Sleep where the Stars slept at El Rancho Hotel in Gallup, N.M.

Spending a night at the historic El Rancho Hotel in Gallup, N.M., is almost like staying at a museum—but a bit grander and a lot more comfortable.

Some of the greatest film stars of the mid-20^th century used this rustic-yet-lavish hotel as their home base while filming Westerns in the area surrounding Gallup, N.M.

If you want to feel the charm and rustic elegance of yesteryear, the El Rancho Hotel is a great historic hotel to put on your bucket list.

What movie stars stayed at el rancho hotel nM?

In addition to its historic value, the El Rancho Hotel in Gallup New Mexico is also a place that hosted many major movie stars.

Want some names of the motion picture stars who have stayed at the El Rancho?

Here are a few: John Wayne, Katherine Hepburn, Spencer Tracy, Errol Flynn, Kirk Douglas, Gregory Peck, Ronald Reagan and Humphrey Bogart, Lucille Ball, Doris Day, Jimmy Stewart, Jack Benny, Betty Grable, Mae West, W.C. Fields, Gene Autry, James Cagney and Rita Hayworth.

I truly love staying at historic hotels throughout the U.S. Some of my reviews include the the Guild House Hotel in Philadelphia that is within walking distance to Independence Hall, and 106 Jefferson Hotel in Huntsville, a boutique hotel close to everything.

Past Lane Travels contains affiliate links and is a member of the Amazon LLC Associates Program. If you make a purchase using one of these links, I may receive compensation at no extra cost to you.

El Rancho Hotel Gallup History

Old style telephone sitting on a table beside a lamp in a room at El Rancho. — *The telephone in my room at El Rancho.*

Built in 1936 along U.S. Route 66 for R.E. “Griff” Griffith (brother of the famous movie director D.W. Griffith), the hotel is a large, rambling rustic style building that reflects the image and illusion of the Old West.

During its heyday, the El Rancho Hotel was one of the premier hotels in the entire Southwest and conveyed a sense of luxury, making it the go-to place for the Hollywood set when they were filming in the area.

A portrait of Katherine Hepburn hangs on the wall at El Rancho.

Stepping through the main entry doors is like taking a step back in time.

You can’t help but imagine Katherine Hepburn walking through the same doors when she arrived in 1946 to film “Sea of Grass.”

And it’s easy to picture John Wayne sauntering across the lobby or hear Jimmy Stewart’s voice echoing through the halls.

A portrait of Gregory Peck that is autographed. — *Autographed photo of Gregory Peck.*

The large, homey lobby is welcoming and features a crisscross balustrade balcony running around the perimeter at the second-story level.

Sturdy carved wood furniture, arranged in a sitting area, invites visitors to get comfortable as soon as they step through the entranceway.

The room is accentuated with Navajo rugs draped from the balcony and deer head trophies hanging from the columns.

Stamped tin lights and Western-style chandeliers create a soft, relaxing ambiance.

El Rancho Hotel Lobby showing the two curved red stairways, a wagonwheel chandelier and western-style rug. — *The expansive and beautiful lobby of the El Rancho Hotel.*

An old-time shoe shine station at the El Rancho hotel. — *Old-time shoe shine stand.*

For a little more nostalgia and trace of days gone by, an old shoe-shine bench sits in the corner, along with cigarette and stamp machines (when stamps were 2 cents), as well as an old-time piano.

Every room of the hotel combines rustic western grandeur with the charm of yesteryear.

The most eye-catching features of the lobby though are the twin curved staircases that bookmark each side of a spectacular walk-in fireplace cove.

The stairs, made of split logs, wind their way up to the balcony that completely encircles the first floor. The railings are made from naturally bent, stripped and polished tree limbs.

If you like “faded luxury,” check out the Welbourne Inn in Middleburg, Va.

El Rancho photo wall, showing signed photos of movie stars that stayed at the hotel. — *Photographs of some of the stars that have stayed at El Rancho.*

Several second-floor sitting areas are furnished with comfortable chairs for reading or just looking down on the stately lobby below.

You can spend hours studying the photographs of the movie stars that hang on the walls, along with framed (and sometimes autographed) scenes from the movies that were shot in the surrounding area.

El Rancho lobby showing the huge fireplace and sitting area. — *The warm and inviting fireplace cove at El Rancho.*

Timeline of El Rancho Hotel in Gallup

Unfortunately, the grandeur of the El Rancho Hotel began fading in the early 1960s when the lure of the black and white Westerns were being replaced by brilliant Technicolor.

Additionally at that time the mysterious West was no longer out of reach for most Americans because of the existence of Route 66 and the almost completed Interstate-40.

The Jimmy Stewart room at the El Rancho Hotel, is room 228. — *Jimmy Stewart’s room at El Rancho.*

Luckily, Armand Ortega, a well-known Indian trader, bought the hotel despite its deteriorating condition and restored it to its original luster.

Today, the hotel is once again a popular stop for Route 66 travelers who can stay in rooms named for the movie stars who were guests before them.

El Rancho was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1988, and is a must-see if you’re traveling along Route 66 in New Mexico.

You will definitely get the Southwestern vibe in this hotel, along with a walk down memory lane.

The Gift Shop At El Rancho Hotel NM

Hotel Gift Shops are usually a place to pick up a drink or a snack, or maybe a tee shirt or souvenir, but the gift shop at the El Rancho Hotel is definitely worth spending some time to shop.

The El Rancho Hotel Jewelry store features some of the most beautiful, authentic Gallup, New Mexico Indian Jewelry that can be found anywhere.

The Jewelry Store is owned by Armand Ortega and features handmade jewelry from local Navajo, Zuni and Hopi artists throughout the Region.

Ortega has been in the jewelry business his entire life and is a 4th generation trader.

As a child, he worked in a Trading Post in Holbrook Arizona and has always worked hand in hand with the Navajo community. Today, Armand Ortega is one of the premier Traders in the region.

Wooden horse and other items for sale in a shop window in Gallup, New Mexico. — Window shopping in Gallup, New Mexico.

Ready to book a room at El Rancho Hotel?

Other Shopping Near El Rancho Hotel

Gallup, where the hotel is located, makes the experience worthwhile with many trading posts that sell hand-made Indian jewelry, rugs and blankets, nearby.

I visited Richardson’s Trading Company and the Perry Null Trading Company. Both are like walking through a museum. Rugs, baskets and beautiful jewelry are all on display.

You can find more information about Gallup, N.M. at Visit Gallup.

If you like booking historic accommodations, check out my other hotel reviews.

Other Gallup NM Hotels

Navajoland Inn: Budget hotel (I stayed here and it was adequate)

Springhill Suites by Marriott: Art deco hotel with indoor pool

El Rancho wall of photographs of movie stars against a brick wall.

More photographs of movie stars at the El Rancho Hotel.