Roosevelt Inn, Keystone

Our family stayed here in August 2004 and we will be going back again this summer. The hotel advertises that it is like a small European hotel and having traveled to Europe on several occasions, we would have to agree. It is very similar to the type of hotel recommended by the travel writer Rick Steves: Small, family owned and operated, super clean and a great value. Despite the way the building looks in pictures, the hotel has only about 25 rooms so getting a booking there can be hard sometimes. When we tried to book for this summer our first choice of dates was already sold out. We changed our plans so we could stay there. The hotel is that good. The room we had was like rooms in much more expensive hotels or upscale chains. It was much nicer than you might expect. Ours had a balcony, a 27-inch tv, coffee maker with free coffee no less, a refrigerator and even a DVD player. (But no iron or ironing board. The managers claim people who vacation there don't need to iron, but they will give you an iron and a small ironing board at the front desk.) They also have a game room with a`free pool table and a free foosball game, plus a tv with a huge screen for movie watching. The swiming pool was nice and they keep the water extra warm. They also have a hot tub. There is no exercise room, however. Everything was absolutely spotless -- I think the owners must be from Europe because you rarely see this attention to detail in America anymore. The hotel is located in the town of Keystone which is little more than a strip of shops, restaurants and motels just before you get to Mt. Rushmore. So if you have to do any real shopping, do it in Rapid City before you get to Keystone. On the other hand Keystone is right in the center of the Black Hills so you are close to all the tourist and sightseeing spots. By the way, the people at the hotel were extremely helpful with sightseeing tips and they willing to to take time to visit with us. Overall this hotel was a very positive experience. It is not like the standard cookie cutter chains and the people working there are extremely friendly and helpful.