Nice updates and really clean room. Bathroom was a little tight, but had everything we needed. Paid for a room with a view and got exactly that. Steps from the rim. Make sure your expectations are set, you are paying for the location, but you will get a really clean and comfortable room.

My husband and I stayed here two nights in August. Our stay was comfortable and well-located. A year earlier we stayed at another Xanterra lodge next door: Kachina. We stayed on the second floor at both Kachina and Thunderbird to get the canyon view. We prefer Kachina because it offers better views of the canyon. The view from Thunderbird’s second floor first looks down on the flat roof of the first floor rooms, and then looks into the canyon. When we stayed on the second floor of Kachina, we did not have to look down on a flat roof but instead saw landscaping and then the canyon. Both lodges overlook a safe asphalt walkway along the canyon rim . Both Thunderbird and Kachina are close to the dining rooms at El Tovar Lodge and Bright Angel Lodge. Both lodges are close to some small museums and gift shops. (Maswick and Yavapai Lodges are still within Grand Canyon NP but farther from the canyon rim.) Another advantage of Kachina over Thunderbird is that Kachina has a comfortable sitting room on the first floor. Thunderbird has no common space, not even a lobby or front desk. Checkin for Thunderbird is next door at Xanterra’s Bright Angel lodge. The El Tovar Lodge is iconic and is community gathering space due to its excellent dining room, patio bar (closed when we visited due to low staffing) and a couple gift shops. El Tovar can be noisy due to all the tourist traffic. El Tovar is a five minute walk from Thunderbird Lodge. Our Thunderbird room had a safe, a Mr. Coffee maker, a TV, a small refrigerator. I believe it had reading lights for each of the two queen beds but I am not certain. Not all restaurants were open because of reduced staffing related to Covid. I highly recommend making a dinner reservation at El Tovar months in advance. Since we failed to make dinner reservations, we showed up at El Tovar at 4:30 pm to get in the line for walk-in dining. We were seated almost immediately. (We did not want to take El Tovar’s offered reservation of dinner at 8:00 pm)

We found the Thunderbird to be tremendous, and far better than some reviews on Tripadvisor might suggest. The rooms were clean and updated with newer comfortable bedding. Tasteful inviting decor. Bathroom had higher end fixtures and tiled walls, updated, no mold or anything like that. Safe, respectful, and considerate environment toward others regarding COVID. We stayed in a canyon-side room and for the money it was quite a bargain since you're right there in the village and a short distance to the various shuttle lines, restaurants, gift shops, museums, and hiking trails. Parking was not a problem at all; we checked in on a Sunday evening and there were 5-6 open parking spots right at the hotel. Staff was great. We even had a mama and baby elk settle down outside our hotel room window! They stayed for several hours. All in all, just a great vibe and wonderful experience. Thanks Xanterra for a wonderful and memorable vacation!

This simple hotel is steps away from the South rim of the Grand Canyon. If you have a room that is facing the canyon, you can see the sunrise and sunset right from your room. There is a path along the edge of the canyon which is great for the many breathtaking views of the canyon. Also, there is a shuttle which takes tourists around the park. Because this is a well-known treasure, be prepared for crowds.

We stayed at the Thunderbird Lodge one night on the Labor Day Weekend. The location was spectacular. We were able to see the canyon from our room, although we also saw many travelers walking on the path. It was nice to be able to walk to the Bright Angels Lodge and the El Tovar Hotel within a few minutes. We had such a special memory thanks to the WONDERFUL location! Now, I would like to mention the value of this hotel. It's all up to the expectation. We paid over $350 for the lodge because of the unique location, but it was slightly shocking to know it was more expensive than our stay at the Four Seasons Las Vegas! It's all about setting the right expectation. We also acknowledged the fact that the hotel price must have been including the operation of the Grand Canyon National Park as a whole. We were just glad that we had a warm and clean room to stay in such a distant location on the rim.