Ellis Motel

Decided to head up to Tulelake for some duck hunting and had never been there before. Found three places to lodge and picked Ellis Motel to call. The proprietor Christina was very nice and understanding when our arrival time and reservation kept changing due to trailer issues. Nice clean room with a cute little kitchen. Nothing fancy or updated, but ran by a wonderful family. Thank you Christina and boys. We will likely be back and recommend Ellis lodge to friends.

I don’t know what folks are complaining about. Sure it’s old, but it’s clean and the owners are friendly. Fair enough for $ 50 a night.

Overpriced ($ 58, obviously based on sleeping places, not number of guests).
Over furnished (a double bed and a twin in a room sized for a double).
Insufficient carpeting (two small area rugs for a cold linoleum floor).
TV (not a flat screen) had five channels.
No refrigerator or microwave. No coffee in room or lobby (2 miles into town).
Smell of pesticide (which did not kill the creepy crawlies) noticeable once the room was warm.
Had I known there was a decent motel on the other side of Tulelake, I would have gone there in a heartbeat (but my MetroPCS service died out just before I arrived).
Avoid like the plague.

Was up at Crater lake around labor day, tried to get a hotel in Klamath falls, everything at any price range was booked, saw this motel on Unilocal,gave them a call. Its a family run business, they stayed up late just to check us in, the price was super reasonable.
The rooms as the other people stated are very outdated, but this place was super clean, super friendly and if you are looking for a place to crash, works perfect!

I’ve stayed at the Ellis Motel several times and really enjoy the quaint retro auto court style. The owners are very friendly and the rooms are clean as can be. When I go to sheep dog trials nearby I appreciate the dog friendly rooms. The décor is sparse, (gunrack and prints of ducks) but this is hunting country. The bath and the kitchen are small but adequate at the end of a day of outdoor adventures. My dogs and I really appreciate the country welcome.

After landing at Tulelake airport (O81) for fuel, I realized that I didn’t have enough daylight to get the rest of the way home (my colorblindness means that my FAA Medical is restricted to «No nights and no lights), making Tulelake my home for the night.
On the recommendation of a local pilot, I came to Ellis Motel.
This is a standard, single-​story, pre-​chain roadside strip motel, bounded by the road on the west, and farm fields on the other sides.
Rather than grungy 1960’s-vintage carper, the floors are nice, clean, new-​looking linoleum, with a couple of throw rugs for guests who aren’t smart enough to wear socks.
The non-​smoking room was clean and well-​maintained. The wall-​mount heater will blast you out of the room if you set it too high. The drapes make the room dark, but the 9AM checkout time makes sure you won’t get up at the crack of noon.
While there were some butts in the can next to the room, there was no odor of smoking inside the room.
There was plenty of hot water, but it did not get hot enough to require cold water to mix. The shower was clean, the towels were big and soft, and even though he shower stall and bathroom fixtures were obviously a few years old, there was no sign of mold or mildew.
The place caters to hunters, with a gun rack on the wall.
The bed was very comfortable, clean, and I was the only critter in it (something I can’t say about some Motel 6s). However, the only phone in the room was the one that I brought with me – not a problem for most people these days.
I got a kitchenette room, and the kitchen was a separate room, with apartment-​sized fridge, gas stove and sink with counter. They thoughtfully provided pots, pans, dishes, utensils, can opener and dish soap.
The family which operates the place does a good job. Ellis Motel is well-​maintained, clean, comfortable and my visit was a good one. If I ever RON in Tulelake again, I will probably return to this motel.
The only CON is subjective — as I usually live at the end of a mile-​long dirt road, I am sensitive to noise at night. I woke up each time the fridge or heater started up, and when the traffic started in the morning. A city-​dweller will never notice.

While The Ellis Motel served it’s purpose, it has much to be desired. The beds are simply box springs with airbeds on top, there is no carpet (they cater to hunters), the bathroom shower stall was tiny with a horrible shower head & moldy shower curtain. When I dried off after my shower with the towel provided, I noticed an odor coming from the towel. It wasn’t moldy, it just smelled awful & unclean. I felt like taking another shower! The front door is a door you would use for a bedroom so the traffic noise is loud when cars do go by. As I lay in bed I look up at the ceiling & see 15 or more Mosquitos just waiting for me to go sleep so they can feast on me. Being a mosquito slayer at 11 pm is not my idea of fun, nor was it worth the $ 55 they charge per night. I could have stayed in Klammath Falls
It does have a kitchen, which is very useful & convenient.
We stayed here in the summer of 2010 so perhaps some things have changed, but I’m going to guess it hasn’t.

So I initially didn’t know that the wooden rack on the side on the wall was a gun rack, but I do know that this motel is targeted mainly to duck hunters. However, like the reviewer said before me, the owner is super nice and keeps it clean. I stayed in room #9, which also had a bathroom and kitchenette.
For the price, I really wouldn’t expect it to be a luxury hotel type place to be staying at, but nice enough with wifi (only strong enough in the bedroom, but simply the fact they have it is a nice touch).
The only negative experience I had was when I had people in the room next to me and I could clearly hear what they were saying, which was annoying, but they were only there for one night (currently in the process of staying for two weeks, will update when I finish my stay).

We stayed at the Ellis Motel while we visited Lava Beds NM. The gun racks are still there, but hunting is a big draw for this area (hello! and no I don’t hunt). The woman that manages the place keeps it very, very clean and they take dogs. It is an old fashioned court motel and you get to park outside of your room. The rooms & bathrooms are 1950 size and retro. The grounds are very well maintained and nice. Room # 1 has a kitchenette which was nice, coffee first thing in the a.m.

This has to be the crappiest hotel/​motel I’ve ever stayed at in my life so far.
Everything is old and outdated. The setting of the place reminds me of the movie «Vacancy» which is NOT a good thing. The bathroom is tiny and it takes forever for the toilet to load up the water. The drainage of the shower had problem and the whole bathroom was flooded after my shower. They use air mattresses for the bed which is pretty lame and uncomfortable. They don’t have carpet so the floor was icy cold. Remember to bring slippers if you ever plan to stay here.
The motel was definitely targeting hunters based on the gun racks I saw in the room. We chose the place because there weren’t many choices to choose from in the area of Lava Bed National Park. However, based on this experience, next time I’d rather drive extra 30 miles to Klamath Fall, Oregon for a decent hotel room than staying here.