Santa Claran Hotel Casino

Hotels
•
Independent
7 (40 reviews)
464 N Riverside Dr , Espanola , US

Children allowed
Pets allowed

Facilities

ATM/banking
Gift shops or newsstand
Cross-country skiing nearby
Fireplace in lobby
Safe-deposit box at front desk
Express check-out
Snowboarding nearby
Snack bar/deli
Golf driving range on site
Free self parking
See all facilities

Review Highlights

Pros:
Clean rooms reported by multiple guests
Several staff members named (Paul, Marcella, Karen) provided excellent, accommodating service
Comfortable beds and high-quality linens mentioned
Reasonable pricing and quiet, pleasant stays for some guests
Nearby resort golf course praised
Cons:
Missing in-room coffee makers and no complimentary breakfast
Facility/amenity issues: rooms too hot, fridge/light failures, power outage incident
Crowded casino due to renovations and concerns about sanitation/loitering
Inconsistent staff responses in some incidents
Slots pay poorly according to guest reports

Categories

Cleanliness
7.5
Multiple reviewers called rooms 'very clean' and 'super clean', though one guest raised sanitation concerns due to heavy guest turnover and visible loitering near machines — overall slightly above average cleanliness but with noted worries.
Service
8
Several guests praised specific staff (Paul, Marcella, Karen) for helpful, friendly, accommodating service; however there are isolated reports of poor responses (staff blaming guests, threats) — overall service trends positive due to named employees.
Location
7
Location is not widely discussed; guests mention a nearby resort golf course and reasonable access to amenities — standard quality for this hotel tier.
Room Quality
6.5
Some guests praised top-of-the-line mattresses, linens and comfortable rooms, while others reported rooms that were too hot, small refrigerators not cooling and lighting issues — mixed room quality with technical problems lowering the score.
Amenities
6
Several complaints about missing in-room coffee makers, no complimentary breakfast/water and limited access until morning; casino renovations and crowded floors also impacted perceived amenities.
Value for Money
7.5
A few reviewers described the price as very reasonable and appreciated cleanliness and comfort; others felt amenities/problems reduced value — overall slightly better than the target due to competitive pricing.
Food and Beverage
6
Notable negatives: no in-room coffee, no complimentary breakfast and limited early-morning coffee access; little positive commentary on F&B offerings.
Overall Experience
7.5
Mixed experiences: multiple very positive stays highlighting cleanliness and excellent staff, but some frustrating incidents (power outage, maintenance issues, crowded casino) lead to a modestly positive overall impression.
* This sentiment is summarized by AI based on user reviews.
Updated at: 2026-11-05 14:26

Property Description

Santa Claran Casino Resort in the scenic Española Valley of northern New Mexico, with views of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. 122 guest rooms and 19 spacious suites decorated in Southwestern style with authentic Native American design elements, steps from the casino floor, Black Mesa Golf Club, Puye Cliff Dwellings and Big Rock Bowling Center.

Important information:

  • Only registered guests are allowed in the guestrooms.
  • This property allows pets in specific rooms only (surcharges apply and can be found in the Fees section). Guests can request one of these rooms by contacting the property directly, using the contact information on the booking confirmation.

A deposit may be required at the property.

Check-in and check-out hours:
Check-out: 10:00 AM

Property Policies

  • Pets

    Maximum number of pets per room 2

  • Pets

    Service animals are exempt from fees/restrictions

  • Pets

    Pets allowed

  • General

    Social distancing measures are in place

  • General

    Professional property host/manager

See all policies

Location

Guest Reviews

7
Based on 40 reviews
Cleanliness: 7.5
Service: 8
Location: 7
Room Quality: 6.5
Amenities: 6
Value for Money: 7.5
Food and Beverage: 6
Overall Experience: 7.5
M
maraV5607IF • Friends getaway
2
No thank you - even with the free night stays
Pros:

Don't stay here! Because this place offers free night stays through the Casino's players card, and I can only imagine how many people stay here! This cannot not be that sanitary with that many people staying here! I also noticed what look like homeless coming to the coke/coffee machines.

