I spent one night at the Midtown Inn for $50, tax included. I found it to be totally satisfactory no-frills enconomy lodging. My nonsmoking room was small, but fine for one person. There was a microwave and small refrigerator. Ice is available at the front desk. Those who care about television might find the TV set old, but television isn't one of my priorities. Housekeeping and bed comfort were were satisfactory, and the room was quiet, which _is_ one of my priorities. There was no noise from heavily traveled Idaho Street. The lack of noise may be due in part to the single story construction, which given its age, is probably more solid than many newer places.

My one complaint about the Midtown was that I showed up at noon--admittedly early--and the office was closed. After amusing myself for an hour or so at the nearby casinos, the two brothers (one runs the Center Motel across the street, the other the Midtown) arrived back from lunch, and the Midtown brother promptly checked me in.

COMPARISONS TO OTHER DOWNTOWN ELKO LODGING:
The Center Motel across the street, where I've also stayed, is $8 less. Both motels are comparable, but I chose the Midtown because I didn'[t want to constantly cross Idaho Street, which separates the two motels--the Midtown is on the south side of Idaho and convenient for most of the places I visited on foot, including several eateries--it's a two minute stroll to the Stockmen's Hotel's 24 hour coffeeshop. The Midtown has individually controlled airconditioning/heating units; the Center Motel has central air which blows in from a vent located high on the wall which I found difficult to adjust.

For about the same price one can get a bigger room at the Stockmen's Hotel, which as a lot of character, but staying at the Stockmen's involves schlepping one's luggage the better part of a city block from the parking area across the street and into the depths of the rambling old hotel. At the Midtown I parked directly in front of my room.

There are many other older downtown motels where I've checked prices and in some cases looked at rooms. I In many cases there were a few dollars more than the Midtown, and located farther away from the city center. Another good choice might be the Esquire (reviewed elsewhere by a Tripadvisor correspondent) whose quoted price was something like $43. The Thunderbird offers significantly bigger rooms, but quoted prices $10-15 dollars higher than the Midtown--and was on the wrong side of Idaho Street. Its also much bigger than the others, which makes me concerned about the potential for noise.

Those who expect $50 mom-and-pop motels to offer botique toiletries and a fitness room will be happier staying at one of the big box establishments on the edge of Elko where they can pay twice as much and have nothing interesting within walking distance. For those who enjoy pre-Interstate motels, I'd recommend the Midtown.