El Rancho Hotel in Gallup, New Mexico, is known for hosting Hollywood stars traveling along Route 66.
The hotel opened in 1937 and was built in a deliberately Western style. During the classic Hollywood era, film productions frequently used the landscapes around Gallup and nearby parts of New Mexico and Arizona, bringing actors and crews to the area.
Guests associated with El Rancho include famous performers such as John Wayne, Katharine Hepburn, Humphrey Bogart, and Kirk Douglas. Their visits helped give the hotel a reputation as a glamorous Route 66 stop.
El Rancho is sometimes confused with other historic Gallup hotels, including the Hotel El Comedor. Its Route 66 identity comes from both its location on the old highway and its close connection with Western films made in the region.