Our debate about where to overnite, here or Carlsbad, was resolved with our opting for the nearer proximity to the caverns. Glad we did. We arrived just in time for the bat flight and beat the morning rush. Bare bones accomodations but we came for what far exceeded our expectations- the magnificent and surreal Carlsbad Caverns.
When we checked in, the front desk person said this was the last room available (at $85--the most we spent on a motel for our two week trip from Alabama). The jacuzzi did not work, the coffee pot did not work, the "breakfast" was a packaged sweet roll, the ice machine did not work. There were 11 cars in the parking lot (so much for being the last room available). When we reported the coffee pot, the front desk said they would send someone with one that would work. An hour or so later (when we checked out), no coffee pot and the desk clerk expressed surprise. This motel was certainly not value for money.
here is my letter to choice hotels. i believe it says it all....
"On Thursday July 22, 2010, my husband and I visited the Carlsbad area. Since we try to stay in a Choice Hotel when we travel and we would be visiting Carlsbad National Park we decided to reserve a room in White City as it rather close to the Park. We were given room 245. Please know that this summer and we were in New Mexico. It is hot here in the southern border states in the summer.
I called the front desk to inform them that not only was the TV remote not working but the air conditioner was not working and the people next door have a small child (sounds like toddler) who is very very loud. The woman at the front desk said that there was really nothing she could do as far as the air conditioner as all of the rooms are full. However, she did say that she would call next door and inform the people that they were too loud. I believe she did because it got quite pretty quick. She did not address the TV remote. However the remote was a very small thing, insignificant compared to the a/c not working. I had to drive into Carlsbad to Wal-Mart to buy a box fan because the room was uncomfortable.
After thinking about the above, I did my own little investigation to find this hotel was NOT booked up. How do i know this?? 1) The parking lot was not even half full at 2am….fyi, at 2am it was cooler outside then it was in the room. 2) I checked online to see if the hotel was booked up...it was not. 3) See next paragraph.
Upon checking out there was a gentleman at the desk when I went to turn in the keys. He saw that I was visibly upset. I told him all of the above. When I got to the part about the desk clerk telling me that they were all booked up, he shook his head in what seemed to be disbelief and said no, that they were not booked up. Although the clerk was gracious enough to discount the room by 20% and credit me the $15 that I paid for the box fan at Wal-Mart, I feel the +$60 that I did end up paying was still a slap in the face. He said that the 20% was the most he could discount and the owner would not be in for at least another hour. At this point I just wanted to leave the place and get out of there, which we did.
Lastly, since when does the Choice Hotel “Continental Breakfast” consist of NOTHING but Little Debbie Snack Cakes and barely cool milk? My husband was dumbfounded and speechless about this as he is diabetic. I am sure that there are many Choice Hotel personnel there in your main offices that have at least one close relative that has diabetes. I am sure they would be just as appalled. Little Debbie is a dessert….I have never known it to be part of any good balanced breakfast. An “Oatmeal Cream Pie” does NOT count as a bowl of oatmeal nor does an “Apple Flip” count as a serving of fruit! This was the most shameful continental breakfast I have ever seen.
I have stayed in Choice Hotels frequently and was so very disappointed this time around. I hope you are able to do some sort of surprise visit/inspection immediately on this location. Thank you for your time,"
i really thought that since it is the closest to the caverns that it must be a nice spot...WRONG!! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED PEOPLE!! i just wished i would have known about tripadvisor BEFORE we went on vacation. i would have been ok w/ staying in carlsbad.
We ere unfortunate that this was where we were booked as was close to Carlsbad Caverns so we allowed ourselves to be booked there instad of Comfort Inn(our usuale preference because they have great mattresses). At any rate--most unfriendly receptionist at check-in and things only got worse from there. Dirty -bug/spider infested room. Wife got two spider bites with log-lasting effects. Grounds terrible shape. Advise anyone wanting to go to Carlsbad Caverns to stay in Carlsbad and drive to Caverns (They are amazing!!)
We selected Whites City's Rodeway Inn (ignoring its bad reviews on Tripadvisor) based on our impression that its proximity to Carlsbad Caverns made it the "no-option option" and the water park-like swimming pool would entertain our children after the Caverns closed for the day. We also assumed we would want to utilize Whites City's one restaurant during our caving breaks. We were wrong on all counts and strongly recommend utilizing the many amenities (including the Living Desert Zoo) of the delightfully friendly small town of Carlsbad when visiting Carlsbad Caverns.
As to the Rodeway Inn itself, cleanliness was the primary factor in our poor ranking. We apologize for the offensive description, however you should be warned. The bathroom had been straightened, but it was obviously not cleaned, with residue in the sink and a giant hairball in the bath. Some of the bath linens were suspiciously unclean. The beds were made, but with bugs between the sheets, we doubted seriously they were laundered. The mattresses were the firm variety and linens were stiff and scratchy (and that is the good comment offered to add balance against the bad).
The Rodeway Inn's swimming pool, with its cracked plastic deck chairs and grimy concrete, closed at 7pm, so our anticipation of it serving our needs after the Caverns closed failed by epic proportions. There is no other evening entertainment in Whites City. At the time of our visit, the Natural Entrance into Carlsbad Caverns was being renovated, so the evening bat flight tours were unavailable.
Carlsbad Caverns self-guided and guided tours held our attention for two-hour segments. With the exception of the crawling tours, where physical exertion keeps the body temperature up, the caverns themselves are chilly enough that our family needed to defrost. The surface-level snack bar at the Caverns provided adequate refreshment and warmth, negating the need to travel back to Whites City for meals.
We were hestitant b/c of some of the negative reviews to stay here. The manager suggested we check out a room first, which we did. We stayed for 2 nights. The rooms still need some more renovations, but they are spacious, clean, & comfortable. Access to Carlsbad Caverns is minutes away. It takes about 12 minutes to get to the Caverns themselves which makes it very convenient for going back after exploring the caves to check out the 7:30 BAT FLIGHT, which is amazing. It is also only about 40 minutes to Guadalupe Mts National Park. My wife and I drove down in the morning & hiked up Guadalupe Peak. It would have been much less convenient to drive down from Carlsbad and then back again after a full day of hiking. . The water park/pool is absolutely fantastic. The kids will just love it. I've never seen anything like it at a motel before.
They should probably spark up their continental breakfast which is basically coffeee, orange juice and packaged pastries. This is an older motel and some work still needs to be done, but the pluses outnumber the minuses. Do not be afraid! Also JJ's Steakhouse was great for dinner. Our waitress, Ursula, was a sweetheart and the food was wonderful. We had the New York strip. If you are looking for $200 value for $80, this place may not be for you, but if you want a simple clean motel with convenience to the parks then this is it.