Casino is going through renovations and the slot machines are so close together its hard to walk through the casino floor. Slot machines do not pay, free spins are far and few and in between and when you do get them, they pay nothing! Guess were paying for the renovations!

Not coming to this casino until they have completed the renovations!. Only because I am curious as to what its going to look like! Maybe then the slots will pay!

2025-04-25 • via Tripadvisor
A
Annomynous47025 • Business • us
2
Stay away from this dump
Pros:

This place has always given us issues, this was the last straw for us. With zero warning the hotel shut off power to several floors early in the morning.

I couldn't shower, get ready for work, and when I went to find out what happened the one staff member blamed the day crew, never apologized or emphathized, didn't offer any solutions, and then threatened to remove me from the hotel for veing upset at the situation and he had to deal with it. Place always has an issue, this was just blatant stupidity on the part of the hotel. Who

2024-02-07 • via Tripadvisor
T
Tour10235687165 • Solo travel
10
Great Customer Service
Pros:

I had issues with my water heater and decided to stay at this hotel for the night. It was busy but Paul Martinez was super helpful and was able to get me into a very clean nice room. Mr. Martinez was very accommodating and very nice. I will continue to stay here due to the Customer Service and Cleanliness. Thank you Paul.

2023-08-30 • via Tripadvisor
A
ABP1943 • Family • us
8
Pleasantly Surprised
Pros:

We were pleasantly surprised by our accommodation. The price was very reasonable, the resort was well run, and the room was very clean. Our only complaint was that there was no coffee maker in the room and you couldn't go downstairs to get coffee until 8 am. We played golf at Black Mesa, a resort course, and it was beautiful but perhaps the hardest course we have ever played.

2023-06-10 • via Tripadvisor
Z
zengolfer8 • Couples • us
2
Never again.
Pros:

Really disappointing and frustrating experience. Would not recommend. No simple amenities like coffee in the room, no complimentary breakfast , water etc. Rooms were 75 degrees and blazing hot . Maintenance called and they would have to get in the ceiling and try to fix . Tiny room refrigerators did not cool. Light in one of the 2 rooms did not work with light switch. Oh, we could go to casino to get coffee the night before and heat it up the next morning in our tiny room microwave. Frustrating to say the least, A couple nice staff but otherwise we recommend you try somewhere else.

2023-05-20 • via Tripadvisor
Y
Y8503EKyvonnem • Couples • us
10
Mini Vacay
Pros:

I really must say that I do like everything about the hotel and casino Espanola Santa Clarita. the employees well trained in the good old fashion sense of guests are number one priority.. The top-of-the-line mattresses to the top-of-the-line linens. Perfect pillows , love the bathroom, I must say high quality everything. Especially the employees treat the guests every single time like kings and queens !
(and they don’t come bugging you in the morning ! that is so annoying. ) I want to thank everyone that sent Karen for truly feeling Brand New woman after my mini Vacay.

2022-12-27 • via Tripadvisor
W
williambS4516SU • Couples • us
10
Roadtrip 2022-Phase 1
Pros:

We had a fantastic stay at this hotel. We found it to be
super clean, comfortable, and quiet. The staff was
friendly and accommodating. Check-in and check-out were both a breeze. Marcella and Paul both had a number of excellent suggestions for dining and things to do in the area. Thanks, again, for a great visit.

2022-09-10 • via Tripadvisor
O
Okiedevildog • Couples • us
8
Pleasant stay clean
Pros:

The hotel is 5 star, rooms are spacious and nice and we had a wonderful view of the west mountains with a small balcony. The bathroom is quite spacious and not cramped. Hotel staff is super friendly and engaging. The hotel has a nice large pool, hot tub and workout center. Overall a pleasant stay.
The casino floor is clean but it’s relatively small compared to our casinos in Oklahoma. The complimentary drink center is nice and clean, also has bar area and sports bar with good and snack shop within the casino gaming area.

2022-08-01 • via Tripadvisor
S
shelbek • NONE • us
6
One reason only 4-stars....no coffee
Pros:

And really, I wish I could do 3.5 because it was good...better than average...but not very good.

