Hertz after hours at Flagstaff

[greatcats]

But the Hertz location in the train station, if it is indeed operating, is an in town location, the only one at the train station. There are other rental agencies around town, also, such as Enterprise. I think Hertz does most of its Flagstaff business at the airport, and there are at least two others out there.

To expound a bit further, while I like taking Amtrak from Flagstaff, I wish we had better air service. There are about five or six departures a day and they all go to Phoenix. Of course, many connections can be made there, but only on a few occasions since I have lived in northern Arizona have I used Flagstaff Airport - the fares are usually way too high or they do not mesh with United. I am in Europe at the moment. Did I fly from Flagstaff? - No. Drove to Phoenix.

 

[Bob Dylan]

You mean you didn't take the train from Flagstaff to Phoenix Eric??? I'm Shocked? Shocked! LOL

 

[justinslot]

So I called to check if I could at least drop the car off at the station and apparently that option is going away too for Hertz. Someone mentioned Enterprise upthread and they said I can still leave the keys at the drop box so I guess I'm going with them. A shame too, I liked being a Hertz only guy due to my good experiences with them in Orlando.

And I'm simplifying my life and coming in on the SWC, no stops, just a night in glamorous Flagstaff.

 

[greatcats]

You just may like Flagstaff. I certainly like living here. Unless you take a late night bus or shuttle to Phoenix, I don't particularly recommend getting off the train at 9 at night ( or possibly later ) and driving to Phoenix. Not such an attractive idea. Also,, for tourists going to Grand Canyon, I would urge them no to drive up there late at night. I have done it many times, but the beady eyes of deer and elk by the roadside can be more than a little unnerving...

Mr. Hudson - That Peavine schedule down the branch line by way of Wickenburg is just too slow!

 

[justinslot]

One other question for you all: is there any place to wait at the station after hours? For the return trip I was thinking of having Arizona Shuttle drop me off (and getting my car at Sky Harbor), but the closest time they drop off to the eastbound SWC arrival is 2 AM.

 

[greatcats]

greatcats here, the Flagstaff resident. If i understand you correctly, you would drop your car at Sky Harbor and arrive on the Arizona Shuttle in Flagstaff around 2 am. The station normally opens at 3:15am, so officially you have to wait outside until that time. If it was me, this is what I would do: From the east end of the station, cross Rt. 66 and walk one short block north on San Francisco to the Monte Vista Hotel. I am in Europe right now and can't go down there and check, but I would think someone should be at the desk there all night. I would politely ask that you will be taking the train and you need to wait for an hour or so before the station opens and could you hang out in their lobby? The most they could say is no. If that doesn't work, I would walk one block west to the Weatherford Hotel and try the same approach. This is just an idea that popped into my head.

Another possibility exists, which has happened recently. If the westbound train is very, very late, then the afternoon agent will stay on duty to keep the station open all night, to be relieved at some point by the day agent. Good luck. Let me know what happens.

 

[greatcats]

That does not sound even logical to me!

FLG has 2 trains per day (1 each way), 1 in the morning and 1 in the evening. The desk is staffed at (say) 3 pm when there is no train, but not at night when the train comes in? :huh:

Traveler - Greatcats here. The Flagstaff ticket office is open for both trains and, as mentioned in the post I just made, will stay open for a late westbound. Up until a few years ago, the staff worked eight hour shifts, five days a week, and the station would be closed for 3 or 4 hours in the afternoon. Management turned the jobs into 10 hour shifts, four days per week; the idea was to have the station open for business all day long, which sounds like a pretty smart idea. If I worked those jobs, I would love it. The senior man told me, when I asked him how he liked the setup, that it did him out of overtime!

 

[justinslot]

greatcats here, the Flagstaff resident. If i understand you correctly, you would drop your car at Sky Harbor and arrive on the Arizona Shuttle in Flagstaff around 2 am. The station normally opens at 3:15am, so officially you have to wait outside until that time. If it was me, this is what I would do: From the east end of the station, cross Rt. 66 and walk one short block north on San Francisco to the Monte Vista Hotel. I am in Europe right now and can't go down there and check, but I would think someone should be at the desk there all night. I would politely ask that you will be taking the train and you need to wait for an hour or so before the station opens and could you hang out in their lobby? The most they could say is no. If that doesn't work, I would walk one block west to the Weatherford Hotel and try the same approach. This is just an idea that popped into my head.

