The Best Cheap Hotels to Book in Amarillo, Texas

Flying in to get your fill of thrills at the Route 66 Motor Speedway? You’ll love this hotel, a 10-minute taxi-hop from Rick Husband Amarillo International Airport, the speedway itself, and the buzz of downtown Amarillo – for when it’s time to blow off some steam. The vast, trail-lined Palo Duro Canyon State Park is a bit further out, but worth the trek, while the world-famous Cadillac Ranch – an art installation of Cadillacs etched in grafitti, half-buried in the desert – is just on the outskirts of town.

The Amarillo Botanical Gardens, Country Club and Cadillac Ranch are all within a five-minute drive of this self-catering hotel on the west side of town. Passing through town on a Route 66 road trip? You’ll sleep like a rodeo champ on the squishy pillow-top mattresses – but this is a hotel that was built with business travellers in mind, as each room comes equipped with a compact kitchenette, a double-burner cooktop, a coffee maker and a microwave for when the going gets tough.

For a good old time in Amarillo, base yourself at the old-fashioned Hilton Garden Inn with its turn-of-the-Century decor: wood-panelled fireplace in the lobby and paintings in ornate gold frames to name but a few. Pull up a stool at the saloon-style bar, or order a glass of something suitably decadent to your marble and brass-splashed room. As for entertainment, you’re not far from the Don Harrington Discovery Centre for beastly dinosaur exhibits, or the Harrington House Historic Home – a grand day out, indeed.

This straightforward, but spotless, two-star is perfect for passing road-trip travellers. It’s directly off the interstate, is a ten-minute walk from a 24-hour Waffle House for late-night dining or crack-of-dawn snacking, and even has a heated indoor pool and fitness centre for sloughing off those dusty driving miles. Travelling with a furry friend in tow? Pet-friendly rooms are available for a modest additional fee, while neighbouring Belmar School Park makes for scenic morning walkies.

Route 66 right on your doorstep, crisp, contemporary suites with clever design features, five-star amenities at three-star prices: there’s a lot to like about this affordable all-suites hotel. Chief among them, as far as we’re concerned, is the outdoor BBQ area, with two gleaming gas-powered grills for guests to use and a flaming fire pit to eat around. Suites are smartly split into working/living and sleeping areas with the simple solution of a room-dividing curtain, while the “Home2 Market” snack station gives late arrivals a dinner option.

From the outside this hotel looks more like an apartment block, with its low profile, topiaried hedges and pitched roof gables. Inside the lobby, a flickering fireplace and curvy, contemporary sofas and chairs invite you to take a load off and relax. There’s a pleasingly retro-modern look to the decor here, with the heated indoor pool trimmed with checkerboard tiles (very Route 66 kitsch), and rooms splashed in diner-bright teal. A complimentary breakfast of bacon and eggs, coffee and pastries will set you up for a day of antique shopping on nearby 6th Avenue.

Pulling into Amarillo with an appetite? Of course you are, and you’re in the prime spot here to eat (and drink) your heart out. Within a five minute walk of this clean, contemporary hotel, you’ve got full-fat American favourites at Texas Roadhouse, finger-lickin’ wings at Church’s Chicken and Asian flavours at Chop Chop Rice Co. Go a little bit further and George Street Taphouse serves classic bar snacks alongside a comprehensive local beer selection, while the Amarillo International Food Market is a gourmand’s nirvana.

The folks at the Best Western are ready and set to provide a warm Texas welcome. There are comfortable, spacious rooms and amenities include complimentary breakfast, local and national newspapers plus passes to the local fitness centre. The outdoor pool is heated so can be used much of the year. It’s just a short hop to the Globe-News Performing Arts Center for Amarillo Opera, producing two main stage productions and an educational opera celebrating Black History Month. The Amarillo Symphony also offers a stunning programme here all year round.