12 Best Hotels in Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona

The hotel's European hunting-lodge atmosphere, attractively updated rooms and tile baths, and renowned dining room make it the best place to stay on the South Rim. A registered National Historic Landmark, the "architectural crown jewel of the Grand Canyon" was built in 1905 of Oregon pine logs and native stone. It's usually booked well in advance (up to 13 months ahead), though it's easier to get a room during winter months. Three suites (El Tovar, Fred Harvey, and Mary Jane Colter) and several rooms have canyon views (these book very early), but you can enjoy the view anytime from the expansive back porch.

Famed architect Mary Jane Colter designed this 1935 log-and-stone structure, which sits within a few yards of the canyon rim and blends superbly with the canyon walls; its location is similar to El Tovar's but for about half the price. Accommodations are in surprisingly attractive motel-style rooms or cabins. Lodge rooms don't have TVs, and some rooms share a bath. Scattered among the pines are 50 cabins, which do have TVs and private baths; some have fireplaces, and a few have virtually unobstructed canyon views. Expect rustic, historic charm but not luxury. The Fred Harvey Burger serves casual, affordable meals all day, and the Arizona Steakhouse serves lunch and dinner. Adding to the experience are an ice-cream parlor, gift shop, and small history museum.

The only lodging on the West Rim, the comfortable cabins at Hualapai Ranch are clean and neat, but also small and unassuming. The front porches are a good place to sit and unwind after a hectic day exploring the sights at Grand Canyon West. The cabins are adjacent to a small "Western" town, where visitors can pose for snapshots, hear storytellers and cowboy singers, and sign up for horseback rides.

Operated by the Havasupai Tribe at the bottom of Havasu Canyon, these are fairly spartan accommodations—each room has two double beds and a bathroom—but you won't mind much when you see the natural beauty surrounding you. There is no kitchen, but a café serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The tribal entry and environmental fees are included in the room rate. Reservations are essential and can be made up to a year in advance beginning June 1.

In Peach Springs on the longest stretch of the original historic Route 66, the hotel has clean, basic rooms and a comfortable lobby with a large fireplace that is welcoming on chilly nights. It's a 19-mile scenic drive to the Colorado River, a 65-mile drive to Hualapai Hilltop (the hotel is located near Indian 18, the road to Hualapai Hilltop), and a two-hour drive up to the West Rim.

The bustling lodge at Jacob Lake Inn is a popular stop for those heading to the North Rim, 45 miles south. This five-acre complex in Kaibab National Forest has basic cabins, motel rooms, and newer hotel rooms that overlook the highways. Avoid the older facilities by asking for one of the new rooms. They aren't as nostalgic and private as the cabins, but a few more dollars gets you a TV and air conditioning.

The well-appointed rooms at this motel-style lodge in Grand Canyon Village on the South Rim are a good bet for families and are within easy walking distance of dining facilities at nearby lodges. Many rooms come with partial canyon views, and there are also several rooms for people with physical disabilities. There's no air-conditioning, but evaporative coolers keep the heat at bay.

Popular with anglers and rafters, this lodge offers two types of accommodations: standard rooms in the original lodge building and two-bedroom apartments in a newer building. You can play the 1920s piano or sit on the porch swing of the native-rock lodge and look out on Vermilion Cliffs and the desert. Zane Grey and Gary Cooper are among well-known past guests.

Far from the noisy crowds, Maswik accommodations are in two-story, contemporary motel-style buildings nestled in a shady ponderosa pine forest. The lodge, named for a Hopi kachina who is said to guard the canyon, is ¼ mile from the rim. Maswik rooms are larger than most on the South Rim and have brighter, newer furnishings, air-conditioning, and plenty of extras like refrigerators, coffeemakers, and safes. Families appreciate the lodge's food court and pizza pub, a casual spot with a big-screen TV.

In a grove of cottonwood trees on the canyon floor, Phantom Ranch is accessible only to hikers, river rafters, and mule trekkers; there are 40 dormitory bunk beds and 14 beds in cabins, all with shared baths (though cabins have toilets and sinks). The wood-and-stone buildings originally made up a hunting camp built in 1922. Additional cabins are reserved for mule riders who buy their trips as a package. The mess hall–style restaurant, one of the most remote eating establishments in the United States, serves family-style dinners (purchased separately); breakfast and box lunches are also available. Reservations, taken up to 13 months in advance, are a must for services and lodging.

This motel with comfortable, simple rooms and partial canyon views has all the modern amenities you'd expect at a typical, midprice chain hotel—even pod coffeemakers. Some rooms have very effective evaporative coolers instead of air-conditioning.

The largest motel-style lodge in the park is tucked in a pinyon pine and juniper forest at the eastern end of Grand Canyon Village, across from Market Plaza. The basic rooms are near the park's general store, business center, and main visitor center. The lodge's restaurant, open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, serves standard park-service food; the Yavapai Tavern is a popular hangout after the day's adventures.