The Best Hotels to Book in Billings, Montana

At first glance, it looks like just another no-nonsense hotel near the airport. Then you notice the little details: the antique buggy in the lobby; the bunk beds; the kids’ table with mini-teepee, giant teddy bear and books in the breakfast area; the pterodactyls flying over the indoor pool; the boot-shaped chocolates on your pillow; the smell of cookies baking as you walk through the lobby in the evening. If you can tear yourself away, the hotel has a courtesy van to drive you and courtesy bicycles if you want to explore on your own.

In its original incarnation, it hosted presidents and kings. Today, this historic downtown hotel still draws the crème de la crème: if they’re not hanging out in front of the fireplace in the lobby, they’re having cake and milkshake for breakfast at the on-site diner, slicing into a tenderloin from a local ranch at the fine-dining restaurant or browsing for boots and locally crafted gifts in the boutique. One of the tallest buildings in the city, this is a good place from where to admire the Big Sky sunsets over downtown Billings.

Many hotels in Billings offer indoor pools but what about an entire water playland? This one has a beaver-dam theme and comes complete with slides, dumping buckets, water cannons and a hot tub. It’s open until 11pm, so you can enjoy it too, long after the kids have gone to bed. The beaver dam is just part of the overall log-cabin décor theme: there might even be a carved bear peeking in through your window. If you’d rather have a real live animal to snuggle up to, the hotel is pet-friendly.

Sure, the just-off-the-interstate location is convenient, there are gas fireplaces for cold nights, breakfast is included and there’s an indoor pool and arcade games. But step into the indoor courtyard and none of that matters. The burbling of an indoor waterfall provides the soundtrack for koi gliding through the water to hide underneath the little bridge crossing their pond, which has a hot tub right next to it, while greenery everywhere makes you feel like you’re in the Montana wilderness. Overlooking all of this are the balconies of the second-floor rooms.

Need to stay in town for a while? This pet-friendly all-suite hotel in southwestern Billings makes a good home base. At the end of a long day, come back to your fur baby, have a look at the TowneMap to orient yourself and go for a stroll along the quiet neighborhood streets. Pick up something to eat from one of the nearby restaurants and have it on the patio around the fire pit, or cook up a storm in your own kitchen. After a relaxing night, have a wake-up dip in the indoor pool and get fuel for the day with the complimentary breakfast.

Want to stay awhile so you can enjoy everything Billings has to offer the active traveler? This hotel near the I-90 is just the place to come home to. The soccer facilities of Amend Park are a kick away and it’s about a mile to Riverfront Park with its hiking and biking trails along the banks of the Yellowstone River. After a day exploring, fishing and floating down the river or playing golf, you might not feel like cooking in the well-equipped kitchen. No problem: there are several eateries next door and across the street.

In a leafy neighborhood just a short walk away from Dehler Park and the Yellowstone Art Museum, this pet-friendly hotel is close to the action of downtown but without the noise. At this straightforward place to stay, you don’t have to pay a hefty price tag for frills you don’t need. The things you do need, like the walkable Billings Brew Trail, are within walking distance so you won’t have to worry about who’s going to be the designated driver.