We reserved a hotel room almost a year in advance. No TV, limited WiFi and no AC but that’s ok because our feet were on the ground in walking distance to the amazing site. In the evening, elk came to graze on the grass at the hotel and cabins. One elk laid down in the center of the cabin area just feet from guests. Another male came off the hill behind us with his 9 girls and we watched them from inside the hotel. The only down side was that there isn’t reserved parking for hotel guests and a nearby street was closed due to elk on it. So visitors and guests had to jockey for a parking space. We were there during the week and it didn’t take long to find a spot.

The property is right inside Yellowstone Park and within a few kilometres on the entrance to the Park and within walking distance of a notable spot-the Hot Springs. Getting rooms inside the Park (there are only a couple of locations, including one at the "Old Faithful" is difficult due to a short tourist season and booking early is the solution. Yellowstone stretches across Montana, Wyoming and Idaho and you are often criss-crossing several state boundaries in the course of the day. Yellowstone itself deserves an essay or more but this property has lots of character and history. There is a nice shop where you can find local produce and essentials. The Par is colder than you think so a lot of our group went and stocked up on woollens, hoodies, gloves, etc. The hotel restaurant (usually crowded and has a waiting time) and cafe (open during limited hours) provide the basics without the frills. Between our group of 5 and over 3 days, we had exhausted every menu choice and felt it was time to leave when we had run out of options. There is a small town just outside the gate (Gardenia) but that has even more limited options and is depressing too. Service is good although connectivity is patchy which is to be expected in the middle of literally nowhere. Rooms are good although with little space to move around or store bags. The real bug bear is room housekeeping. In a word, it is non-existent. On their own they do nothing. Even if you call reception and request a turndown service, there is no response. After a further reminder, they may decide to keep up pretences. On the positive side, the park guide at the hotel was very helpful and helped us chalk out a workable itinerary for our stay. If you are staying in the Park, you donot have options (Big Faithful is run by the same group) but this checks most of the boxes. Your other choice is to stay an hour or more out of the park in Bozeman unless you decide to brave the small properties in Gardenia.

Great location for the upper loop of Yellowstone, we stayed in the main building and the room was great and clean with a fantastic period bathroom. WIFI thought the building and the public areas including the map room were a great place to relax. The Elk on the front lawn is an added bonus and we were there in mid-September and the sound of the males bugling at dusk and daw is a memory that will live with us for a long time.

The Mammoth Cabins are small and the signage to find your cabin is almost non existent but the location can't be beat. The Mammoth Dining room was expensive but the food was good. The travertine terraces are gorgeous and the hike around Beaver Pond was great. There is a large elk herd that frequents the grounds there.

We stayed in the cabins, which were very cute outside. Inside was tiny, almost cramped and very little space to put things. I had read reviews that said Mammoth was so much better than Yellowstone (cabins), and was looking forward to staying there. The room was clean, beds were fine. The bath was minuscule, with aging flooring, stained shower curtain, and a spotted, stained towel (!) and no floor mat for after showering. I was surprised and I told the front desk staff because it seemed quite sub-par, and easily fixed. We stayed one night, good sleep, quiet even with close neighbors, and elk grazing in the morning. We walked to the "Food Hall", so big, hardly seemed a restaurant. Very nice hostess and servers there - the Breakfast Buffet is awesome - and worth the money. Dinner was the usual $$$ park prices, but very good. Ok place to stay ; you're in the park - and Mammoth Springs itself still has very little parking in the area, so we could hit it early am before the hordes.