mike even stayed late in the office to help me check in since he knew I was on my way. Manager Mike made my check-in process super easy which was great because I was exhausted after a long drive. It was so nice of him to stay late and make check-in so easy for me!! You won't find service like that in any old place you go, but at the RWL it's what they do; they take care of their guests! As a female traveling alone, I always felt very safe at this hotel and the parking lot was well lit too! Anytime I saw Mike or Mike they always asked me if I needed anything and how my stay was going. You could tell after talking with either one of them that they truly care about the lodge and the guests that stay there.

I would very much recommend this lodge to anyone thinking of visiting Rawlins, especially for extended stays. I know if I get to go back to Rawlins in the near future, the Rawlins Western Lodge will be my first call to check for availability! Hopefully soon, I'll get to have another extended stay at the RWL.

**To Mike, Mike, the staff, and Daisy - I can't thank you enough for everything throughout my time at the RWL! I'm so glad to have landed at your hotel for my stay. It truly made my time in Rawlins so much more enjoyable than I imagined my trip would be. I wish you all the very best and I hope to see you all next year! Again, thank you! Until next...

Ok, just stop your hotel search. Like now. Go to the Rawlins Western Lodge!! Bring your dog, bring your big rig, and bring your tired aching back. Cute western art covers the walls and with the open front and rear stairwells, you’ll truly feel that this is exactly what you needed: true western ambience! They were right about the beds, too. Heavy down comforters, fluffy pillows, soothing pillow top mattress, high thread count sheets, and don’t get me started on that headboard! Log beds are so cozy!

Out front, there are wood sculptures 10’ high of horses. Made from local wood, they are stunning, and the manager and the owner said they only had to put a screw here and there due to the incredible winds that WY is known for. Check out the bucking stallion at the Rawlins House up the road. (By the way, check out the Rawlins House anyway; it used to be a brothel!)

Top ten things to know: Bring your hair dryer. Enjoy the thick towels and nice toiletries. (And if that wasn’t Charmin, I don’t know my a@# from a hole in the ground.) Keurig 2.0 out front with great coffee selections. They even had some hot chocolate varieties like Milk Chocolate and Chocolate Covered Cherry. Yummy. They have a cool map of the world where you can push a pin on your hometown. Mine was covered! But visitors have come from as far away as Australia and Japan. 🤪 Yes, there is a faint smell of nostalgia. Old places usually offer this. But it’s not bad, I tell ya’. The pictures hanging up and down the halls alone tell stories, and they add to the old west aroma quite lovingly. If you’re a smoker, you may shy away. But the picnic table out back made of rough hewn wood welcomed me nicely. No vending machines malign the antique appearance both in and out, but they do have a mini fridge, with bottled water for a buck and cans of pop for $.50. Just leave your money in the coffee can in the fridge. Our room was ten short steps to the back door - perfect for Fritz! 🐶 They take credit cards and have WiFi, but we got a hand written receipt. So quaint, am I right? Comfiest big chair in our room!

Enjoy! You...

For what it unashamedly claims to be? Five stars! As a hotel in general? Still, five stars.

It's old. It's "vintage". It's aged. Call it whatever you want, but it works. It's maintained and it's clean.

Of the hotels I've stayed at during my recent travels, this one had the most comfortable bed and pillows. The AC worked well and was adequately quiet. The fridge kept things cool.

The bathroom counter and fixtures were old and there was a stain or two, but everything was clean and worked perfectly, which, again, is more than can be said of many of the "modern" name-brand hotels I've frequented recently.

They only provide a Keurig and Nature Valley "crumbs everywhere" bars as breakfast, but that's still better coffee than half of the hotels I've seen this week and a more nutritious breakfast than the waffles, muffins, and donuts most of them put out.

The room had a modern TV, tissues that I couldn't see through (Kirkland brand), and the toilet paper felt two-ply. The doors used old fashioned keys, but those keys can't deprogram themselves when you're out seeing the town and there's still a chain (or two) on the door if you're irrationally worried about lock-picking thieves sneaking in past the front desk.

The view out the back of the hotel is just train tracks. This is a huge plus if you're a UP or NS freight-obsessed railfan, but even if you aren't the windows were surprisingly thick and kept the room plenty quiet, even moreso than a couple highway-adjacent hotels in big cities I've...