I’ve never been on a road trip in America. Despite having visited and written stories about the country for the better part of my 18-year career, hitting the great open road was a new experience for me.
Long story short, I have a lot of childhood trauma around moving vehicles, so I’ve never been physically able to learn how to drive. That’s the main reason I’ve never been, but luckily, one of my close friends lives in New York City, and we planned a two-week road trip from Louisiana to Arizona, visiting Texas, Colorado and New Mexico in between.
And because I’ve never really been on a road trip, I don’t have too much experience with those classic roadside motor inns. You know, those built around classic American car culture, proliferated across popular culture back when Route 66 was in its heyday.
There’s a certain romance and filmic quality about them. I mean, with the typical courtyard layout where rooms are facing the parking lot – to make offloading luggage more convenient, an attention-grabbing roadside sign indicating last-minute availability, and a so-so buffet breakfast.
I’ve stayed at a few “refined” motels before, but Quality Inn Mesa Verde was my first that felt authentic.
Location
Quality Inn Mesa Verde sits in the small town of Cortez, about 20 minutes from the entrance to Mesa Verde National Park. While many travellers simply use it as an overnight stop before exploring the ancient cliff dwellings, it’s also well placed for a wider Southwest road trip, with Durango, Monument Valley and the Four Corners region all within easy reach.
I made a stop in all three of those places, and would say they’re just as essential to understanding the incredible diversity of the Southwest as Mesa Verde National Park.
Durango has one of the most charming main streets in Colorado, packed with great bars and restaurants with a historic tram cart that zips down the strip regularly. Monument Valley is one of the most otherworldly and spectacular locations in the entire country. And the Four Corners is worth a step, just so you can say you’ve stood at the dead-centre of four states – Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico and Utah – at once.
But it’s Mesa Verde National Park that’s the most revealing. Forget the fact that the drive itself is stunning, winding up impossibly tall cliffs for that classic Americana vibe. It’s one of the most significant collections of ancestral Indigenous archaeological sites in the world, with unique cliff dwellings built and used between the 6th and 13th centuries by the Ancestral Puebloans.
Few places offer as much insight into how entire communities adapted to life on the sandstone mesas and canyon walls of the American Southwest. While there are several other cliff dwellings you should visit if you really want to piece together the history, this is the primary. And the motel is only a 10-minute drive from the entrance of the National Park.
For anyone driving through Colorado, it’s exactly the kind of location you want at the end of a long day. It’s easy to find, parking is free and sits directly outside your room, and there are plenty of restaurants, supermarkets and fuel stations nearby.
Rooms
The rooms are straightforward, but that’s entirely the point. This isn’t somewhere pretending to be a boutique hotel. Instead, the focus is on space, comfort and practicality. And yes, it is quite comfortable. Popular culture typically pitches roadside motels like this as enormous compromises on comfort and quality, but that couldn’t be any further from the truth.
The beds are large and comfortable, the air conditioning is effective, and everything looks like it’s been cleaned and well-maintained regularly. Having the car parked just metres from the front door is also one of those conveniences that is essential for quick-stop road trips.
Sleep is the most important thing here. I had a room with two moderately-sized beds, both of which had exceptionally soft, breathable linens and soft, comfortable pillows – albeit on the small side. While I know it’s due to being on the road all day, I slept easier here than at hotels with much higher price tags.
That said, there’s no elevator in the second building, which is located towards the back of the property, when I check in. That’s not a mark against the hotel – it’s expected – but just be aware that anyone with a big suitcase, and on the second floor, will need to lug it up some carpeted steps once inside.
Amenities
Quality Inn Mesa Verde offers everything you’d expect from a classic American roadside motor inn. There’s a seasonal outdoor swimming pool and hot tub, both welcome after a day exploring Mesa Verde National Park or spending hours behind the wheel.
Those staying less than 24-hours wouldn’t really bother with this, but it’s nice to know you’ve got somewhere to soak if you’re staying a few days. It can get hot out there.
Wi-Fi is complimentary throughout the property, and there’s plenty of parking available for guests. Head to reception if you’ve got some work to do; there’s one desktop computer with a speedy printer next to all the usual pamphlets about the area.
Food & Drink
Breakfast is included and follows the familiar American hotel buffet formula. Expect waffles, eggs, cereals, pastries, fruit, yoghurt and plenty of coffee to get you back on the road. I don’t think there’s anything in this world that would encourage me to eat a wrinkly motel sausage, but standard small tubs of yoghurt, cereal, bagels and fresh-enough fruit does the trick.
The buffet breakfast and reception are in the same location, in the front office, and there’s a bench with several power points in case you need a quick charge before heading out on the road.
It won’t rival the cafés you’ll find in larger cities, but it isn’t trying to. It’s convenient, filling and exactly the kind of breakfast that suits a day of sightseeing or another few hundred kilometres on the highway.
Service
This must be standard at roadside motels now, but I’ve never encountered it before. If you’re checking in late, there’s a sign that’ll direct you to a small room with a digital check-in. The person checking you in, however, is a call centre worker and my experience wasn’t great. Not only were they hard to understand, largely because of the laggy video call and really thin speaker, but they aren’t helpful at all if there’s something wrong in the system.
I was there as a journalist, and the man on the other end had trouble finding the notes that said my room was pre-paid. I had to, unfortunately, be a bit difficult myself until they called the hotel’s front office and woke up the lone staff member on duty. I felt bad, given she clearly had to wake up to help me, but it check-in with smooth once she got involved.
Self-service kiosks are all well, but when it comes to checking in, especially after a night on the road, you want things to run as smoothly as possible. That little hitch took almost 40 minutes to solve, when the call centre operator could have just contacted the front desk sooner rather than later.
Loyalty Program
Quality Inn Mesa Verde is part of the enormous Choice Hotels, which is one of the largest hotel networks in the world with over 7,000 properties. The brand’s loyalty program, Choice Privileges, seems easier to navigate than that of other brands.
Redemptions for free nights start at 8,000 points (it’s in the tens of thousands for other brands), and Choice Hotels also handles aspirational brands like Radisson, Park Plaza, and the character-driven Ascend Collection Hotel (for example, Hotel F6 in Helsinki – one of my favourite hotels in Europe – is part of that collection). It’s worth joining.
The difference between being a member and gold is just five nights, so it’s easy to climb up the ranks. And yes, it’s free to join. I would imagine most smart road-trippers in America (there’s a lot of them) would have a Choice Hotels membership, so if you live there and plan on hitting the road regularly, this would be smarter to join than more recognisable programs like Marriott Bonvoy and Accor Plus.
Verdict
For me, Quality Inn Mesa Verde wasn’t memorable because it reinvented the roadside motel. It was memorable because it embraced everything that makes this uniquely American style of accommodation so enduring.
There’s something deeply satisfying about pulling into a motel after a full day on the road, parking outside your room and knowing you can be unpacked within minutes. After years of seeing these places in films and television shows, finally experiencing one as part of my first American road trip felt like a small travel milestone.
If you’re looking for luxury, you’ll find better options elsewhere. But if you’re after a clean, comfortable and well-located base for exploring Mesa Verde National Park while enjoying a slice of classic American road-trip culture, Quality Inn Mesa Verde fits the brief perfectly.
The best part is, of course, the price. Expect to pay as little as $60 USD per night. In peak season, that price doesn’t climb much higher.
FOUR STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Quality Inn Mesa Verde
Address: 1120 E Main St Building A, Cortez, CO 81321
Contact: +1 970-516-7731
