Buffalo Thunder Resort & Casino

Nice hotel, but bring your own food or eat out. The restaurants in the hotel are terrible. We went to the Iguana Café for dinner and waited at least 45minutes for our appetizers, which were promptly sent back because they were cold, as if they had just come out of the refrigerator. We waited at least another half an hour after that for our food. I ordered the smothered chicken burrito, which was just some chicken inside of a tortilla covered in green sauce, and the beans tasted as if they had just come out of the can. In addition, the enchiladas suizas were far from what traditional enchiladas suizas should be. The chicken was cubed and the tortillas were flour. The hotel is nice, but once again eat out or bring food.

Wonderful hotel! They get pretty busy around check in time but the employees were so nice and helpful. The only down side was how incredibly expensive the Starbucks inside the hotel was.

The only reason I give this place a two star is because I have never seen waiters and waitresses so negligent and rude. They did not care about refilling drinks or even giving the table the check. Most of them forgot about you half way through your meal. Great room, terrible people.

You can always do something better, but here I have no idea what it would be.
The hotel rooms are clean, neat, and well organized. You are immediately greeted at the door and on check in with a warm, caring smile. They are thorough without taking too much of your time.
The foyer is well appointed without being ostentatious; the rooms are well taken care of by a great housekeeping staff; the gym/​pool was in good order and you pay basically what a LaQuinta would charge for ten times better service.
I can not recommend this establishment enough and when I checked out I realized I needed to plan my next visit. I felt more like a family member than just a guest and would stay here anytime I am in the area.

Came for the beer and food fest and had a great time. I even won a bit on the slots. What I truly enjoy about this place is how quaint and accessible everything is. As anyone who has been around knows there is no shortage of gaming fun in New Mexico and sometimes the more common spots can be, well overwhelming and I enjoy this little get away.

Great place :)
We enjoyed every minute on our Spring Break vacation
Thank you for the great hospitality, the team and service from check in to restaurant and housekeeping was superior
We love The Hilton Family :)

I am having a hell of a time receiving my receipt, which my company requires for my business expenses. It’s been over a week and I cannot get a simple receipt. Their systems were down when I tried to check in and when I checked out.
My credit card has been charged. There’s also a hold still on my cc for the same amount.
I’ve called the hotel 4x. Left two messages for Finance.
It’s showing as a «late cancel» on my HIlton Honors account, which is b/​c their systems were down upon checkin. Not receiving a credit for the stay or the points.
It’s such a nice place (I love the place), that it’s such a shame there is no follow through on very basic stuff. I’ve had to reach out to Hilton to help me out. I don’t want to keep wasting my time calling.
I just switched from Marriott Rewards, and so far, I’m questioning my decision. :(Stayed at 4 Hilton brand places in one week.

Beautiful hotel rooms and the hotel itself was amazing. Hilton definitely put money into it and it shows. Where it shows that they didn’t put money into was the customer service. This was simply atrocious. The «icing on the top of the cake» was our last night where we got back after a long day out with our kids and realized they had changed all the locks on the rooms. No one ever warned us about this so it came as quite a surprise. When you’ve been out for 12 hours with kids, all they want to do is crash at the end of the day. So since our current keys didn’t work, we went down to the lobby where the line was 8 people deep and close to 45 minutes wait time because their systems were down. So not only did our keys not work, but we had to try to entertain 4 kids in the lobby while waiting for someone to help us. We finally got our keys and there was no mention of anything to say «sorry» for the issue… just a «here are your keys… have a great night» from the manager on duty. You would think they would try to correct THEIR mistake. And why do you change the locks when someone is still staying in the room, and NOT say something ahead of time?
Lastly, if you were lead to believe that this was a kid friendly hotel by many websites (including the Hilton website), think again. Even though
listed this as a top five kid hotel, it is far from the truth. While kids aren’t ignored here, there isn’t much for them to do. Especially when every arcade game costs $ 1 to play.
If you are a couple without kids, and don’t need the help of customer service, you’ll enjoy the beauty of this hotel and their rooms. If you are anyone else, spend the extra money and stay in downtown Santa Fe. You won’t regret it.

