Grand Canyon Junction, Tusayan and park run lodging on the Rim are the three closest places you can book hotels near Grand Canyon South Rim. We’ve stayed on the Rim, in Tusayan, in Grand Canyon Junction and even in Williams, and each place has its pros and cons.
In this guide we show you the best hotels near Grand Canyon South Rim for all budgets, based on our experiences.
Our Experience
We’ve stayed in 4 different hotels around Grand Canyon South Rim across trips in October 2019 and December 2021. The first time we stayed in Bright Angel Lodge on the Rim and Grand Canyon Inn in a tiny area nearby called Grand Canyon Junction (also known as Valle). And the second time we stayed at Best Western Premier in Tusayan and Best Western Plus in Williams.
The Rim and Tusayan were more convenient for us to access the viewpoints and hiking trails at South Rim. But hotel prices were higher and food options were severely limited at the Rim and in Tusayan. Grand Canyon Junction had cheaper hotels and more unique glamping options, but it was very isolated. And Williams had the best selection of restaurants and highest quality hotels at much cheaper prices, but it was an hours drive from South Rim.
ARIZONA: We’ve written a lot of travel guides for Grand Canyon South Rim and Sedona on our sister site Where Are Those Morgans, so head over to our Arizona travel guides if you need help planning your trip.
Lodging On The Rim
When you visit Grand Canyon South Rim you can either book a national park run lodge right on the Rim, or you can book a hotel in Tusayan, Grand Canyon Junction or Williams. If you want to stay on the Rim in a park run lodge, you have 7 options:
1. El Tovar – The only luxury hotel at South Rim is expensive but it’s well worth the splurge. Stay here for the ultimate Grand Canyon experience.
Book: Grand Canyon Lodges | Hotels.com
2. Bright Angel Lodge – Perched on the edge of the rim atop Bright Angel Trail, this is one of the most popular and cheapest park run lodges. We stayed here and it was busy but a lot of fun.
Book: Grand Canyon Lodges | Hotels.com
3. Yavapai Lodge – Set back closer to Mather Point, this is the largest lodging option on South Rim with the most amenities, including a small but expensive grocery market.
Book: Visit Grand Canyon | Hotels.com
4. Maswik Lodge – Another huge complex with plenty of rooms available but also set back around 5 minutes walk from the rim. After recent redevelopments, this is the most modern and updated lodge.
Book: Grand Canyon Lodges | Hotels.com
5. Kachina Lodge – One of the better mid range park run lodges. It strikes a good balance between cost and quality when compared to the luxury El Tovar and the no frills Bright Angel Lodge.
Book: Grand Canyon Lodges | Hotels.com
6. Thunderbird Lodge – Very similar lodging option to Kachina Lodge. This is another mid-budget place but it has a wider range of prices and it’s considered as a more family friendly proposition.
Book: Grand Canyon Lodges | Hotels.com
7. Phantom Ranch – This is the only lodging located at the bottom of the canyon. The only way to access the lodge is by hiking down and back up the rim, and it’s notoriously difficult to find availability.
Book: Grand Canyon Lodges
Where To Stay Near Grand Canyon South Rim
But what if you don’t want to stay on the Rim?
Well, Tusayan is the closest town to the viewpoints and hikes, and Grand Canyon Junction is a little further out but it’s still within easy striking distance. We also really like Williams and Flagstaff but they’re better suited to day trips into Grand Canyon South Rim because they’re an hour away from the park.
Here are the two places you should consider:
1. Tusayan – The closest built up area to the National Park boundary has some good hotel options. You can either book a hotel with a pool and hot tub, or you can book an apartment with a kitchen for longer stays and to have more control over meals or dietary requirements.
2. Grand Canyon Junction – Further south, this remote area has a handful of unique lodging options close to the park. It’s a quiet place to stay with very little going on but it’s popular for couples, stargazers and having a different type of experience to typical hotel chains.
