The Monte Vista is a mixed bag. This railroad hotel was built circa 1927, so the lobby and common areas downstairs capture that era nicely. The hotel lobby, the Rendezvous Bar really capture the essence of this old establishment. We were there on a First Friday for the art-walk and the hotel and bars were abuzz with activity. So now the lowering of expectations: the rooms really leave alot to be desired. We were in a "remodeled room" on the 4th floor. The remodel consisted of some purple paint and shag carpet reminscent of the 1970s. Throw pillows on the bed were tattered and stained. The window coverings looked the cheapest one could find at Home Depot and the curtains gave the same appearance. The pictures on the wall looked like they came from a garage sale and were screwed to the wall. Realizing this hotel was built in an era of a shared common bathroom, we still found it interesting that the shower access was via the bedroom, not the bathroom. The Monte Vista probably has a great deal of appeal to the younger crowd due to its venue in old town Flag. It could set the bar much higher and fetch a fairly hefty nightly tariff. The Parc Central in in Albuquerque is another railroad era hotel is one that's done it right. The Monte Vista could easily reach that standard as it has all the potential...

Being that this was my second time staying at the hotel, I knew I was going to have a fun time.
For the last time I went was in September of last year , right before I started going to community college, and me and my family had stayed in the Alan Ladd room...
It was the best time ever!
Yes, the hotel is over a hundred years old and there are tales of ghosts, but the main reason to go is to Properly enjoy the city of Flagstaff, Arizona ....

My family (My mother, sister, and brother, Jonnathan) and I had decided that for my nineteenth birthday that we would stay ,for four days, at the Monte Vista again! What a great decision because this time around I got to choose the room my mother and I would sleep in and I had Already heard about the Freddie Mercury Room (Aka Room 403!) from our first trip in September... And since I am a Queen fan, I Could Not RESIST!

So let me tell you this, please don't come to this hotel if you expect the following...
-Functioning WI-FI (They have it but it's sketchy, but why in the HELL would you need it in the first place. Also, the front desk does warn you, if you ask, about the problems and will offer to reset the Wi-fi if it gets Any Worse)
-A pool (Stop being ridiculous)
-Room Service (Once Again... Just Stop)
-A proper night's sleep (For God's sakes! Flagstaff and the Hotel Monte Vista are RIGHT DEAD CENTER of College life! Northern Arizona University is just across the train tracks...Oh yeah and the train is right there, so try to bring a pair of ear plugs if you are a Light Sleeper!)

The room, in itself, was amazing, it SCREAMS Freddie Mercury! The burgundy purple with freckled gold painted room had a classy feel (as Freddie was known for being JUST THAT)! The room even had a 'Bohemian Rhapsody' poster! The room has an amazing private bath w/ a tub (The bathroom itself might be a bit small but those who mind that Shouldn't be traveling in the first place), a small closet, a flat screen Tv, and a great view of the DuBont (the hotel across and down the street from it) and it's dropping "New Year's Eve" pine cone...

Let tell me you this, the service is amazing, Downstairs: there's a extremely TINY coffee shop (a little too "hipster" for my taste), they have modern day soda, candy, and ice vending machines, roof access (I LOVED that part), and everything is a stones throw or slight walk away!

There's been legends, tales, and rumors of certain ghosts walking the halls and knocking on doors... In both of my trips, I haven't had much concern for them since I tend to leave such things alone, for as long I get to stay in the Freddie Mercury room again I shall be happy!

So far so good, this beautiful place is a 10 out of 10

Totally different hotel to stay.we spend an incredible weekend.good location.the parking space is limited. We only had difficult time to find a parking spot on a saturday.we got there early on a friday so we get to enjoyed the "first friday". Next day the City had the christmas parade (maybe That's why we had difficult time finding a parking spot) the receptionist was Really nice and helpful when we had questions. Also gave us a coupon for the lowell observatory.My daughter had trouble with the wifi but the issue was resolved.We stayed in the freddie mercury room the bathroom was small but spotless.We had a couple of drinks in the cocktail lounge. The band was playing great music.We would love to stay here again. We have a wonderful experience.

I was really disappointed by the Hotel Monte Vista. My friends and I were looking for a fun place to stay that would give us some good stories to tell. We knew it was supposed to be historical and haunted, so we thought it would have interesting old decor and maybe some creepy areas. Unfortunately, it really didn't live up to our expectations. The woman at the counter was rude and short with us. She acted as if we were wasting her time. The hotel looked nice enough downstairs, but the room we stayed in was cheaply decorated and run down. It was decorated with low budget "antiques," one of which was a small lamp on our dresser that barely worked and seemed like it might be some kind of fire hazard. The blinds were old and dirty. We found a joint in our windowsill. The bathroom and shower were very small (I guess not surprising for a historical hotel) and the toilet had almost no water pressure. When in unsurprisingly became clogged and we told the woman at the front desk, she gave us directions to find the janitor's closet on the second floor and hunt down a plunger so we could plunge our own toilet. I thought the definition of a hotel versus a motel was that they are supposed to provide more services and amenities. I've been treated better at youth hostels. The walls in the rooms are very thin and the hotel definitely attracts a party crowd. We could hear drunken patrons laughing and yelling until about 3 in the morning. We could also hear all of the plumbing and toilets flushing in the rooms around us. This is not a place to stay if you want to get some sleep.

The only positive aspects of our stay were the bar downstairs (the Rendezvous) and the Taiwanese restaurant that adjoined the hotel. They both had good food/drink and atmosphere and are the only reason the hotel received a 3 from me instead of a 2 or a 1.

The moral of the story: eat and go to the bar at the Hotel Monte Vista, but stay somewhere else.