El Rancho Hotel & Motel

El Rancho Hotel, Gallup, New Mexico, is a historic hotel built by R.E. “Griff” Griffith, the brother of film director D.W. Griffith. The pair encouraged early film production in the surrounding area. It is located on old U.S. Route 66 and became the temporary home for many Hollywood movie stars. The rambling, three-story hotel building has a large portico with a central balcony reminiscent of the Southern Plantation style. The National Park Service describes it as having a “rusticated fantasy appearance.” Materials include brick, random ashlar stone, and rough-hewn wood with a wood shake roof and brick and stone chimneys. The lobby features a spectacular walk-in fireplace made of brick and random ashlar stone surrounded by twin stairways made of split logs that lead to the second floor guest rooms. The slogan “Charm of Yesterday, Convenience of Tomorrow” is rendered in neon above the main entrance.
It is on the Trails of the Ancients Byway, one of the designated New Mexico Scenic Byways.

WWW elranchohotel.com

History

It opened in 1937 as a base for movie productions. Employees were trained by the Fred Harvey Company.
With the opening of Interstate 40, the property fell into decline.
Armand Ortega bought the hotel at a bankruptcy auction and restored the property. The Ortega family has a long history dealing in Native American jewelry and artwork in Santa Fe, New Mexico and has operated concessions for the National Park Service at Carlsbad Caverns National Park, White Sands National Park, Death Valley National Park, Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, Muir Woods National Monument, and others.

Famous guests

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Headquarters for films

The Bad Man 1940Sundown 1941The Desert Song 1942Song of the Nile 1944Four Faces West & Colorado Territory 1947-1948Streets of Laredo 1948Rocky Mountain 1950Ace in the Hole (1951 film) 1951 New Mexico 1950Fort Defiance 1950Raton Pass 1951Fort Massacre 1957A Distant Trumpet 1963The Hallelujah Trail 1964Bottom of the World 2017