READ: The best hotels in Williams AZ
Grand Canyon South Rim Hotels Map
Click or touch the map below to activate. Zoom in and out, move around the area to see exactly where each hotel is located.
Map key:
- Green stars – Low budget
- Red stars – Mid range budget
- Blue stars – High budget
- Purple stars – Park run lodges
How We Order Hotels
We’ve hand picked 10 Grand Canyon South Rim hotels for you to consider booking by taking into account previous guest ratings, location, value for money and our own experiences in the area. Read more about our editorial process.
Hotels in this guide are listed in order of average nightly cost. We analyzed nightly prices on three future dates in different seasons so we could order with a degree of accuracy.
You’ll find 4 x cheap hotels, 3 x mid-budget hotels and 3 x luxury hotels. We periodically update our guides to ensure the previous guest ratings from Booking and Google reviews are accurate.
1. Red Feather Lodge
Guest ratings:
- Hotels.com – 9.0 / 10
- Google – 4.2 / 5
- Price: Cheap $
- Amenities: Free WiFi, free parking, pet friendly, on site restaurant and bar, fitness center, seasonal outdoor pool, laundry
- Location: Tusayan
Red Feather Lodge is one of the overall best hotels near Grand Canyon South Rim. It has excellent ratings, it’s pet friendly and it’s usually the most affordable hotel in Tusayan. You can relax in a small triangular shaped swimming pool in the summer and make use a basic fitness center.
Reviewers rate staff, comfort, cleanliness, facilities and location the highest at Red Feather Lodge. Prices will fluctuate throughout the year based on demand, but this hotel is a fantastic starting point if you want a cheap hotel very close to the Rim.
BOOK: Red Feather Lodge
2. Grand Canyon Plaza Hotel
Guest ratings:
- Booking.com – 7.8 / 10
- Google – 3.9 / 5
- Price: Cheap $
- Amenities: Free WiFi, free parking, fitness center, indoor jacuzzi, seasonal outdoor pool, laundry, on site restaurant and bar
- Location: Tusayan
Grand Canyon Plaza is another cheap hotel near the Rim. This place has lower overall scores on both Booking and Google but it’s great for families because it has plenty of amenities and a decent on-site restaurant for breakfast, lunch or dinner.
Reviewers rate staff and location the highest at Grand Canyon Plaza. It’s a little dated and could do with an update, but it has an outdoor pool and hot tub, indoor hot tub and fitness center. We think if you can get cheap rates here, it’s a good place to stay on a low budget.
BOOK: Grand Canyon Plaza Hotel
3. Grand Canyon Inn
Guest ratings:
- Booking.com – 6.6 / 10
- Google – 3.9 / 5
- Price: Cheap $
- Amenities: Free WiFi, free parking, outdoor swimming pool, on site restaurant and bar
- Location: Grand Canyon Junction
Grand Canyon Inn is hands down the cheapest hotel near Grand Canyon South Rim. If you’re visiting the area on a tight budget or you need to balance expenses on a longer road trip, consider booking this affordable accommodation. We stayed here for a night in 2019 and it was perfectly fine.
Reviewers rate staff and location the highest at Grand Canyon Inn. It’s a no frills place to crash in a remote area between Williams and the National Park, but it’s cheap and it has a good on-site restaurant to eat dinner after visiting the park.
BOOK: Grand Canyon Inn
4. Wander Camp Grand Canyon
Guest ratings:
- Booking.com – 7.9 / 10
- Google – 4.6 / 5
- Price: Cheap $
- Amenities: Free parking, pet friendly
- Location: Grand Canyon Junction
Wander Camp is the cheapest unique place to stay near Grand Canyon South Rim. It’s a glamping accommodation with beds in large tents, shared bathrooms and incredible stargazing opportunities but all at surprisingly low prices, especially when compared to other nearby options.
Reviewers rate staff, comfort, cleanliness and location the highest at Wander Camp. Comments are mostly positive about cost and uniqueness, and it’s also pet friendly if you’ll be visiting with your dogs. We’d definitely consider this one if we visited in warmer months on a tight budget.