I don’t know if the few negative reviewers stayed at the same place as my wife and I stayed.
The place is wonderful. The staff is efficient and courteous. (I asked for additional towels and it took all of 50 seconds for them to arrive)
Golf course is challenging.
My wife said the spa was great and her masseuse Marsha was knowledgeable, skilled and very personable.
Restaurants convenient and very good.
I don’t write long reviews. Go here and you will not regret it.

Casino review:
Casino lacked luck, excitement, & good customer service :(
–my party & most others around us couldn’t hit any payouts on several slot machines ;(
–casino environment was dull, somewhat empty, too calm/​quiet, & uneventful
–all employees in various departments weren’t very cordial, helpful, or lively :/​
+new players get a free deck of playing cards & to play at a kiosk for a chance to win up to $ 1,000 in freeplay :); however all 3 of us won only $ 10 of quickly lost free-​play; I believe it’s rigged ;P!

Stayed here on many occasions and the rooms are always comfortable, clean and well appointed. Have eaten at the buffet and turquoise trail as well as the restaurant upstairs. I continue to be disappointed with each return visit. The food as well as the service is always well below average. The burgers at the grill need a lesson from Santa Ana Star, which are the best I have ever eaten. This visit was for my birthday and I was terribly disappointed that almost half of the slot machines were not working due to an upgrade. Reservations desk should inform patrons of this issue prior to booking. This hotel has the potential of being a five star resort if upper management would resolve many of the above issues. I keep returning in hopes that things will improve in the future.

I have been here hundreds of times usually food is good at the Red Sage and the other restaurants and my multiple stays at the hotel have been good, my review is about the casino 2 days in row I’ve had to stand in a 100 person line to get new cards, a good third of the machines aren’t working, come on get it together it must be costing hundreds of thousands a day
Updated review this place sucks, printed off a $ 10 food coupon they screwed me and printed $ 10 off buffet went to the Red Sage they wouldn’t accept it totally screwed up place if terrible customer service is what your looking for this us the place, then went back down to the players club (again 50 or so in line, probably pissed like me) only to be told it was valid a Red Sage.

I’m not a huge gambler, but we’ve been here several times to play the slots. The staff have been friendly and helpful whenever we had questions, and the floors etc. are always clean. The casino itself is a little small, but well appointed with a decent selection of games, and they have a small area where you can get free coffee and soft drinks. Overall it’s worth a couple hours of your time if you happen to be in the area.

We stayed here for three nights at the end our visit to New Mexico. There is a casino, but it is not in your face like Vegas. You actually have to go downstairs to get to it.
The resort is beautiful, clean and tasteful. The outdoor pool looked nice although I didn’t use it and the friendliness of the staff was beyond any I have encountered. They were helpful and went way beyond what is customary. They also provide a free shuttle to downtown Santa Fe.
The spa facility is great. I had a massage with Richard and was probably the best I have had in several years. When you book a treatment, you also get to use the steam room, sauna and hot tub. Best money I spent while in New Mexico.
I will definitely return to this wonderful resort.

We decided to make this a part of our trip after attending the Santa Fe Chile and Wine Fiesta. It was just down the road from the Santa Fe Opera where the fiesta was held. The rooms were spacious and had a lovely balcony that overlooked the mountains.
The casino is alright. Nothing to really speak about, but we killed at least four hours playing blackjack. The lounge has a wide selection of top shelf liquors. The service in the bar at the lounge was exceptional. On a Saturday night, it was busy and the bartenders worked their tails off to ensure you got your drink fast.
Weird moment. You can’t vape in the bar/​lounge area. You can’t drink on the casino floor. But there is one square carpeted area, about 3 feet by 3 feet at the entrance to the bar where you can drink and vape, as long as you stand on this carpet. I complied. A 275 pound bouncer or comply. I complied.

