Best Bet Motor Lodge
941 S Virginia St
Reno, NV
A 1958 Midtown motel with a sauna in a teardrop trailer.
About Best Bet Motor Lodge
Best Bet Motor Lodge opened in 2022 as the renovation of a 1958 motel on South Virginia Street in Midtown Reno. The property pairs renovated motor lodge rooms with the Reno Sauna Club, a separate enterprise operating from the back of the grounds with two cedar saunas, one built into a 1950s teardrop trailer. The combination is specific enough to be memorable, the kind of detail that only happens when the people running a property are paying close attention. Midtown Reno is the part of the city that has been developing in the right direction, and the motel sits at the center of it. Lake Tahoe is 35 miles west.
What Best Bet Motor Lodge Is Known For
Best Bet took a 1958 motel in a neighborhood that was becoming something interesting and renovated it back into what it was supposed to be: a good place to stay in a good location with amenities that reflect genuine thought. The individual exterior entrances are original to the building and preserved in the renovation. The neon is back on the roof. The lobby bar is there for the evenings. And the Reno Sauna Club, with the teardrop trailer parked in the back and lit with cedar warmth, is the kind of detail that comes from operators who understood that a 1958 motor lodge has a specific personality worth leaning into rather than away from.
Amenities
- Pets Welcome
- WiFi
- Reno Sauna Club: indoor cedar sauna and 1950s teardrop trailer outdoor sauna
- Lobby bar
- Neon signage
- Individual room entrances
What Guests Love
- Individual exterior room entrances from the original 1958 motor lodge configuration: every room is accessed directly from outside, with no shared interior corridors.
- The Reno Sauna Club operates two cedar saunas on the property, including one inside a restored 1950s teardrop trailer, a genuinely specific amenity that guests mention consistently and that has no equivalent in Midtown Reno.
- Walkable to the best of Midtown Reno's independent restaurants, wine bars, and coffee without moving the car.
- A lobby bar on site handles evenings when Midtown feels like too much of a walk.
Worth Knowing
- On-site parking requires a small fee per reservation. Free street parking is also available nearby; check posted signs for restrictions.
- The Reno Sauna Club is a separate business on the property. Confirm guest access and hours when booking.
- Rooms are compact, true to the 1958 footprint. King Suites are the roomier option.
- Some street noise in road-facing rooms. Interior rooms may be quieter.
- Pets are welcome. A pet fee applies; contact the property directly to confirm current amounts and any restrictions before booking.
The Room
Each room with its own exterior entrance off the parking lot or the courtyard. No shared hallways. No elevator lobbies. The renovation updated the rooms while keeping the 1958 motor lodge proportions: efficient footprints designed for the kind of stay where you are out most of the day and back in the evening. Comfortable beds, quality linens, and enough considered detail to make the room feel intentional rather than generic. Individual neon signage on the roofline lights the property at night. The rooms are sized correctly for a Midtown motel: built to sleep well in, not to linger in, because Midtown is right outside.
The Grounds
The property is organized around a central courtyard connecting the room wings. The lobby bar anchors the social space at the front of the building, and the Reno Sauna Club occupies the back of the property with two cedar sauna options. The indoor cedar sauna and the outdoor cedar sauna in the converted 1950s teardrop trailer are the most frequently mentioned feature in guest conversation: a sauna inside a vintage trailer is a genuinely specific thing to offer, and the property does it without apology or explanation. Midtown Reno's restaurants, shops, and wine bars are at the front door. Parking is on-site and included for all guests.
The Experience
The Midtown version of a good Reno trip: walk to dinner and the wine bar in the evening, use the sauna in the morning, head to Lake Tahoe or the Truckee River Walk or the National Automobile Museum in the afternoon. The motel puts guests at the walkable center of the neighborhood that has the most independent character in the city. The casino strip is accessible for those who want it and not pressing for those who do not. Reno sits at 4,500 feet, which means the air is different from sea level and the temperature swings matter in every season, so pack for actual weather rather than assumptions about Nevada. Tahoe is under an hour, and the drive through the Sierra Nevada on I-80 is one of the better approaches to a lake in the country.
