El Trovatore Motel

We enjoy historic and eclectic places and El Trovatore is both. Our hosts have embarked on an ambitious renovation and redecoration project of epic proportions.
The bedroom walls have been retextured and painted. The floors are laminate. The furniture provides plenty of storage space and the TV offerings are first rate.
Rooms also have new heating/​AC units with digital controls, a small refrigerator, and a microwave.
The bathrooms are old style but spacious. Ours had small octagonal white tiles on the floor, with tiled walls in the shower reminiscent of the 1960’s. The bathtub was no longer in use, but had been covered to provide a place to spread out your gear. The old corner sink is still in use, with a shaving mirror to hand and electrical outlets. And there is plenty of hot water!
The outer walls are covered with murals. The main building’s mural depicts Historic Route 66. Other buildings have murals of John Wayne driving a stagecoach, the main street of a frontier town, and a collection of nostalgic items such as old gas pumps and coke coolers. The muralist is genius. His (and our hosts’) latest project is the hotel pool, which features a yellow submarine, an octopus, and a mermaid.
Each room is named for a famous star who might once have stayed here. We had the Audrey Hepburn suite, adorned with large photos of the sylph herself. Our hosts seem to have a flair for décor — silk flowers, a lovely blue-​silky-​upholstered chair, and trash cans labeled Mandalay Bay! There is, of course, an Elvis suite, and one for Kingman native son Andy Devine.
Our hosts have also restored the towering neon sign that advertises El Trovatore on Route 66. It is a landmark well worth the stop if you are in Kingman.

I do not get why there are good reviews for this place! Nostalgia aside, the outside of this place looks like a South American prison and the inside does too! The walls of my room were dirty, the bathtub was covered by a piece of plywood and the shower made me want to wear my shower shoes! The pool was without water (and by the looks of it has been for quite some time), the TV was old school and probably weighed 200 lbs, not the mention the room smelled like old people. All of this for $ 85.00 for one night! Yuck! This place was gross!

Clean, safe & friendly. The most important things about a place to sleep. No bathtub in the Clint Eastwood room which was disappointing. Has a mini fridge, a nice bed, no bugs, an old but working ac & hardwood floors — LOVED the floors. If your staying for more than a night there’s a bbq. No bugs.
. $ 66+tax/fees. A little high for mid October but we were too tiredto drive on or keep looking. It had the best reviews.

Our stay at the El Trovatore was a highlight of our road trip to Texas. My seven year old was ecstatic at the prospect of being able to stay in his first ever motel. He questioned why we have stayed in hotels all these years when there are places with the amenity of a door directly to the outside world and adjacent parking. For him, the El Trovatore as his first motel set the bar high enough that I doubt he we be satisfied with any other motel much less the business class Hilton, Doubletree and Embassy Suites hotels he has been accustomed to over the years…
At check in, we were greeted by Sam and Monica the owners. Things got off to a great start with tricks performed by their wonder dog, Taco. I think he is a chihuahua and he has to be as wide as he is long. The kids loved him. We visited with the owners for probably a half hour as they shared information about the town, it’s history, Route 66 and the history of the hotel. They were genuine and great advocates for all there is to experience in the area. Monica even accompanied us to our room and showed us all of its amenities. They really provided the service of a 5 star hotel and the friendliness of a great B&B.
The room was comfortable and spacious. The hotel has been around since the 1930’s and many of the fixtures appeared to be original. They provided charm while key amenities like the AC unit were contemporary and worked great.
My son has asked if our next road trip can be back to El Trovatore to stay longer… I would consider it.

