Hotel Santa Fe

Owned by the people of the Picuris Pueblo, the Hotel Santa Fe (and its adjacent sister hotel, the Hacienda) is the only Native American-owned hotel in town. The influence of their culture can be seen in the colorful decor throughout the public areas, starting with the lobby. Native rugs, pottery, and drums are all on display in the spacious reception and lounge area. The red-tile floors, Pueblo-style vigas in the ceiling, stained pinewood posts, and cream-colored walls create an earthy backdrop for the relics. 

The Hotel Santa Fe is located in a retail area six blocks from the Plaza. Galleries, shops, and restaurants are available in the immediate vicinity and right across the street is the Railyard, a shopping and dining district that also boasts the historic Santa Fe train depot.

Santa Fe means "Holy Faith" in Spanish and is home to about 85,000 people of varying cultural backgrounds including Hispanics, Native Americans, and Anglos. New Mexico's fourth-largest city is also the nation's highest capital and its oldest: It was founded in 1607. It sits at an elevation of 7,000 feet at the southern edge of the Rockies, in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, halfway between Taos and Albuquerque.

Hiking in summer and skiing in winter are great reasons to visit, but Santa Fe is also renowned for its local art. In addition to the many galleries at the Plaza and along Canyon Road, several museums including the New Mexico Museum of Art and the Georgia O'Keefe Museum (showcasing the painter's long relationship with New Mexico) celebrate Santa Fe's creative spirit. The hotel is a 15-minute walk from the Plaza, the New Mexico Museum of Art, the Georgia O'Keefe Museum, and the Palace of the Governors, oldest continuously occupied public building in the nation. From the hotel, it's a 15-minute drive to Canyon Road (home to over 100 art galleries and studios); Tesuque Pueblo, a Native American pueblo; and the Santa Fe Opera House. Expect a 20-minute drive to and from Santa Fe Municipal Airport.

Hotel Santa Fe’s 128 rooms feature Southwestern and Native themes with carved pine furniture, peachy stucco accent walls, and patterned blankets and throw pillows. The pueblo look is attractive, but a close inspection might reveal some tired-looking pieces.

The entry-level Traditional Rooms come with minibars, and the two suite categories -- Picuris Suite and Santa Fe Suite -- add living rooms with sofas, microwaves, and bathrobes and slippers. Picuris Suites have furnished balconies off of their bedrooms and living rooms. 

All rooms have flat-screen TVs, free Wi-Fi, and safes big enough for laptops. There are no coffeemakers, but free coffee/tea can be found on each floor by the elevators every morning. Wi-Fi is free in the rooms and throughout the hotel. The simple tile-and-stone bathrooms come with wall-mounted Sunbeam hairdryers and Essentiel Elements bath products. 

If you want something a little nicer and larger, ask for one of the 35 rooms and suites (all with fireplaces and butler service) at the Hacienda next door. 

Hotel Santa Fe's most important feature is its multimillion-dollar collection of Native American art, crafts, and sculpture dispersed throughout the building and grounds. In the lobby, the Picuris Gift Shop sells jewelry and crafts made by the tribe’s artists. The grounds contain a heated pool and hot tub (found outside the lobby), which are surrounded by pretty foliage and cottonwood trees. (Full spa facilities are located next door at the Hacienda.) There is a pleasant and well-lit fitness center with cardio machines, free weights, and flat-screen TVs on the walls, as well as a two-computer business center with an ATM. Six meeting/event spaces are available, with optional audiovisual and catering services. Native American blessings or drumming can be arranged to commemorate the end of gatherings.

Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are served daily at the hotel's casual restaurant and bar, Amaya. Menus are American with regional inflections -- think blue-corn pancakes for breakfast and seared ribeye for dinner. Seating is available inside and out; in the patio is a private teepee that can be booked for special occasions.

The hotel offers free shuttle service until late at night, as well as free self-parking. Pets are allowed at the hotel for a per-night, per-pet fee. They're not allowed to be left in the rooms alone or in certain areas of the hotel, like the pool or restaurant, but the hotel has pet-sitting services and a doggy park. Wi-Fi is free throughout the hotel.