At first sight, it's a beautiful hotel. It's very clean so no issues there. The rooms are big but strangely dark, especially the bathrooms. Putting on make-up was challenging and I hope I wasn't walking around looking like Bozo the Clown. The staff was nice, but not overly helpful. I was stuck at the door with hands full of take-out coffee struggling to manage the hot containers, swiping my room key, and opening the door. No one came to help until I hit the button. Note: the door was locked and it was about 7:30 am well after the posted "doors lock between 10 pm and 6 am" sign. When the employee opened the door, I commented that my room key did not open the doors, she shrugged her shoulders and said, "oh, sorry". So yeah...that did not sit well with me.
However, the biggest issue is that THERE IS NO COFFEE until 8 am when the casino opens. Nope. Nothing. No independent coffee bar charging $4 for coffee, nothing. There are no coffee makers in the rooms. Santa Claran missed the mark on this one. When you are coming from the mid-west and east coast (our fellow travelers) 8 am is really 9 am and 10 am respectively. We had to leave the hotel to get coffee and/or breakfast. It irritated me so much that we only had one meal at the hotel the night we got there (which was pretty good btw). Santa Claran....you don't want your guests to leave and go patronize somewhere else because you aren't providing a simple service like making coffee and tea available! For you non-coffee drinkers, this may seem like no big deal, but for coffee drinkers, it became a huge issue as well as a huge topic of conversation. We were there for a wedding. When the venue owners told me they were also opening a hotel for wedding guests to stay in, I specifically told them to have coffee available. The look on their faces when I told them we did not and were forced to go spend our money elsewhere was priceless.

That's it. No coffee and bad lighting will get you only 3 stars.

2022-04-27 • via Tripadvisor
W
Walter • family
8
Pros:

Stayed one night, in town for personal business. Room was nice, bed a little hard. Air conditioning quiet, same for hallways. No noise problems from adjoining rooms either. Dining choices are all in casino, food was good, but there was a lot of noise from the action on casino floor. Would have preferred one restaurant located somewhere else on property. Overall perceptions were good, have been back to this property several times and would do so again.

2022-04-22 • via Nuitee
B
Bertha Isabelle
4
Pros:

Deli staff rude and can use customer relation training. Notified manager who said he would talk to employee. Room was clean. Take your own food and drinks. The snack bar/ deli is expensive and out of everything.

2022-03-20 • via Nuitee
M
Michelle
10
March stay
Pros:

It was a nice stay. Room was clean and neat. I was only there for a short overnight stay for work.

2022-03-08 • via Nuitee
C
Cornelia
4
Pros:

The decor and Santa Clara art was amazing. Check in was good. I realize and understand about Covid restrictions. But not having coffee available in the morning is not really acceptable. I was told I could get coffee in the casino but it wasn’t open even by 8 am. Also the walls are paper thin at least in my room. I could clearly hear everything that was said. For temperature controls I was not able to change the settings so it was uncomfortable. There was no room service even if there was a “Five Star@ restaurant in the casino. Staff could use some training on ways to phrase responses so it sounds like better customer service. I am a tribal member from Oklahoma.This is the first tribally owned hotel that I have not had a good experience. For these reasons, it’s unlikely I’ll stay again.

2022-03-03 • via Nuitee
V
Verified traveler
10
Pros:

Everything is great!

2022-02-02 • via Nuitee
S
Steve
10
Pros:

The room was clean and nice the only complaint I would say I had is I like for my room to be o the cooler side, I turned the cooling on but I couldn't get my room below 72 degrees so I had to sleep with the window open to help.

2022-01-27 • via Nuitee
A
April
8
Pros:

Very clean

2022-01-22 • via Nuitee
M
Michael. • family
2
Pros:

Unsafe

2022-01-20 • via Nuitee
V
Verified traveler
6
Pros:

Upon check into the rooms (2) both rooms were not cleaned. Took half hour to get new rooms. Clerks were helpful.

2022-01-20 • via Nuitee
N
Nick • partner
2
Pros:

CHeck in desk staff unknowledgable

2022-01-17 • via Nuitee
L
Larryssa • family
8
Pros:

.

2022-01-01 • via Nuitee