Furnace Creek Inn and ranch

The spring fed pool was the highlight of our trip, but also the hotel had a lovely atmosphere, friendly service and was good value. The rooms are a little dark and outdated (we stayed in a cottage) but it was perfectly fine for our one night stay.

We were there over the Thanksgiving holiday. The Last Kind Word Saloon and 1849 Restaurant do not open til 5 pm. After being on the road all day, and coming from a different time zone, we were quite hungry by 4 pm. We were advised to go the The Wildrose Tavern as they serve food all day. After taking quite a long walk to the Tavern, it was closed, even the the signage said they would be open. We hung around the main building/gift shops, etc til 5 and I heard multiple employees sending people to The Wildrose. Wildrose was closed the first 2 days we were there. Further, we paid $400 a night for the room (a dingy and not very clean one at that), and they offer no daily maid service. At the coffee shop, the espresso machine was broken for our entire 5 day stay, with the excuse from the employee being “it’s Death Valley”. No espressos, lattes, etc. Only crappy drip coffee. 1849 Restaurant is mediocre. The breakfast is $21/pp for a mediocre, at best, buffet. The last day, we had a made-to-order breakfast from The Dining Room at the Inn, which was cheaper and far better than the 1849 buffet. We ate dinner at The Last Kind Word every night. Wings are pretty good,, wedge salad is great, chili is great. I had the pasta one night and had to send it back as it was so salty, I couldn’t eat it. This coming from someone who loves salt and adds to almost everything after I taste. The fried cheesecake is phenomenal! Love the artwork throughout the main buildings. Understand most of it is reproductions of the collection of the billionaire who owns Xanterra. Fantastic & worth walking around taking in. Beds are old and uncomfortable. I had springs stabbing me all night long.

During our stay, we experienced multiple issues that were unacceptable and seriously misrepresented on the hotel website. The dining situation alone was extremely problematic. On Wed Nov 25th, we arrived at Last Kind Words at 7:45 PM and were told they could not seat us because the waitlist was full for the rest of the night (Closed at 9). We were instructed to order food at the bar instead. However, when we returned the next evening at 6:30 PM to place a to-go order, we were informed that they were not taking any to-go orders that night. The buffet food offerings at 1849 were unhygienic and overpriced ($50 pp), and Wild Rose was closed entirely, leaving us with no viable dining options on Thanksgiving. We ultimately had to purchase frozen microwave meals from the store, which is not remotely in line with what the website advertises. The restaurant availability and quality on the website are grossly misleading, and given the remote location, this leaves guests with no reasonable alternatives once they arrive. We also faced big issues with our room. Our TV worked the first night but stopped working entirely on the second and third nights. The phone in our room also did not work, making it impossible to contact the front desk directly about these issues. When we went to the front desk at 3:30 PM requesting assistance, we were told someone would be sent to our room, but no one arrived after two hours of waiting. After returning to the desk, it took an additional 45 minutes before anyone came—only to confirm what we had already reported: the TV was broken. A technician did not return until the next day, when we were finally told the TV had no power and could not be fixed during our stay. These issues point to deep operational problems. Staff members appeared to be doing their best, but they clearly lacked the authority or resources to resolve even basic customer issues. They were simply carrying out flawed operations without the ability to help guests effectively.

Great location and good ambience. Rooms are clean and well maintained. Nice place for star gazing with appropriate lighting.

Situated smack in the middle of Death Valley National Park, the Ranch offers comfortable motel-style accommodation in a resort-like setting. Several dining options, gift shops, museum, post office, and swimming pool. Very close to the visitor center. Easy signage to the place and around the resort. Parking in front of the two stores buildings where we stayed. Staff very helpful. We stayed one night. Would stay again if I visit the park.