17 Best Hotels in Billings, Little Big Horn, and the Montana Plains, Montana

A clock tower, colorful flags, and off-white stones and bricks decorate the proud exterior of this spacious hotel that offers one of the best breakfasts on the Hi-Line. Contemporary furnishings fill the rooms.

A Cracker Barrel next door and proximity to I–90 make this chain hotel by Best Western a good stop for last-minute or late arrivals. Pets stay free, and kids will love the indoor pool with waterslide. There's also a hot tub and eight Whirlpool Guest Rooms on the ground floor featuring oversize tubs with jets.

Overlooking the Missouri River just southwest of downtown and within easy walking distance of casual restaurants and watering holes, this clean, trendy property (formerly a LaQuinta) is a nice balance between bland franchise hotels and pricey upper-end lodging. Decor is decidedly Western, with a stone fireplace and exposed log beams.

The two-room family suites and complimentary hot breakfast make this chain hotel stand out. It's on the southeast corner of town near I–94.

If you've brought the kids along, this is the choice, hands down, for one clear reason: a 35,000-square-foot indoor water park ($10 per person per day for in-house guests) with two three-story slides, four minislides, a wave pool, and a 20-person hot tub for the older set. If that's not enough, there's a games arcade. On the other hand, those who find swimsuited, barefoot kids racing around annoying rather than cute should choose another property.

Three family units, some with two bedrooms, and three full kitchenette units are what travelers find at this vintage roadside motel marked by a neon sign. Most rooms afford unobstructed views of the Musselshell River and the Castle, Crazy, and Big Snowy mountains.

With 23 stories, this property is one of the few high-rises in Billings, making it a handy orientation point. Guest rooms are spacious and well appointed, with some providing mountain views. The hotel is noted for its superb Western art collection, which hangs in both public areas and guest rooms. The appropriately named Montana Sky Restaurant ($$$), open for breakfast and dinner, features regional game dishes such as elk loin medallions, along with more usual fare.

Featured on Hotel Impossible in 2012, this downtown institution has come a long way from the dump it once was. However, a Western theme still pervades right down to the lantern-style light fixtures, wood paneling, and custom-made carpet "branded" with the symbols of area ranches. The hotel has one suite with a full kitchen, and Rooms 226 and 227 are known for their ghost activity. An on-site restaurant serves breakfast and lunch.

Possibly the oldest hotel in Montana, the Grand Union was built on the bank of the Missouri in 1882 to serve steamboat and stage travelers. Filled with period pieces, the two-story building is as elegant as ever. With its dark-wood accents and Victorian-style lighting, the Union Grille Restaurant ($$$–$$$$) brings to mind the refinement cultivated by the Western frontier's elite. Most of Fort Benton's main attractions including the Old Fort are less than a 10-minute walk away. The hotel also has a great gift shop which sells local art, handpainted cowboy ties, Indian beadwork, and blankets and throws from Pendleton,

A double-sided fireplace serves as the lobby focal point for this West End property. Guest rooms are well appointed, with good work space, nice art, and comfortable mattresses topped by white duvets. The heated indoor pool, whirlpool, 24-hour business center, and airport shuttle are complimentary. The on-site restaurant offers room service and also serves breakfast, à la carte, for an extra charge.

Easy to find, this recently remodeled downtown hotel is within walking distance of Malta's Amtrak station and a few blocks from the junction of U.S. 2 and 191. The large, clean rooms are modest but modern, with Wi-Fi, refrigerators, microwaves, and coffeemakers, and the customer service is excellent.

Bright white walls stand out against curtains and upholstery in vibrant green tones at this hotel with some of the most pleasant staff in town. Because of the inn's location along Billings's medical corridor and its squeaky-clean image, many people who come to town for a hospital visit stay here.

Among the newish properties in the West End, this all-suite hotel with an indoor pool and hot tub has a lot going for it. A partial wall divides the two-queen or one-king bedroom from the sitting area, where a sofa, armchair, and desk provide good work and relaxation space. A nook houses a compact sink, refrigerator, microwave, and cabinets. The lobby breakfast room has ample space and is separate from the serving counter.

The fireplace is so cozy and the furniture in the common areas of this small (but well-appointed downtown hotel) is so comfortable you'll want to meet friends in the lobby. Many of the guests of the inn stay here while using the services of the Great Falls Clinic and Benefis Healthcare Center next door.

This sprawling brick hotel on the east side of Lewistown takes its name from the Yogo sapphires mined nearby. Rooms are contemporary, spacious, and well furnished; some have four-poster beds. Many rooms face an indoor courtyard with a swimming pool and hot tub. The hotel and convention center is built around the Centermark Courtyard, which takes its name from surveyor documents buried here in 1912: they proclaimed the spot the geographical center of Montana. Ask at the front desk for info about nearby ghost towns and Native American petroglyphs.