Best Flagstaff Hotels

The Little America is Flagstaff’s highest-end, full-service hotel. The hotel is situated on 500 acres, with 3 miles of hiking/jogging trails around the grounds. Little America also boasts the largest hotel swimming pool in Flagstaff, which has just been redone, along with the hot tub. Both are outdoors, so they’re closed in the winter. Other amenities include free Wifi throughout the hotel, a restaurant and bar, a fitness center, and a computer for guest use. Little America also has an expansive gift shop in the lobby with everything from Western toys for kids and Route 66 gear to Western-wear clothing and Native American jewelry and art. Rooms range from under $100 per night in the off-season to a high of $350 for the two-story presidential suite in the summer. All rooms are spacious and have a fridge. Stop here during the pre-Christmas and Christmas holidays, even if you aren’t a guest. Little America prides itself on its free holiday light display for the whole community to enjoy every November through December. On Thanksgiving Day and Christmas they offer a very popular lavish buffet in their ballroom. Be sure to go across the street to Black Bart’s Steakhouse. The food is average, but the NAU music students who perform as singing waiters put on an entertaining show.

You can tell details matter as soon as you drive up to the welcoming red and cream stone England House. Surrounded by well-kept flowering plants and trees, even the breezes that gently blow by seem like they’re part of the ambiance created by owners Laurel and Richard Dunn. The painstakingly restored four bedroom B&B dates back to 1902 and is furnished with French antiques. The beds are comfy and dressed with freshly ironed fine linens. There aren’t any TVs or phones in the rooms, but they do have a portable DVD player and about 100 movies to choose from should you desire. Wine, beer, coffee, sodas, cookies and WiFi are all included in your stay, along with friendly conversation and as much trip advice as you’d like. Laurel and Richard will plan your whole trip if you want, making all your reservations for activities, as well as dinners and whatever else you may need. Breakfast, made with all chemical-free products, is served every morning at 8:30AM. Look for their specialty soufflé-like Victorian Eggs. Be sure to share your dietary needs when you make your reservation as they’re happy to accommodate. Rates aren’t up-charged in the bustling summer months, when reservations are recommended three weeks in advance.

Feel at home at the Inn at 410, where the porch invites you to come and sit a while and take in the fresh mountain air. Open for 20 years, the Inn at 410 was the first B&B in Flagstaff and is at a premiere location a few steps from the excitement of downtown and Brix restaurant literally out back. It features nine rooms with private baths (some with Jacuzzi tubs) and fireplaces. The Inn has two, two-bedroom suites. All rooms are oversized and airy, featuring free WiFi, cable TV and DVD players on which you could watch one of the hundreds of movies in the B&B library. Breakfasts can be served in your room upon request or on the comfortable patio area surrounded by trees and blooming gardens. You’ll want to hang out in this inviting space, where you can play games or plan out your trip at the tables or sit back and relax in the hammock. Complimentary snacks and drinks (including brandy) are provided for guests’ enjoyment in the large open dining room. Be sure to mention special dietary requests when you book. Owner Gordon Watkins and his team are happy to accommodate your needs. Rooms here fill up fast from April to October, especially on the weekends, so book at least a month out if you want a certain room. Children 5 and up are allowed and would be comfortable here, but this is mainly a spot for a couples getaway or a home-away-from-home base for exploring the area.

The rustic cabins of the Arizona Mountain Inn are tucked away in the Coconino forest just south of NAU. There are four bed-and-breakfast rooms on the second and third floors of the Inn but you’d regret not opting for one of the 17 private cabins with kitchens that can sleep anywhere from two to 16 people. For large groups or to feel like you own a little mountain forest getaway, Cabin 16 is a good bet. It can sleep up to 10 with rustic wooden balconies and porches all around. They also have cabins tailored to couples (like Cabin 5 aka the Honeymoon Cabin) as well as others for families of all sizes. The cabins have many loyal guests that make it a yearly stop in their travels. Arizona Mountain Inn allows dogs for a fee and even has one cabin (Cabin 1) with a fenced-in area dogs can run and play in. They also have a playground, horseshoe pits and volleyball court on the premises.

Located at the most northern end of the NAU campus, the Drury has a fantastic location for walking to all of the downtown attractions and restaurants and visiting the university. The indoor pool is small but does the job. The complimentary breakfast is one of the better inclusive hotel breakfast buffets in town, with hot items like waffles, sausage, eggs, cold items such as cereals, breads and muffins, and a self-service drink bar with everything from hot cocoa to coffee, teas and a soda fountain. The rooms themselves are on the small end but in good shape, as the hotel is relatively new. Rooms on the upper floors can feel pretty warm despite air conditioning. The hotel is attached to NAU’s High Country Conference Center. It is possible to find room deals under $100 outside the busy summer season.

The historic Hotel Weatherford is a Flagstaff icon. Each New Year’s Eve the Weatherford holds the annual Pine Cone Drop, similar to the crystal ball drop in New York City. The downtown streets are closed off to vehicles while locals and visitors crowd out front to ring in the New Year. The hotel itself, which is family-run with a friendly staff always willing to help, has 11 rooms. Three are newly restored suites ($130 a night) with claw-foot tubs, TVs, air conditioning, and phones. Five are small private rooms ($89 a night) with small showers and bathrooms but no television or phone. The three remaining rooms ($49-$79) are roomy with sinks, but no TV or phone, and shower and toilet are shared down the hall. All the rooms are simple but clean. The Weatherford is a fun spot with live music year-round, busy ballrooms and packed bars, so it can get noisy here in the rooms. Small children aren’t recommended because the windows are old and open very near the floor. Some say the Weatherford is haunted. If you’re into that sort of thing, ask for manager Matt Bial and he’ll give you a free, spirited ghost tour. In peak summer months, book at least a month out, especially if you want one of the nicer second-floor suites.

The Ski Lift Lodge is a convenient spot for skiing, hiking and biking enthusiasts, as well as people who want to feel like they’re on a mountain retreat without going too far from downtown, which is an easy 10-minute drive south. The cabins have wood walls and a simple rustic charm. The family suite cabin has two rooms—one with a bed, the other with a sofa bed—plus a bathroom (shower no bathtub) and a private porch for relaxing out front. If you want a tub, you’ll want rooms 1-6, which are the motel-like section of the property with one big deck that surrounds all six rooms. The rest of the single rooms are cabin-style—some with two beds, others with one big bed. You can find some great deals at the Lodge in summer and winter that include either ski lift tickets or skyride tickets up the mountain plus breakfast. The log cabin-style restaurant here has some of the best wings and fries in town, happy-hour specials and a relaxing atmosphere both inside and out.

The Aspen is a boutique motel a few blocks east of downtown, within walking distance along the busy Route 66, which does have a sidewalk. When you drive up to the Aspen you may be a little put off, as boutique accommodations don’t usually look like old-fashioned motels where you park outside your room, plus the motel next door is not well kept. But you’ll be pleased with the comfort of the beds and friendliness of the staff. Many rooms have upgraded linens and flat-screen TVs. All have fridges and microwaves. The mid-price point here during peak summer months is around $80, so rooms book up pretty fast. You can make an online reservation but can sometimes get a better deal or room upgrade if you call the front desk to book. Ask for a room on the upper row where the front walkways and windows offer surprising sweeping views of the area. Don’t ask to be up there if you can’t or don’t want to walk up and down a small but steep hill to go to the outdoor pool or Route 66-themed diner, both of which are near the lower level and check-in. The Aspen offers a free hot breakfast buffet with eggs, sausages and the like, as well as a daily happy hour for guests with free beer and sodas in the diner.