Fairbridge Inn and Suites Kalispell Montana Hotel Review

UPDATE: This hotel is now closed and will be turned into apartments (thank goodness). I’ll leave this post up for notoriety!

Oof. Where to begin?

The Fairbridge Inn and Suites/Outlaw Convention Center in Kalispell Montana is a dump. I typically like to stay in nicer places, but when you’re on a road trip with a dog and not booking your accommodations in advance during peak summer travel season, you end up at a place like the Fairbridge Inn in Kalispell.

How did we end up here? My sister and I were on a road trip, but this road trip had no real plan or purpose – so we weren’t booking hotels in advance because we didn’t want to be tied to anything or anywhere (this isn’t how we usually travel). Basically, we were just driving around the West with the end point of needing to make it out to Klamath Falls, Oregon at some point. I took my dog on this trip, and if you’ve ever traveled with your furry friend, you’ll understand how limited your lodging choices become. You end up having to stay in crappy places because they’re the ones that allow pets. Add in to the fact that we wanted to spend two nights in a town close to Glacier National Park, last minute, and your choices are the bottom of the barrel.

Fairbridge Inn and Suites – Details

Check in process

We booked the Fairbridge Inn and Suites online, a couple of hours prior to our arrival. We arrived at the Fairbridge Inn and Suites in Kalispell at 10:30pm, expecting a quick check in, but nope.

When we checked in, the lady kept printing off all these forms and papers and whatnot. I felt like I was applying for a mortgage, not renting a room for the night. It took almost 30 minutes. It was so strange.

Lobby and common areas

The lobby at the Fairbridge Inn and Suites in Kalispell Montana is actually pretty nice – it’s the nicest part of the hotel, so don’t let it fool you. It has a rustic western feel to it – very appropriate for the area.

Otherwise, the Fairbridge Inn and Suites is straight out of the ’70s. Once you get past the lobby, it becomes obvious that it hasn’t been updated since. Hallways are dark and dingy, the fitness center is straight out of 1982, and I wouldn’t even try to do laundry here (we took it to a local laundromat as we didn’t want to waste our quarters in a futile attempt to dry them, after seeing two other guests struggle with the machines).

Breakfast

I checked out the breakfast offerings in the morning but passed on it. It looked terrible.

The hotel is pretty big – we had a room on the first floor near the back of the hotel, so we brought our car around and parked closer to the room. I was pretty sketched out by what I saw in the back parking lot. An abandoned building, broken down cars, and loitering people sitting on the curb. I was a bit nervous about vehicle break-ins – my sister and I brought everything that wasn’t nailed down in the truck into our room just to be safe.

Bringing this hotel down even more are the other guests that the Fairbridge Inn attracts. I swear, the local Kalispell drug addicts love this place. Meth heads, weirdos, creeps, etc. all hang out here. When you walk outside to the parking lot, you’ll be hit with a cloud of cigarette smoke, as the other guests like to sit outside the door on the curb and smoke (cigarettes and other). I also witnessed a domestic dispute in the parking lot.

Rooms

We had a room with two queen beds. The room was dated, tired and worn, but the beds were clean and pretty comfortable – both my sister and I got a good night’s sleep both nights we were here.

The room was clean enough, I guess. The bathroom left a lot to be desired as we kept finding earwigs and millipedes crawling around on the bathroom floor. We were playing whack-a-mole with them – the more we killed, the more kept popping up. NASTY.

Fairbridge Inn and Suites Kalispell Hotel – Final Thoughts

The bottom line here is that you don’t want to stay here. We were very happy to leave after two nights – but again, this is what you get when you travel to Glacier National Park last minute with a dog.

Pros:
It’s close to some restaurants
The lobby is nice
Pet Friendly

Cons:
Pretty outdated
Skechy characters hang out in the parking lot
Breakfast is nasty
Bugs all over in the bathroom

I’ll also say this about Kalispell – I personally do not like this town. It sounds so quaint and charming – KALISPELL! And it’s near Glacier National Park! But it’s not a nice place. I’ve been to Kalispell numerous times over the last 10 years and I am not a fan. There’s a very sketchy vibe about the town that I don’t like and it’s not just this hotel. The nicer towns in this area are Whitefish, Columbia Falls, and the Flathead Lake area so if you’re looking for a nicer place to stay, check out those towns instead. Kalispell does have more in terms of restaurants and amenities, but the vibe of a town like Whitefish is so much better!

Also, while you can easily stay in Kalispell to visit Glacier National Park, it’s still a bit of a drive to get to the park entrance. If you’re not able to find lodging inside of Glacier National Park, try to stay in the Columbia Falls/Hungry Horse area or the town of West Glacier (the KOA is awesome – here’s my review of it!)