So we found Buffalo Thunder after a horrible experience at #OjoSpa. The hotel we were supposed to stay at gave away our room, leaving us without accommodations. When I called Buffalo Thunder to see if they could accommodate us, they were absolutely terrific!
From the bellmen in the lobby to the front desk staff, they were all courteous, professional and top notch. The hotel was very clean, everyone was friendly. We had room service as well as ate in several of the restaurants. The customer service was excellent no matter where we went.
My wife has mobility issues but you never would have known it because the staff was so accommodating to her.
The staff at Buffalo Thunder made sure my wife and I were taken care of and for that you have earned my business! I highly recommend Buffalo Thunder if you are traveling through the Santa Fe area.

We really like this place. I travel often and we used my Hilton points to come here because they are so dog friendly, they have a nice pool and they have a golf course for my husband. We enjoyed these three things very much. The restaurants are so-​so, we don’t really care about gambling and the spa seems kind of high-​priced to me but none of that really matters to us.
The rooms have mini-​fridges but no microwaves in any room —- but the Starbucks in the lobby hs a microwave and happily would make my coffee really hot for me.
The pool bar was enticing to me when looking at the drink menu but the daiquiri ended up tasting so yuck! The guy working the pool bar wasn’t very friendly and seemed to wish he wasn’t busy. All other hotel employees have been great.
In August and the pool water feels refreshing and it’s a little chilly when you get out but that is so nice because it’s 100* in Dallas right now and pools usually feel like bathtub water this time of year.
We are happy to find a get-​away that welcomes dogs. We’ll come back.

This place is very casual but has a contemporary feeling for a great price. We have came here several times over the last year with our dog, since the resort is extremely dog friendly and has a lovely area out back for walking your dog. Additionally, the golf course and hiking area next door is part of the resort, is very quiet with little activity, and the dog loves to hike and run off leash in the area each morning. Even though I am not a gambler, the casino downstairs features a non-​smoking area so I play $ 20 or so each trip since I don’t have to inhale second hand smoke while doing so.
I celebrated my anniversary here on our most recent trip and had a wonderful experience. The concierge, Glenn, was so welcoming, knowledgable, and helpful and set up a pre-​arranged order for a boquet of roses and chocolate covered strawberries to be waiting in the room upon check-​in to surprise my partner. He is just one example of the warm and courteous staff who service this resort, they have always been so welcoming, helpful, and friendly to me, my partner, and our dog.

This place is very close to us, about ½ away, but we decided to stay there overnight and do a spa package. The spa is fabulous, the attendants at the front desk are super nice, the inside pool are was also very beautiful. We went during the cold season so did not get to enjoy the pool area, which is gorgeous. Beds are wide fluffy sheets and pillows, lovely bathrooms.
As for drinks we had some at the smaller bar, they were good, service was excellent, previously on another visit we went to the buffet and did not liked it. Not worth the price for the so-​so selection.
The Sage restaurant although pricey has it’s gems, some hit or miss as well. On a precious visit I had the porterhouse and it was not tender as that pricey cut of meat should be. A friend of ours got sick on the scallops (but who orders seafood in the middle of the dessert LOL) But the ambiance is nice and people dress up, last time I was there had the pork belly and was great!
The place is clean, looks like an art gallery is quiet the rooms are great the spa is fav and the Sage is lovely. All in all we like it a lot. We do not gamble because of the heavy smoke downstairs, but they had a small gaming room upstairs so that was good enough. The stores are really nice, and so is the ice cream shop!
If you have a chance totally go there.

Ugh.
Creepy place with long and quiet hallways that remind me of The Shining.
My fireplace malfunctioned in the room.
I had difficultly regulating the temperature of the room.
The service was VERY disappointing — the staff needs some serious training on a basic level.
This is supposed to be a resort!?!
Save your money and go elsewhere.