BOOK: Wander Camp Grand Canyon
5. Squire Resort Best Western
Guest ratings:
- Booking.com – 8.0 / 10
- Google – 4.2 / 5
- Price: Mid Range $$
- Amenities: Free WiFi, free parking, indoor and outdoor heated swimming pools and hot tubs, breakfast available (extra fee), on site restaurant and bar, fitness center, games room, bowling alley
- Location: Tusayan
Squire Resort Best Western is the best place to stay near Grand Canyon South Rim for families. It has so many great amenities to keep the kids entertained when you’re not in the park, which even includes a bowling alley! The only downside is the hotel charges an additional $20 nightly resort fee.
Reviewers rate staff, comfort, cleanliness and location the highest at Squire Resort Best Western. We stayed here for a night and genuinely had a fantastic experience relaxing in the heated outdoor pool on a freezing cold night in December, and we were given a huge room with a comfy sofa.
BOOK: Best Western Premier Squire Inn
6. Holiday Inn Express
Guest ratings:
- Booking.com – 8.1 / 10
- Google – 4.1 / 5
- Price: Mid Range $$
- Amenities: Free WiFi, free parking, indoor swimming pool and hot tub, breakfast included
- Location: Tusayan
Holiday Inn Express is the only hotel in Tusayan offering a free breakfast included with the room rate. It offers a nice balance between quality, amenities and cost when compared to its competition, so we think it’s a great option if you want a middle of the road hotel stay.
Reviewers rate staff, comfort, cleanliness and location the highest at Holiday Inn Express. It’s a very good option if you want to stay at a reputable hotel brand in Tusayan and you also want a free breakfast included.
BOOK: Holiday Inn Express
7. Canyon Plaza Apartments
Guest ratings:
- Booking.com – 8.2 / 10
- Google – 4.7 / 5
- Price: Mid Range $$
- Amenities: Free WiFi, free parking, rooms with kitchens, restaurant and bar, outdoor swimming pool
- Location: Tusayan
Canyon Plaza Apartments is the best place you can stay near Grand Canyon South Rim that comes with studio apartments and two bedroom apartments featuring full kitchens. It’s perfect if you plan to be at South Rim for three or more nights because you can cook your own meals.
Reviewers rate staff, comfort, cleanliness, facilities and location the highest at Canyon Plaza Apartments. The suites look excellent and you can use the facilities at Grand Canyon Plaza Hotel. Comments are very positive and we think it should be one for your shortlist if prices are good.
BOOK: Canyon Plaza Apartments
8. Clear Sky Resorts
Guest ratings:
- Booking.com – 8.5 / 10
- Google – 4.3 / 5
- Price: Luxury $$$
- Amenities: Free WiFi, free parking, restaurant and bar, breakfast available, stargazing, games
- Location: Grand Canyon Junction
Clear Sky Resorts is a truly unique luxury glamping experience near Grand Canyon South Rim. You’d stay in a detached dome-tent with huge windows and skylights, which are perfectly set up for stargazing at night. Each dome has a different theme and we think they look pretty awesome.
Reviewers rate staff, cleanliness, facilities and location the highest at Clear Sky Resorts. It’s a little more expensive, but they’re set up perfectly for groups and bigger families to spread the costs around. And most of the positive comments are about great staff members and a fun vibe.
BOOK: Clear Sky Resorts
9. The Grand Hotel At The Grand Canyon
Guest ratings:
- Booking.com – 8.0 / 10
- Google – 4.1 / 5
- Price: Expensive $$$
- Amenities: Free WiFi, free parking, on site restaurant and bar, indoor swimming pool and hot tub, fitness center,
- Location: Tusayan
The Grand Hotel is the best luxury hotel near Grand Canyon South Rim. But while it’s the classiest and most upscale place to stay (if you choose not to book a lodge inside the park), don’t expect The Ritz-Carlton! The amenities and rooms are only slightly better quality for the area.
