Vacations Blog

The Old Faithful Inn, in Yellowstone National Park.

The Old Faithful Inn is everything that all of the documentaries, Travel Channel specials, magazines, and hundreds of publications say it is. It’s beautiful. Picturesque. Stunning. Historic.

It’s also a darned uncomfortable place to spend the night.

I must say that when my husband and I first set off on our Epic Road Trip, we didn’t expect our stay at the Old Faithful Inn to be the lowlight of our vacation. So here’s a perspective you probably won’t hear very often:

Four Reasons NOT To Stay at the Old Faithful Inn:

Crowds of people at the Old Faithful Inn.

1. The crowds. Lord have mercy, that place attracts THOUSANDS of people. There are 327 guests rooms, so up to a thousand people can conceivably stay at the Inn at once. Add to that the droves upon droves of tourists, buses, tour groups, etc. that visit the Inn on a daily basis, and, well, let’s just say that your stay won’t exactly be quiet and peaceful. We knowingly visited during the high season, but we were still very shocked at the sheer amount of people arriving in waves.

2. The rooms. Don’t get me wrong, they’re comfortable enough. There’s no television (which, if you’re there on vacation, you’re not looking for a TV anyway) and no air conditioning (it can get hot and muggy in the day, but the nights always cool down). Though they’re small, they’re neat and clean and tidy. No frills whatsoever, but it’s an Inn in the heart of a National Park, so rustic is to be expected. Our “high range room” had a queen sized bed with simple linens and two pillows, a stand-up shower and toilet, a sink, and a dresser. Two towels, one hand towel, one wash-cloth. A bedside table with a lamp, and an overhead light. A luggage rack. No closet, no chairs. Simple, basic. One could even say, quaint.

However. You can hear every single creak, toilet flush, shower, faucet, conversation, footstep – any movement or noise whatsoever – within a six room radius above, below, and to either side of you. The floors are very creaky, and the walls are very thin. Plus, every door on every room is spring-loaded, which means if it’s let go to close on its own, it closes with a BANG! All hours, day and night, because it seems other guests don’t twig onto the fact that they might be, you know, disturbing other people.

One of the many hallways in the maze-like Old Faithful Inn.

3. Inconsiderate guests. Now, this particular item is not the fault of the Inn itself, it’s just a natural result of putting so many tourists in one place at one time. My husband and I spent a miserable night, trying to get to sleep. Because of the aforementioned lack of air conditioning – there were also no fans in the rooms – we had to leave the window open to catch the cool night air. Which meant we heard guests, carousing and carrying on until literally 2:30 in the morning, seemingly right outside our window. Sound carries on the still night air. Plus the creaky hallway floor announced foot traffic (plus, loud conversation and running kids on their way to and from their rooms), the doors slammed constantly, the showers ran, the toilets flushed, etc. etc. etc.

Chairs along the third floor, overlooking the lobby of the Old Faithful Inn.

4. The expense. It cost us $178 per night to have a 8×10-ish room, including a “Utility Fee”, which is a charge added to everything – the gift shop, the food, the lodging – to support the cost to get electricity, water, and supplies to the Inn. Food at the Dining Room and appetizers/drinks at the Lounge are pricey, which is understandable given the location. However, I found the $100 we dropped for dinner for two in the Dining Room to be excessive for the rather average cuisine we were served (Rib Eye for my husband, Chicken Oscar for myself). I paid $5.00 for two bottled waters, and $7.71 for two cups of coffee. Suffice to say, we didn’t even bother with the gift shop – everything offered there is available for much less money at any of the local souvenir shops in Jackson or Cody.

Now. All complaining aside, the Old Faithful Inn is stunning. I spent a couple of very happy hours exploring all over the maze of buildings and corridors, and I must have taken two hundred pictures (HINT: if you want a picture of the lobby without the crowds of people, wait until the Old Faithful Geyser is about to go off – the lobby is pretty much empty during those times). The staff was very competent and friendly, and were very helpful when I let them know we would be canceling our second night’s reservations. They waived our cancellation fee and even gave us a partial refund on the night we did stay, and were very apologetic that we suffered a negative experience, even if none of that experience wasn’t the fault of the Inn’s staff.

My husband and I thoroughly explored all of the features surrounding the Inn and had a fantastic time, which I will write about soon. So, what I am basically saying that a visit to the Old Faithful Inn is certainly recommended. Indeed, don’t miss it! However, I wouldn’t recommend staying in a room unless you’re prepared for a sleepless night.