Another possibility exists, which has happened recently. If the westbound train is very, very late, then the afternoon agent will stay on duty to keep the station open all night, to be relieved at some point by the day agent. Good luck. Let me know what happens.

The Weatherford looks nicer to me, at least going by Yelp reviews. Maybe I'll just get a room there that night rather than leaving Phoenix so late on the shuttle. Be nice to have a place to crash for a bit and monitor how late the eastbound train is...

 

[Devil's Advocate]

From the east end of the station, cross Rt. 66 and walk one short block north on San Francisco to the Monte Vista Hotel. I am in Europe right now and can't go down there and check, but I would think someone should be at the desk there all night. I would politely ask that you will be taking the train and you need to wait for an hour or so before the station opens and could you hang out in their lobby? The most they could say is no. If that doesn't work, I would walk one block west to the Weatherford Hotel and try the same approach. This is just an idea that popped into my head.

I enjoy checking out boutique hotels from time to time but I would not expect a funky offbeat hotel such as the Weatherford or Monte Vista to staff the front desk all night long. How many people would you suppose are pulling off the highway and then again off the main road to cruise a tiny downtown area looking for a hotel that only has a handful of rooms to sell in the first place?

 

[greatcats]

Devil"s Advocate has a point. A friend of mine whose family used to run the Weatherford says it now only has a handful of rooms. The Monte Vista is larger and I have stayed in the past in their funky rooms, but I imagine someone is there all night. For your further information, justinslot, there is a basic somewhat seedy Rodeway Inn just one short block from the RR station ( west at the corner of 66 and Humphreys ) that just may suit your purpose. It gets bad reviews but should be rather cheap and you could roll right out of bed onto the train!

 

[Green Maned Lion]

One of my favorite vacation spot is a old Pocono resort at the summit of Mount Pocono called the Inn at Pocono Manor. For a few months in the summer it does steady business as one of the nicest golf resorts in the Poconos. For the rest of the year, it's 350 hotel rooms are practically empty. It's rule for opening the hotel restaurant is 5 rooms occupied and the restaurant is frequently closed in the winter- to my chagrin, because it is one of the finest restaurants in the state.

But it remains open, with a skeletal staff of about 15 people most of whom live in the hotel. And it's desk is staffed 24/7/365. Of course, in season they have about 100 employees, but still.

 

[justinslot]

Devil"s Advocate has a point. A friend of mine whose family used to run the Weatherford says it now only has a handful of rooms. The Monte Vista is larger and I have stayed in the past in their funky rooms, but I imagine someone is there all night. For your further information, justinslot, there is a basic somewhat seedy Rodeway Inn just one short block from the RR station ( west at the corner of 66 and Humphreys ) that just may suit your purpose. It gets bad reviews but should be rather cheap and you could roll right out of bed onto the train!

The Weatherford has 10 rooms, in fact, according to their website. Two of them even have air conditioning!

Thanks for the local knowledge. I prefer boutique to somewhat seedy so I am going to go with one of the other two, if possible.

 

[justinslot]

Just wanted to add my recent knowledge to this thread:

The Monte Vista: a true boutique hotel. Elevator, multiple floors, etc. Standard hotel room (window AC unit.)

The Weatherford: bars and a restaurant with a few hotel rooms. No elevator if you're coming with a lot of luggage. The "shower" is a shower head attached to a length of steel hose with no place to hang it up so you can actually shower. Window AC unit as I got one of the more upscale rooms.

The Weatherford feels a little more connected to the nightlife in Flagstaff, and there's not a lot of separation between your room and the bars so keep that in mind. I stayed there on a Wednesday and did not notice much noise (noise does not bother me as far as sleeping goes, though.) And I stayed at the Monte Vista on a Saturday and was similary untroubled by noise--was up on the 4th floor on one of the more standard hotel rooms. Both places are literally a block away from the train station, though the Monte Vista may be closer due to the way the Amtrak station is constructed (gated off until you get to the cross street that goes to the Monte Vista.)

Taking the Arizona Shuttle to and from Flagstaff to Sky Harbor to pick up and drop off my rental car was painless. It is still, of course, 100% ridiculous that there is no passenger rail to America's 12th largest metro.

By the way, greatcats, I apologize for thinking Flagstaff would be underwhelming before, it is an excellent place to eat and drink and otherwise spend an evening. I do wish the crowds were a little less kiddie, but it is a college town.

 

[greatcats]

Thanks for the recent feedback. I purchased my home in Flagstaff two years ago this month and say that it is the best decision I've ever made!