Desk, blackout curtains, iron/ironing board, free WiFi
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Reviews of Sands Motel

2 out of 5
Sands Motel
112 McArthur St, Grants, NM

Reviews

6.6
Rating 10 - Excellent. 76 out of 379 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 114 out of 379 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 91 out of 379 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 35 out of 379 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 63 out of 379 reviews" "

7.4/10

Cleanliness

7.4/10

Staff & service

5.6/10

Amenities

6.2/10

Property conditions & facilities

5.4/10

Eco-friendliness

Reviews

6/10 Okay

Paul

Travelled with partner
Disliked: Staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Sands is a classic Rt66 motel, but it needs a lot of TLC to bring it up from "rundown" to "iconic". The room seemed clean, but the table was sticky. Parking lot is dirty and broken up. Bathroom door had no latch let alone lock. It's located on the highway near the train tracks, so you expect it to be noisy. On the other hand, the refrigerator was new and the AC worked well, and the price was right.
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2024

2/10 Terrible

Yann

Liked: Cleanliness
Disliked: Staff & service
I was charged an extra $15 for a motel fee that was not included in the amount I paid Expedia for the room. Plus the owner was the least agréable person I met in my 17 years traveling in the US….
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2024

4/10 Poor

joseph

Business traveller
Disliked: Cleanliness, amenities
Expedia confirmed that my rate was $50 and when I checked out the hotel charged me $60. It is an old and tired hotel in a questionable location.
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2024

4/10 Poor

Juan

Travelled with partner
Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Customer service was good excellent !!except the place everything was old it ' needs remodeling!!
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2024

2/10 Terrible

Deborah

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2024

4/10 Poor

Duane

Stayed 1 night in Dec 2023

2/10 Terrible

Aaron

Travelled with partner
Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Nothing
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2023

6/10 Okay

Carla

I booked stay based on being pet friendly. Was told when i checked in they were not. Showed staff webpage that stated otherwise. Staff attempted to overcharge me until i showed confirmation with price booked. It was all very sketchy
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2023

6/10 Okay

Jeremiah

Liked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Disliked: Cleanliness
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2023

8/10 Good

Donald

Stayed 1 night in Nov 2023

2/10 Terrible

Christine

This man was rude, yelling and angry attitude. Prepaid- wouldn’t let dog sleep in my car.. yelling yelling- unfriendly- refused to give us a room. gonna have to fight the charge - Rude from the second I walked in- ran me off-knowing it was prepaid. Don’t go here
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2023

2/10 Terrible

Tom

Travelled with partner
Disliked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities
We could not believe the horrible reception we got. He had a list of things you could've do.no eating in room, do not sit anthing on dressers or by tv, so many I can't remember and then he charged me a $20 deposit plus what I'd paid for room. I did get it back in the morning at 7:00 when I rang the bell 3 times. The door to the office was always locked!! I could go on, but it doesn't matter to us any more because we will NEVER stay there again
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2023

8/10 Good

Dale

Liked: Cleanliness
Room did not have hot water.
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2023

2/10 Terrible

Verified traveller

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
NOT ACTUALLY PET FRIENDLY LIKE THE LISTING SAYS
I never ended up staying after booking. The listing says that it’s pet friendly, but the guy at the front desk said that pets only cause problems and that it’s a $40 non-refundable pet fee. It didn’t seem safe either. There were a few abandoned motels along the way and it was in a very dark area. Gave off the vibes of a very shady place to stay
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2023
Response from Nik on 27 Oct 2023
Please check before clicking book a room with us, check the fees section it clearly lists pet fees.. if you didn't read it it's not our fault.

6/10 Okay

Geraldine

Stayed 1 night in Oct 2023

4/10 Poor

Lino

Disliked: Amenities, property conditions & facilities
Good for a necessity but not for an experience Very old hotel, they try to keep it clean, but very worn out
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2023

2/10 Terrible

Joseph

Travelled with family and small children
Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Booked on Expedia in advance 3 days eatlier. Was told after long drive arrived right before night that room not available after we had Expedia confirmation it was. All hotels were booked in city by then in Grants and no roomsin Albuquerqueor Gallup. Had to sleep in truck with my kids at 30 degrees freezing weather that night before leaving. Do not book there you may be left out in the cold literally.
Stayed 2 nights in Oct 2023

8/10 Good

Sandy

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
For the price, the property was well kept, unit was clean and tidy, and services were good. I would definitely return.
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2023