Details
Reno, NV 89502
The Boutel designation is earned, not purchased. Boutels is editorially independent and has no financial relationship with any listed property.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Best Bet Motor Lodge have WiFi?
Yes, Best Bet Motor Lodge has WiFi.
What is there to do near Best Bet Motor Lodge?
Midtown Reno: 0.1 miles, about a 5 minute drive, or you can walk. National Automobile Museum: 1.5 miles, about a 5 minute drive, or you can bike there. Lake Tahoe: 35 miles, about a 70 minute drive.
How far is Best Bet Motor Lodge from Midtown Reno?
0.1 miles, about a 5 minute drive, or you can walk.
How far is Best Bet Motor Lodge from National Automobile Museum?
1.5 miles, about a 5 minute drive, or you can bike there.
How far is Best Bet Motor Lodge from Lake Tahoe?
35 miles, about a 70 minute drive.
Is Best Bet Motor Lodge pet friendly?
Yes. Best Bet Motor Lodge welcomes pets. A pet fee applies; contact the property directly to confirm current amounts and any restrictions before booking.
What is the Reno Sauna Club?
The Reno Sauna Club is a sauna facility operating at Best Bet Motor Lodge with two cedar options: an indoor cedar sauna and an outdoor cedar sauna converted from a vintage 1950s teardrop trailer. It operates as a business on the property. Confirm current hotel guest access terms directly when booking.
Does Best Bet Motor Lodge have a bar?
Yes. A lobby bar is on site and open to guests. There is no full-service restaurant, but Midtown Reno's independent restaurant and bar scene is walkable from the property.
Does Best Bet Motor Lodge have EV charging?
EV charging is not confirmed on site. Contact the property before arrival to check current availability.
How far is Best Bet from Lake Tahoe?
Lake Tahoe is approximately 35 miles west of Reno, under an hour by car on I-80 depending on conditions. The drive through the Sierra Nevada is part of the experience.
What is Midtown Reno?
Midtown Reno is the neighborhood south of downtown along South Virginia Street that has developed an independent character over the past decade. It is the part of the city with wine bars, vintage shops, independent restaurants, and serious coffee, distinct from the casino strip and from the suburbs. Best Bet sits at the walkable center of it.
Is Best Bet Motor Lodge walkable to Midtown Reno?
Yes. The property sits at the walkable center of Midtown, the stretch of South Virginia Street that has developed an independent restaurant, bar, and coffee scene distinct from the casino corridor. Laughing Planet, Hiroba Japanese Restaurant, Brasserie Saint James, and several wine bars are all within a short walk.
Does Best Bet Motor Lodge have a pool?
Best Bet Motor Lodge does not have a pool. The property has a cedar-lined sauna.
Is parking available at Best Bet Motor Lodge?
Yes. Free on-site parking is available at Best Bet Motor Lodge. If arriving with a large vehicle, contact the property in advance to confirm space availability.
Does Best Bet Motor Lodge include breakfast?
No. Breakfast is not included at Best Bet Motor Lodge.
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Things to Do Near Midtown Reno
Midtown Reno
0.1 miles, about a 5 minute drive, or you can walk.
Reno's most independently spirited neighborhood, with wine bars, coffee shops, vintage stores, and independent restaurants all within walking distance of the motel.
National Automobile Museum
1.5 miles, about a 5 minute drive, or you can bike there.
One of the finest automobile collections in America -- more than 200 vehicles spanning a century of American car culture, on the banks of the Truckee River in downtown Reno.
Lake Tahoe
35 miles, about a 70 minute drive.
North America's largest alpine lake, less than an hour from Reno, with year-round recreation from skiing and snowshoeing in winter to kayaking and hiking in summer.