The El Trovatore is great for nostalgia and local atmosphere. The place is a really cool throwback — cheesy celebrity themed rooms, a neon sign, a mural of route 66 all over the outside walls. The owners are friendly and helpful, and tell you all about the history of the town and of the hotel. They even gave us route 66 pins! There’s a friendly little dog in the front office, Taco (who really should be called burrito, cause he’s one of the fattest little dogs I’ve ever seen.) It’s definitely old-​school, and really different (and a lot more interesting!) than any corporate soulless chain places. We stayed in the «Audrey Hepburn» room with a view of the mountains.
As for the comfort and cleanliness of the motel, I’ll put it this way: I was happy to stay here. My picky mother would not have been! The furnishings are basic but comfortable, and the bathroom fixtures are so old that the paint is peeling on the sink. The room seemed clean overall, but I wished I’d brought shower shoes for the bathroom, just to be on the safe side. Amenities include a couple of very thin towels, slightly rough sheets, packets of instant coffee to heat up in the microwave, and a few tiny bars of soap and packets of «conditioning shampoo.» There’s a fridge and a TV with a lot of channels, including HBO. The A/​C works well, and they’re in the process of renovating the pool.
At around 10:30 PM, the carbon monoxide detector in our room started chirping loudly; we assumed the battery was low. I went to the main office, where there was an overnight clerk on duty. He came and changed the battery right away, and the problem was fixed.
No one was in the office when we checked out around 8 AM, but there’s a box to drop your key in.
If you want a room that’s comfortable but sterile, go to one of the chain motels nearby. But if you want to be part of history and some local color, stay here!

The owner offered a friendly greeting and a thorough guide to the area. Not only were local points of interest and anecdotes covered, helpful directions to the Grand Canyon were given when I indicated I was headed there. Not only did the owner and staff welcome me, their dog Taco excitedly performed a trick for me.
Rooms were celebrity themed – choices included John Wayne, Marilyn Monroe and Clint Eastwood, among others. The room was comfy and retro. The stay was peaceful. There was a frig and microwave. Coffee and sweetener packets were available.
Not fancy, but I would definitely return.

We love kitschy hotels and don’t care about rooms being perfect. We were so looking forward to our stay. We were given two rooms because they did not have a room with two beds, which was inconvenient for a family of four with two young kids, but we were okay with each of us taking one kid. When we got into room 147, we noticed a pull out couch! We could all get into one room! However, upon opening the couch, we found mouse droppings… and a dead cockroach in the bedroom. It was late, so we all moved into the clean room and ditched the other room. The attendants were horrified and promised to call the owners. I slept on the floor. In the morning, we found a live, large cockroach on the shower floor. We wanted to love this hotel but it was ridiculously terrible.

Charming historic Route 66 motel. The owners were very friendly and helpful and fun to talk to. Room was very clean and bed was comfortable. Bathroom is all original fixtures and tile… quirky fun design. Great value. Love the Route 66 mural painted all over the building. Awesome neon signs.

I’d love to give a 5 star rating but after I was charged for a room I showed up to a closed office and an unanswered phone. I was forced to continue driving to Seligman AZ to get a room. I called back to see if I could be refunded my original charge as I paid for a service that I didn’t receive only to be cursed at by a rude individual as if I had taken something. I felt that after being told that the motel was booked that night, there should be an indicator that keeps travelers from making an erratic purchase. I shared that idea with the individual only to be talked to like I was an incompetent criminal of sorts. Unbelievable, it was so similar to a shady flea market transaction gone bad. Absolutely horrible experience.

If you go here expecting a luxury hotel, you’ll be sorely disappointed. But if you go here looking for an authentic Route 66 experience, you’ll be in for a treat. The owners, Sam and Monica, give a personal touch to your whole stay, from the tour of the motel, a spiel about the history of Kingman, and being just generally friendly. Rooms are cozy and clean, but the fixtures are dated. The artwork around the property are positively adorable.

We were passing through Kingman on our way back from a little road trip and after finding this motel online, we knew we had to stay here. This was the perfect little route 66 spot and Sam and Monica were very welcoming when we arrived. We got a whole history lesson from Sam and a few recommendations which we happily accepted and ended up visiting the next day. The room was simple and clean, a little dated but it was exactly what we expected. Sam and Monica were wonderful and we enjoyed staying the James Dean room. We would definitely stay here agin if we pass through Kingman (which we may want to now that Sam filled us in on all the amazing things in the area)!

