Wetherill Inn

This older, motel-style property with outdoor corridors has been spruced up in recent years to include a colorful salmon, white, and aqua-blue exterior that reflects its desert surroundings. The modest lobby and adjacent gift shop also sport a Southwest desert motif via photos of area landmarks, Native American art, and sandstone-color tile floors. The oak registration desk even has carvings that resemble Monument Valley’s iconic rock formations. The relatively quiet inn stays busy hosting a diverse mix of domestic and international travelers (including tour groups) who journey to this remote area to witness the spectacular scenery in Monument Valley and other nearby national parks. The busiest time is in the morning, when the small breakfast room can get overcrowded, forcing guests to spill out to the adjacent patio or corridors to eat their meals. The indoor pool and adjacent sun deck are favorite gathering places at the end of the day. 

The Wetherill Inn is located in a quiet and rather isolated setting on Route 163 in Kayenta in the heart of the Navajo Nation Reservation. Nothing notable surrounds the immediate property, but it’s only a two-minute drive to the main drag through town, where several restaurants, gas stations, grocery stores, and a movie theater are located. The Kayenta Airport is a four-minute drive away and the Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park Visitors Center is 30 minutes by car. It’s about a two-hour drive to Grand Canyon National Park. Plan on a two-and-a-half-hour drive to Flagstaff and its airport. 

These clean rooms are pleasantly decorated with Native American art and striped bedspreads featuring the vibrant colors that characterize Southwestern-theme art. The walls are painted white and the two-tone brown carpet has a simple pattern. The matching wood furniture is two-tone brown and includes headboards, armoires, and roomy vanities that are placed outside the bathrooms. One king bed or two queen beds are the bed options, and many past guests have reported the beds to be comfortable. The rooms are plenty spacious and offer enough room for oval dining tables and two chairs, as well as desks with office chairs. Bathrooms are small and drab with standard acrylic shower/tub inserts and tile floors. Standard amenities include mini-fridges, coffeemakers, flat-screen TVs, and free Wi-Fi. Ambient noise from the parking lot and other rooms can be heard, but it’s not substantial. Distant mountains can be seen from some rooms, but views are essentially of the wide open spaces (and parking lot) that surround the hotel.

This budget hotel offers a free breakfast buffet that includes hot items such as biscuits and gravy and make-your-own pancakes. Hard-boiled eggs and yogurt also are available. The breakfast area does get crowded at peak times. The inn also has a large gift shop that sells a good selection of Native American art, jewelry, and pottery, as well as books about the area. The heated indoor pool is a bit small, but it has an adjacent outdoor sun deck with loungers. The hotel also has a cozy patio outside the breakfast room that has several covered tables and a privacy fence. There's no full restaurant and the inn is not allowed to sell alcohol due to tribal restrictions. Guests have the option of using the hotel’s coin laundry facilities or the valet laundry service. The spacious parking lot allows guests to park right outside their rooms free of charge. Free Wi-Fi is accessible throughout the hotel.