2/10 Terrible

Joshua

Disliked: Staff & service
We booked a room a few weeks in advance. Upon arrival for check-in, the property manager told us there were no vacancies left. We attempted to show the confirmation, to which he shook his head & promptly walked away from us. We went back to the car, planning what our next move should be. No less than a minute past before we heard the property manager yelling at us from outside the car demanding we leave the premises immediately while holding a phone in his hand (presumably threatening to call the police). So we left asap & without quarrel. It was 1am after traveling 5 1/2 hours from home & all the other hotels & motels in the small town were booked for the night because of the Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque, NM. We had no choice but to spend a freezing cold, Grants, NM night in a sedan in the corner of a dirt Walmart parking lot. An absolutely dreadful experience & the worst customer service I've received in my life (no exaggeration). There is no guarantee you'll get a room even if you pay & book well in advance. You're literally rolling the dice. 0/10 don't recommend.
Stayed 2 nights in Oct 2023

2/10 Terrible

Cathy

Disliked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2023

4/10 Poor

Philip

Travelled with family
Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Because we arrived late they cancelled our reservation and then upon arrival, they charged us $20 more than expedia price. The only positive comment i can make is that I slept fine. Otherwise avoid this old rundown dump like the plague.
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2023

6/10 Okay

Roger

Stayed 1 night in Oct 2023

8/10 Good

Esther

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Old motel on Route 66. Past its heyday.
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2023

6/10 Okay

James D

Stayed 1 night in Oct 2023

4/10 Poor

Marian

Liked: Room comfort
Rip Off
The man at check in made us pay more than Hotels.com advertised. He claimed it was because they only had king sized beds vs. The queen advertised. He also made us pay a pet fee when we had a small service dog.
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2023

10/10 Excellent

johnny

Stayed 1 night in Sep 2023

2/10 Terrible

Susan

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
I requesed an iron and was told they were not allowed. There were black hairs on the sheet, I think they just turn the sheet over and don't wash them! This is the absolute worse motel I have ever stayed in!!!! Never again, please do not stay here I beg you. The area around is very sketchy and one guy was cooking outside his room on a propane grill but I couldn't have an iron.
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2023

2/10 Terrible

Lisa

Disliked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Don’t stop at this hotel!!!
The manager treated us like a criminal. Told us not to leave our door open while we were carrying in our luggage because it might blow dirt in there, had signs marking that you could not back your car in, had painted notices not to sit in a cement half wall (I mean, it’s cement…. How are you going to hurt it by sitting on it?) etc. In our opinion, if you don’t like people, you shouldn’t be in the hospitality business!!! The neon sign out front was the only speaking thing about the whole stay. Very disappointing!!
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2023

6/10 Okay

James

Stayed 1 night in Aug 2023

2/10 Terrible

Eric

Disliked: Room comfort
RIP OFF PLACE! Worst experience Ive had on here!!
Ended up not staying after the owner got angry that the price I got on Hotels.com was cheaper than his rate, then tried to charge me $25 more than the price I had. He kept telling me that "He" gave me the wrong price, but didnt say who "He" was, and after I kept telling him it was the price listed on Hotels.com, he started to cuss and say that wasnt right. I said enough and went to grab the piece of paper that I had written all my info on, but he grabbed it and said it was his and that I couldn't have it! His wife then told him to let me have it, but he just ripped it up in front of me and still wouldn't let me have it. This place shouldnt be listed on here, and I would recommend everyone stay away, there are other places. I ended up staying at the Motel6 for $5 more, so check around, and avoid this rip off place!
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2023

6/10 Okay

Stacy

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Disliked: Staff & service
Clean room, nothing special. Man checking acted like had trouble finding reservation, even though I had printed confirmation. Called me by different names. When finally found reservation, immediately gave a higher price. When I said no he asked when i made the reservation..I said in March (for June). He then says the price went up since I reserved. I said no and then he said the price i had on reservation was for one person..even though confirmation clearly said 2. I then said I'll go somewhere else if he cant honor the reservation (even if it truly meant paying more). He finally said I'll give you this price. I'll give you "my" price (what reservation price was)..no one else is as cheap as me. Once checked in & parked he then told me I had to move over one spot as where i was was not mine. (They were not marked for specific rooms.) Where i had to move over put me coming within inches of a large work trucks bumper. In the AM..car that parked where i originally was had to pull out and wait for me to back out before he could pull back in as i could not squeeze between the two bumpers. Will not stay here again
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2023

10/10 Excellent

Lon

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Quiet and comfortable.
No frills. Older motel. Clean bed and comfortable! Quiet No coffee maker but had fridge and microwave
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2023

6/10 Okay

Kathy, Yucca

Travelled with family
Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Cleanliness
Very unique property. Owner was more interested in whether we smoked or not over getting us a room. We ordered a two queen room and he said we didn’t…showed proof and he only wanted to argue and charge us more money.
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2023

8/10 Good

John

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2023

4/10 Poor

Ophelia A

Stayed 2 nights in May 2023

2/10 Terrible

Christopher

Travelled with family
Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
The motel is dirty, A/C the loudest I’ve ever heard and across the street from 2-3 train tracks that pass every 5-10 minutes.
Stayed 1 night in May 2023
Response from Jay on 5 Jun 2023
Christopher,You stayed at the wrong motel and you are reviewing the wrong motel. I understand your reservation was Sands Motel however you did not stay with and you stayed the motel bear the tracks.. this is not the first time that motel owner has taken our guest.

