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El Portal Motel is located in Beatty Nevada just outside Death Valley National Park (only 8 miles away) making it an ideal location to rest up from your daily adventures at the park. Located two blocks from Hwy 95 makes it easy to find and proves to have less traffic giving you a quiet and restful stay. Our Motel is a small cozy Motel that has been Family owned and operated since 1958. We are mostly known for our location, reliable customer service, friendly and informative staff and quiet and clean area. If you are traveling to Death Valley National Park, this motel is a must stop. Too hot? No worries, take a dip in our pool! With your immediate needs taken care of, rest assured this is the right place to stay.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
HOTEL STYLE
Budget
Family
Languages Spoken
English
Location
420 West Main St, Beatty, NV 89003
El Portal Motel
4 reviews
Getting there
Somewhat walkable
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travelers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
I stayed in the old building built originally as a garage in 1939. It was remodeled in 1950 to have guest rooms. It is built of plywood rather than drywall since drywall was too heavy and fragile to make the trip to this remote location. The room was quirky but adequate and was an example of what touring was like for our grandparents. There is no electric outlet in the bathroom: there were no ground fault interrupters. There are a couple of windows that open and allow the cool air in. I was impressed by the upgrade to heat pump systems for each room for heating and cooling. These are quiet, powerful, and energy efficient. It requires a little patience to figure out the functions on the remote. The unit responds slowly, so it's easy to think it is not working.
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Date of stay: April 2024
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Trip type: Traveled solo
Room Tip:Â Be patient with the heat pump system if there's one for your room. The controls are a little...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
First, we need to talk about Mittens, the motel mascot. She greeted us when we got in after dinner, and then when I walked outside in the morning, she came in and hung out with us. We're cat people, so it was great! The place we usually stay here in town was full, so we stayed here and weren't dissatisfied. It's an older motel and shows its age in a couple of areas (they actually use keys!), but it is clean, comfortable, and quiet. The king bed was comfortable, but only had two pillows, so if you're pillow people, bring extras! The AC/heater is quiet and very effective. There is a fridge, microwave, and coffee maker. The shower works well, and the water heats quickly, and the towels are nice and soft. I would only suggest some weatherstripping for the door and soap holders in the shower. Some reviews complained about its worn appearance, but it didn't bother us. It ain't the Ritz, but the price was nice. I'd rather stay here than at the Motel 6! It's also past the 95 intersection, so there are no trucks, and few cars passing by. I like the convenience of the hotel/casino where we usually stay, but we'll probably stay here again next time we come.
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Date of stay: May 2024Trip type: Traveled as a couple
Room Tip:Â Be prepared to deal with a spoiled cat!
Be sure to request a pet friendly room if you need one,...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Two couples traveling to Death Valley rented two rooms for one night. Sixties style motel was somewhat worn but clean and well maintained. Rooms were large, beds were reasonably comfortable and the staff was friendly. Rates were very reasonable, and the motel would be a good base to visit Death Valley if you are unable to secure lodging in the Park. In fact, the room was better than the room we had in the Park at substantially less than half the price. If I am in the Beatty area again, I would stay at this motel.
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Date of stay: February 2023Trip type: Traveled as a couple
Room Tip:Â There are several good little restaurants in Beatty, but there are no grocery stores.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Bobbie O'Dell, Owner at El Portal Motel
Responded May 2, 2023
Thank you, we really apperciate your review!
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
If this is the best Beatty can do … It’s cute from the outside & looks to have been recently painted. But inside … there was an overwhelming stench of cigarette smoke in our room. Everything is circa 1980. Icky carpeting with lots of stains, brown paneled walls, brown bedspreads and curtains, nothing on the walls, no comfy seating, visible paint patches on the walls, no headboards, slow running tub and sink, tub that looks tan though it’s actually white, there was hair in the tub, ancient plumbing fixtures, plastic baseboards that are pulling away from the walls, 50-year-old windows that don’t open properly (and they needed to because of the smoke smell), ripped screens, horrible cheap soap and shampoo, no conditioner, mildew all over the bathroom. We had a triple room for 5 of us – and there was ONE towel hook. Where the heck are we supposed to hang used towels?!!?! There were no extra blankets. There was good shelf space for toiletries and it was nice to have a coffee maker, small microwave and fridge. It was fairly clean, though the whole thing felt slightly dingy and grubby. It's within an hour of Death Valley, so has a decent location. The staff was just fair. When we asked about restaurant recommendations they just referred us to the folder in our room. They said there was daily housekeeping but all they did was replace the towels. They left the trash and didn’t make the beds, We never saw the owners. We would definitely look for somewhere else if we return. We’ve been in other 50s era motor courts that were really fun. This one was not. It was icky. It was quite inexpensive, but next time we’d pay more for something better.