Reviewers rate staff, comfort, cleanliness and location the highest at The Grand Hotel. It has thousands of reviews across several platforms, so it’s certainly very popular. We’d say if the price is only slightly more than the competition in Tusayan, book it. Otherwise, it probably isn’t worth the extra $100 a night.
BOOK: The Grand Hotel At The Grand Canyon
10. Under Canvas Grand Canyon
Guest ratings:
- Booking.com – 8.7 / 10
- Google – 4.5 / 5
- Price: Expensive $$$
- Amenities: Free parking, on site restaurant, pet friendly
- Location: Grand Canyon Junction
Under Canvas is the best luxury glamping option near Grand Canyon South Rim. It’s a hugely popular and upscale camping experience featuring live music at night, yoga in the morning and an overall positive vibe. You won’t want to leave to visit the park!
Reviewers rate staff, comfort, cleanliness, facilities and location the highest at Under Canvas Grand Canyon. It’s expensive, but you’d meet lots of likeminded travelers around a campfire each evening, which you can’t put a price on. We think it’s definitely one to consider if you love the great outdoors.
BOOK: Under Canvas Grand Canyon
Best Hotels By Reviews
We always look at guest reviews when booking our hotels in new travel destinations. Previous guest reviews are a fantastic resource to use because you can see genuine unbiased pros and cons from a wide range of real people.
But it’s important to use reviews as a guide only because you might not necessarily agree with others. Let’s take a look at the best hotels near Grand Canyon South Rim as per genuine user generated reviews from popular online resources.
1. Booking.com
According to previous guest reviews on Booking.com, your top three hotel options are:
2. Hotels.com
According to previous guest reviews on Hotels.com, your top three hotel options are:
3. Google
According to previous guest reviews on Google, your top three hotel options are:
4. Tripadvisor
According to previous guest reviews on Tripadvisor, your top three hotel options are:
Affordability
From experience, we think hotels near Grand Canyon South Rim are competitively priced for the most part. On the plus side, there’s enough variety in lodging style and location for you to have a good amount of control over how much you pay. On the downside, we think the glamping options could be more affordable.
If you want to stay at a park run lodge on the Rim, you should book a long way in advance to have flexibility over which lodge you stay in. Prices tend to be higher in summer months and far more affordable in the winter. All 4 of our hotel stays were in the off season, so we got much cheaper rates.
Added Tax
Bear in mind when booking your hotel near Grand Canyon South Rim that you’ll typically pay 10.9% hotel tax per night on top of your base rate.
So, let’s say the basic nightly room cost at a hotel is $200.00 for one night, your actual total cost is going to be at $221.80 per night.
- When booking your hotel using Booking.com look under the price for includes taxes and fees. This means the price you see is final and will not be subject to further add ons.
- Conversely, if you see text reading something like +$30 for taxes and fees, that means you’ll pay the hotel room cost + the additional 10.9% tax.
You might also have to pay other hidden fees like a resort fee or cleaning fee so keep an eye out for those before booking. They’re most likely to be added at the luxury glamping accommodations.
Our Verdict
The selection of hotels on offer for your visit to Grand Canyon South Rim is extensive and spans the budget range. You can stay in a park run lodge on the Rim, or you can book a hotel with a swimming pool in Tusayan or a luxury glamping accommodation in Grand Canyon Junction.
We enjoyed our stay at the Squire Resort Best Western in Tusayan, and Bright Angel Lodge was also great. But next time, we’d like to book Under Canvas or even Clear Sky Resort for a completely different experience.
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We hope this guide to the best hotels near Grand Canyon South Rim helps with planning your visit to Arizona!
Please let us know if you have any questions by commenting below.
Happy Booking,
Mark and Kristen
Best Hotels Anywhere
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Mark and Kristen Morgan are experts at finding and booking hotels. They’ve been traveling the world for over 6 years, staying at more than 500 hotels across 4 continents.
They only write about places they have personally visited themselves, which means every article you read on Best Hotels Anywhere is created directly from first hand experience. Read more about us.