6/10 Okay

Fred

Business traveller
Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
Would've been more comfortable in my car..
Being positive, the bath towel was by far the nicest item in this room, followed by the television and then the microwave, in that order. Then there was a big gap on everything else!
Stayed 1 night in May 2023

6/10 Okay

Gregory

Business traveller
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Disliked: Amenities, property conditions & facilities
Sleep cheap in old facility just over wrong side of tracks. Not for a couple or a family
Stayed 1 night in May 2023

4/10 Poor

Stan

Disliked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Old and rundown
Stayed 2 nights in May 2023

2/10 Terrible

Benjamin

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Owner scams people
So many problems with this motel. Just to start if you are wanting a Route 66 motel this is NOT it. It’s on a side road and full of sketchy people. Upon check in the owner did not honor our hotels.com reservation and charged us more for our room. Getting into our room there were crickets inside, the floor felt like you could fall through it in areas, holes in the walls, the toilet was duck taped down, there were 2 washcloths, 1 hand towel, and 1 bath towel (this is important for later), the ac did not work, and you could tell something was spilled in the fridge and never cleaned. It was so nasty we didn’t even shower, but did use 1 washcloth and the hand towel which were left on the bathroom floor when we left. A few hours after we checked out and left we noticed an extra $20 charge come through from the motel so we called to find out what it was. The owner proceeded to accuse us of stealing all of the towels and washcloths from the room and called us thieves and said he had video footage of us stealing them. #1 we wouldn’t even put our bags on the floor much less take anything from the room with us, #2 if he had cameras proving any of it he would be implying there were cameras in the room and bathroom. We saw other people complaining in reviews about how he charges and it’s no joke. We believe he targets tourists passing through to get as much money as he can because he knows that once they get a few hours from town that they won’t come back. 0/10 DO. NOT. GO.
Stayed 1 night in May 2023
Response from Nik on 3 May 2023
Benjamin,Stop with your lies. We stock each rooms with at minimum 2 towels 2 hand towels and 2 wash clothes. It is strange that none of those were in the room only the bath mat. The toilet is not tapped with duck tape to hold it, we had new caulking done and we pit tape temporarily to avoid moisture getting into it. Holes in the wall and floor? And you still stayed the night... Stop with your lies. You took towels from our place and we charged you for it, you are upset because we charged you 20 dollars for towels. Let me know if you like to know more on this.. more than happy to open to conversation. And let people know that we don't appreciate people who take things from us.

8/10 Good

Jacob

Stayed 1 night in Apr 2023
Response from Nik on 3 May 2023
Thank you for your feedback.

6/10 Okay

TERRY

Liked: Cleanliness
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2023

8/10 Good

Steve

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
Great price, courteous and helpful staff. The Sands provided the usual amenities - tiny soap, wifi access and a remarkable variety of decent TV channels. The room was clean but needs remodeling. Just wanted a place to stay for a few nights, the Sands was perfect.
Stayed 3 nights in Apr 2023

10/10 Excellent

Escoto

Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness
Disliked: Amenities
The room was confortable but no outlets available to charge my phone anywhere. The price was hiked 10 dollars at the property not matching what was stated on the website
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2023

8/10 Good

David

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
It was a nice cheap hotel. Only thing that made me a little uncomfortable was when i arrived,they asked what the rate was that expedia said the room was. Never in all my years using expedia have i had a motel do that. They did give it to me at that rate. However, id be very very leary to go back for that reason and that reason only. After that i looked deeper into their reviews and see others have had problems with them not giving the room at the price found online. Ive stayed in hundreds on motels and never once experienced that before. So id be very nervous to go back. Then again, id just see what other rates are in town. Not book online and walk in instead. If they played games id just go elsewhere. But, ill never book online for there. If they hadnt done that, id be giving a 5 star review. But, theres no excuse for that. And i dont need to worry if ill get ripped off when i show up to the motel. And certainly dont need to get questioned when ive booked online. Nobody else does that.
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2023

8/10 Good

Jason

Stayed 1 night in Apr 2023

2/10 Terrible

James

Travelled with partner
Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2023

6/10 Okay

Matthew

Liked: Cleanliness
No breakfast
Ice machine looked like hadn't worked for years and No Breakfast as advertized in the description.
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2023

6/10 Okay

Micheal

Stayed 1 night in Mar 2023

4/10 Poor

Sara

Disliked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2023