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Date of stay: February 2022
Value
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Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This is a super basic Mom and Pop motel on the edge of Death Valley. Room rates are AT LEAST $100 cheaper than anywhere in the park. and you have your choice of restaurants as well as a casino. It's fun to see the wild donkeys roam around too. There is a pool, but it isn't heated so it was too cold to use at the end of September. We had the 3 queen bed room, so there was plenty of room to spread out. Each room has 2 comfy chairs outside the front door for some outdoor space. Rooms don't seem to have been renovated in several years (read: wood paneling galore) but the beds are comfy, the shower is great, and cleanliness is a priority. What more could you want? I always check out of these kinds of places feeling better than I do at a luxury hotel that I never feel like I quite got my money's worth.
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Date of stay: September 2021
Location
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Bobbie O'Dell, Owner at El Portal Motel
Responded Oct 8, 2021
thank you kindly for the great review.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
I can't imagine staying anywhere else when visiting Death Valley. Very nice well maintained motel. It's a little older, however it matches up well if you stayed at a nice Best Western. The value for your dollar is awesome. Great price. Clean rooms, nice bed, and fluffy towels. Plus, the owners are really nice people and very helpful and willing to go the extra mile. My wife requested an extra sheet and they delivered an entire bedding set. Beatty might be a few miles outside Death Valley, however its less than a fourth the price you will spend for staying at an overpriced resort in the park. I can buy a lot of gas with the extra money. Stay at the El Portal you won't be sorry.
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Date of stay: March 2021
Rooms
Cleanliness
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Bobbie O'Dell, Owner at El Portal Motel
Responded Mar 15, 2021
Wowzer! thank you so much for such a fantastic review. Please come visit us again your always welcome.
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The motel is getting old but the rooms are very spacious and clean. The price is reasonable. The reception is not always manned but if you call someone comes very quickly. The reception at the reception was friendly. Restaurants are within walking distance. Breakfast is served in the Gema' Cafe.
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Date of stay: March 2024Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
it is situated in a high altitude location, 3000 feet above sea level, so it's much cooler than the Death valley. it's in small town, quite, the environment is ok, there is a little museum on the opposite street, but it only opened from 10am to 3pm, but we have no time to visit. The reception is rather old style, no person in the front desk, and you need to dial "0" for a man to come to check-in with you, I think he may be the owner. if there is half star, I would gave it 3.5 stars, but no half star here, so just gave 3. There is microwave and fridge in room, which is good, and which are what we need, I also look for these amenities when booking accommodations. There is a round table with 2 chairs in the room, but the table is too small, there are 4 sets of towels which is good as we have 4 people. The room is spacious, the TV iis a flat screen one (although we didn't need to turn on TV.).
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Date of stay: June 2019
Rooms
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Bobbie O'Dell, Owner at El Portal Motel
Responded Aug 13, 2020
thank you for the review
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
We stayed here for a few nights. The hotel is definitely on the older side, the room was large but the shower was in a weird nook in the bathroom. We wanted to extend our stay, but the website said that this property was sold out, which was very weird because the parking lot was clearly not full. They also have a back building with supposedly newer rooms, but that looked like it didn't have any occupants. Just got a weird vibe at this place. We moved to a different location for the rest of our stay and were much happier at the Death Valley Inn.
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Date of stay: January 2022
Rooms
Cleanliness
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Bobbie O'Dell, Owner at El Portal Motel
Responded Mar 17, 2022
Thank you for your response. We are a small motel and to combat the slow times, we have many long-term occupants, including military housing, which are vacant during the weekends. I am sorry you got weird vibes; I hope you will give us another chance in the future to be able to make up for this.
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i dont get these reviews....I'm pretty sure that we maybe slept 2 hours on our night there. We had a pet and got a room next to the office, the room was from an Alfred Hitchcock movie....the carpet in there was so disgusting and crusty we slept with our socks on. We risked being smelly over taking a shower....horrible, horrible horrible
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Date of stay: August 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Traveled with family
Room Tip:Â Don't do it!!!!! Disgusting rooms with crusty floors.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for the question. We are not able to allow pets at this time due to the limited number of rooms available. We hope to have more rooms in the future that will allow us to accommodate pets easier.
Best regards
Aaron and Brooke Johnson
El Portal Motel
There are more places to choose from in the Beatty area.
PRICE RANGE
$97 - $97 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
el portal hotel beatty
LOCATION
United StatesNevadaBeatty
NUMBER OF ROOMS
10
Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. Taxes and fees that are shown are estimates only. Please see our partners for more details.
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Which popular attractions are close to El Portal Motel?
Nearby attractions include Death Valley Nut & Candy (0.7 miles), Beatty Museum & Historical Society (0.04 miles), and Happy Burro Chili & Beer (0.3 miles).