Shoes just found a new Kingman favorite. Take your time here checking in. Get a wonderful history lesson from Sam & Monica. They have owned El Trovatore for 3 years now. So sit back and listen to stories of this historic motel and Kingman! They got the 100′ sign tower working and have renovated most of the rooms. My room this nite was the John Wayne room.
There are other Hollywood
stars themed rooms. So after I checked in I was escorted
to my room and given the tour of the Largest Route 66 wall mural map. the rooms are nice and clean and well done. The motel is very well priced. I have made new friends, Sam & Monica are dedicated to enriching Kingman with hospitality, charm and comfort. So, stay just a little bit longer.

Clean room with a comfortable bed. Stayed in the John Wayne room, which consisted of 3 posters of JW. Very drafty, and being late November it seemed like the room never came above 60 degrees. Outside of the hotel was nicely decorated, the front desk man was very friendly and helpful and the price was reasonable. Outdated showers, little hard to get the temperature right, but it definitely came out HOT if you wanted it.

This place is a dump covered in a shiny veneer of touristy paint. The owner offers no smile, cuts you off, and has a bad attitude. It’s old, dirty, gimmicky and not worth your time. Stay across the street at Hilltop, or go to one of the more modern hotels in town, but don’t give your money to a place like this.

My wife and I traveled to Kingman for the weekend and chose to stay here at the El Travatore. I must admit that I usually avoid places like this like the plague but we took a chance and I must say that we were pleased by our decision.
I called the motel on our way and made our reservation over the phone. When we arrived we were greeted by Sammy, who turned out to be the owner. He gave us a great run down on what we should do while there and made a few jokes in the process.
The room was clean although dated: sometimes in cool retro ways… sometimes in old carpet smell ways. The original bathroom fixtures were neat.
This place is quirky. Each room is themed with a different celebrity – we got the Michael Jackson room. This is super gimmicky and kind of endearing as well. They have huge murals painted on the front of all their buildings and a couple great neon signs that act as beacons to all those weary Route 66 travelers.
If you’re NOT an uptight type AND looking for a fun, quirky, Route 66 experience… give this place a chance. Talk with Sammy about historic Kingman, watch their dog Taco do his little dance, talk with your neighbors if you can-they’re probably from Europe, and admire the great murals.

This is the kind of place that, by and large, has been eradicated along America’s highways in favor of chain motels. Yes, the rooms are themed, but I would say go here for the history and the experience. The owners show a true love for the history of not only the motel structure, but also the town and Route 66.
Where otherwise you might just stop for a night and drive through, when you stay here you’ll have something to remember.

I discovered this motel because of Unilocal reviews. Traveling through Kingman and in need of a place to stay for the night we decided to give it a try. I love this place! Nothing fancy but very unique. There is so much history here and the couple that run it are very friendly and a wealth of Route 66 snd Kingman history. I rarely give 5 stars for a motel but the uniqueness of this place deserves it. I definitely will stay here again.

John Wayne room
Bed was comfortable although
the room was clean on the surface, but not deep cleaned as it was dirty. There was no hot water… None. I could not get warm as there seemed to not be any heat and the excessive cold air funneled through the bathroom window that looked over a field of muck.
The good parts… Price. The painted décor outside was off the charts nice. The man cleaning rooms seemed like a nice man and Sam the owner was friendly enough, but too sick to wait on people. Two days later I got sick… Ugh. Not a good experience for me

We can’t forget Taco and we got our Route 66 passport there, nice owners and place is worth to stay)))

This motel was absolutely wonderful!!!
–no designated check out time
–super affordable 40 – 50 bucks a night
–themed rooms, cozy and clean
The couple running it are so kind and accommodating. They’re also quite knowledgeable about Route 66, the history of Kingman, AZ and the surrounding areas.
A crucial stop for anyone passing through on Route 66.