El Rey Court

About this place El Rey Court

El Rey Court has been on Cerrillos Road since 1936, when it opened as a motor court catering to Route 66 travellers, and its transformation over the past decade into a design-conscious boutique hotel has made it one of Santa Fe's most distinctive accommodation options. The property preserves the original low-slung adobe buildings of the 1930s motor court while fitting them with contemporary design and comfortable rooms — an approach that gives El Rey Court an authenticity of place that the new-build luxury hotels near the Plaza cannot replicate. The compound includes 86 rooms, a pool, a coffee bar, and the casita-style layout of the original motor court: buildings spread across a landscaped property rather than stacked in a single tower. The LGBTQ+-friendly culture of El Rey Court reflects both the explicit welcome that the property extends to queer guests and the broader character of Santa Fe as a destination: in a city where the arts community and the LGBTQ+ community overlap so thoroughly, a hotel that positions itself as design-conscious and independent naturally attracts gay visitors. The Cerrillos Road location is near Revolution Bar and is a manageable drive or rideshare from downtown and Canyon Road.