Until I realized this hotel was designed after the early Sante Fe RR Tourist hotels, I was a little disappointed with the appearance. but they have tried hard in the lobby areas with beautiful pictures and woodwork to bring out that feel. Check in person worked to get us a quiet room. The rooms need something more decor somehow, but it was comfortable. The heater was a little noisy but much better than some. The breakfast buffet service was good, price included juice and coffee, the food choices were plentiful and included a made to order egg station. You can go continental smaller across the hall. The friendliness and caring of all the Xanterra staff to make the stay and train trip enjoyable was noted!

This hotel was better than we expected. We have stayed at national park property in the past so we were pleasantly surprised. The room was large and clean. We stayed two nights and took the train to the Grand Canyon. It was a wonderful experience. The only complaint is the shower head is a water saver and the flow was really, really slow.

Overpriced buffet breakfast at the hotel and no nice coffee / pastry / fruit setup a la carte creates a problem for families who would rather not spend $12 per person (including kids) for a simple breakfast. It's either the whole buffet or nothing. Indoor pool / spa setup is ok, but in winter, you have to brave the cold in order to get to it from the rooms. Bottom line: consider this hotel strictly as a clean, simple, convenient, no-frills way to stay the night before catching the train on site in the morning.

Overall a good experience for the whole family. We got the 2- night package which included the train ride, 2 dinners, 2 breakfasts, a motorcoach tour and lunch at the Grand Canyon. The room (standard double queen) was nice, but nothing special. The buffet cafeteria was good, but could use even small menu changes for people staying multiple nights. That being said, it's better than a Hometown Buffet and the prime rib was the best one I've ever had at a buffet, including some upscale ones in Vegas. The employees were all friendly. The motorcoach tour was nice, but seemed rushed at both stopping points. The tour guide was full of interesting stories and tidbits about the area. A window cleaning would have been appreciated. The lunch at the Grand Canyon was ok. Overall, what keeps this hotel from being great are some small to medium fixes that would increase guest comfort: automatic doors into the lobby area so people with luggage don't have to struggle with 2 sets of doors; a towel bar that is closer to the bathtub than the toilet; an enclosed walkway (for winter weather) to the Cafe and Depot and or signage outside the main doors of each major area directing guests to the other major areas. The train ride was fun, although the "robbery" was pretty hokey even for my 11-year old. Caleb, our PSA was wonderful!