If you read last week’s blog, you know that we headed down to Key West as the destination of our electric roadtrip. Unfortunately our time in Key West wasn’t nearly as long as we would have liked, but we did make a point of staying at a hotel that had Tesla destination chargers. We found three on the property and had no trouble staying topped up while we were cruising around Key West.
Our intent was always to have this blog be part travel blog – of course in hindsight, starting it in 2020 ended up being a bit of a bust for adventure. But we are making the best of it.
George and I have slightly different travel styles so we are still trying to find the middle ground for our adventures together. While I am not opposed to the super affordable chain hotels in a pinch, I prefer a more kitschy, boutique hotel. Neither of us likes to waste money and we don’t like big box hotels.
For The E-Traveler
The Gates Hotel made it onto our list from plugshare.com which helps locate chargers for electric vehicles. So far it’s the best we’ve found, especially for finding destination chargers. It’s not always easy to tell if a hotel has chargers available from their website. We’ve also found that calling the hotels doesn’t always yield accurate information. Plugshare is crowdsourced and is much more updated by people who are motivated to keep things accurate.
Hotel Versus Motel
Generally, hotels are larger than motels and have room access inside corridors versus external room doors. They tend to be a bit more expensive and have more amenities and staff. By contrast, motels generally have external room access and you can drive your car up to your room door.
The first thing to acknowledge with the Gates Hotel is that it really is a motel by any sense of the word.
Observe the External Entrace 
Accidental Outfit Coordination
During these uncertain COVID times, motels have the added benefit of really reducing your interaction with people in small enclosed spaces. That goes into the plus column in my book. The Gates Hotel manages to hit a really nice note of upgraded kitschy motel in my book. It’s not quite my favorite Nest Hotel in Palo Alto, CA (another misnamed motel) but it’s also not the “stabby” Super 8 Motel we stayed in during the trip down where the doors had clearly been warped by too much kicking – a sign of either a law enforcement issue or sticky doors.
The Room
The room is a pretty standard, but nicely appointed “hotel” room with a king size bed and sitting area. George is 6’6″ so a King size bed is a must for him when we travel. That can narrow options down quite a bit.
Looking In 
Looking Out
Our room had a very clean and updated feel to it. The bed was comfortable though it was supported with only wood slats under the mattress. At first I was thrown by not having handy outlets available near the bed until I realized they were incorporated into the headboard so they were ULTRA handy but hidden. Nice!
The bathroom was basic in a nice way. The shower was spacious and the water pressure was good. I’m not a fan of their provided shower/conditioner/body gel options but you win some, you lose some. There was plenty of counter space for two of us.
There is a big closet opposite the shower which housed a small safe and a blowdryer.
Here’s my only beef about in-rooms safes. Why do they only fit miniature laptops? I take points off my personal rating for undersized (or missing) in-room safes. George takes points off if there isn’t in-room coffee. Since I stopped drinking coffee, this isn’t even a mild consideration for me.
But…that brings me to amenities….
Amenities
This hotel (motel) makes up for very simple and functional rooms with some lovely amenities. It is a sister property to 24 North Hotel (also a motel) next door. When we arrived, all check-ins were happening at the 24 North facility.
The pictures below are all pulled from the official websites of the Gates Hotel and 24 North Hotel.
Gates Pool 
24 North Starbucks 
Shared Green Space 
Gates Blind Pig Food Truck 
24 North Gym
There is a hotel resort fee included in your booking but it provides you access to all of the amenities at the Gates Hotel as well as the amenities at 24 North. The Gates pool was lovely. It was clean, large, well-kept. It may have been a function of the weekend or it may be the guest choice in general. It seemed the Gates pool tended to have more of a family/kid vibe where the 24 North pool felt a bit more adult. The green space separates the two properties and is a great gathering place to hang out or kick a soccer ball around. Kids really seem to love it!
Both pools had DJs on Saturday afternoon, though the music at 24 North was a little more “chill” and to my liking. Both pools had outdoor bars for snacks, drinks, and non-alcoholic beverages. At the Rum Runner at the Gates Hotel, the bartender was a Baltimore transplant. The guy looked so familiar that I’m willing to bet I met him through friends when he still lived in “small-ti-more”.
The Gates has a food truck with a delicious looking offering of food. While I am a HUGE food truck fan, I was in the midst of a super food cleanse so I never sampled their wares. I saw what they produced and asked other patrons and all gave the Blind Pig high marks.
I am a weirdo who enjoys working out on vacation. The quality of the fitness facilities definitely influences my hotel selection. While Gates did NOT have one, the fact that we could use the 24 North fitness center adjacent to the pool was a massive bonus. It’s not huge but it’s clean and well lit with just enough stuff for a basic workout and some cardio. This one met my needs very nicely.
I’m a bit out of order mentioning it, but I enjoyed that there is a Starbucks on premise at 24 North. If you are coffee snob, or fancy something like my current grande iced matcha oatmilk latte, Starbucks is a big bonus.
While the properties are on the edge of Key West, they do have a shuttle to take you into the heart of the town.
Pro or Con?
I’m still not sure where the fauna at the Gates Hotel ranks.
There were an abundance of curly-tailed little lizards running all over the property. I found them fascinating to watch. They are curious little creatures but they prefer to steer clear of human beings. I’m not freaked out by lizards but it’s worth knowing if you are.
We had a run in with a lone palmetto bug that flew into our room at night. I am far less a fan of these but understand that they sort of come with more tropical climes. Fortunately George is fearless and made quick work of the interloper.
The biggest surprise at the Gates were the free roaming chickens and rooster.
No need to set an alarm with these noisy squawkers around. They don’t really pay you much attention but they are constantly squawking. They are EVERYWHERE. I wondered if staff at the hotels had to go on egg hunts daily – and I found several hens with broods of little chicks following them around. At first it was delightful but George was far less enamored with them when the sun rose early the next day. Pro? Con? It’s a personal preference I guess.
Final Thoughts
We enjoyed the Gates Hotel, despite the roosters. I was able to get in a little morning yoga alone on the pool deck and we were able to share space with strangers without feeling like our space was infringed upon. The Gates found an excellent balance between retro motel vibe and updated kitschy modern. That’s not an easy line to walk.
My only downside, recognizing that prices are higher in Key West is the cost. The weekend night ran us $350 + fees. Sunday was only $180 + fees. There was a mandatory $38/day resort fee to access to the amenities. We weren’t really didn’t have time to fully enjoy the amenities so I’m leery of resort fees.
I wish the cost were about half what we paid and I think that would be abundantly fair. I’m willing to attribute the cost to its location more than their perceived value. We really liked the location and would probably stay there again if we ever end up back in Key West.
If there are any aspects of hotel reviews that you enjoy or wish were covered more, let me know. We are here to provide a perspective for you as we travel around, and we count on other travelers for the same.
Photos not from the hotel site by @mobtowngeorge
