Custer, South Dakota has a great selection of quality and affordable hotels near Mount Rushmore, Sylvan Lake and Custer State Park. You can choose between charming motels, typical chain hotels and unique lodging options. We think Custer is one of the best places to stay in South Dakota’s beautiful Black Hills region because it has a central location, short drives to top attractions and excellent restaurants.
In this guide we show you the best hotels in Custer SD for all budgets, based on our experiences.
Our Experience In Custer
We’ve visited Custer during two separate South Dakota road trips; first in the fall of 2019 and again in the spring of 2022. The Black Hills were covered in snow in April, but they were covered in stunning golden and green leaves in October, so we highly recommend visiting in autumn. Read more about us.
We spent a fantastic night at the popular Bavarian Inn on the north side of Custer, and we ate a great breakfast at the Feel Good Cafe next door. After hiking all day we stopped in at The Custer Wolf for dinner and a pint. For us, Custer is one of the best places to stay in the Black Hills if you want to be surrounded by attractions.
Our guides to places you can stay near Custer:
Custer 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
READ: The best things to do in Custer State Park
How We Order Hotels
We’ve hand picked 8 Custer South Dakota 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 3 x cheap hotels, 4 x mid range budget hotels and 1 x luxury hotel. We periodically update our guides to ensure the previous guest ratings from Booking and Google reviews are accurate.
1. Chalet Motel
Guest ratings:
- Booking.com – 8.6 / 10
- Google – 4.6 / 5
- Price: Cheap $
- Amenities: Free WiFi, breakfast included, pet friendly
- Location: East side of Custer
Chalet Motel is one of the best cheap hotels in Custer SD with excellent guest reviews and extremely affordable nightly prices. You’d stay in old but cute and cozy detached cottages, which are perfect for light sleepers.
Reviewers rate staff, cleanliness and location the highest at Chalet Motel. The cottages are right in town, they’re pet friendly and comments are very positive about cleanliness. With such low rates, it’s a hard Custer hotel to beat if budget is your top priority.
BOOK: Chalet Motel Custer
2. Rocket Motel
Guest ratings:
- Booking.com – 9.1 / 10
- Google – 4.8 / 5
- Price: Cheap $
- Amenities: Free WiFi, fire pit, BBQ, hot tub
- Location: Center of Custer
Rocket Motel is the top rated cheap hotel in Custer SD. It has exceptional guest reviews across all popular online platforms, a central downtown location and affordable rates. Comments about the owners are extremely positive so you’d be in good hands.
Reviewers rate staff, comfort, cleanliness, facilities, value for money and location the highest at Rocket Motel. It takes a clean sweep across the board for every aspect we take into account. It’s a low budget Custer motel with sky high ratings, and it’s a fantastic option for your trip.
BOOK: Rocket Motel Custer
3. Chief Motel
Guest ratings:
- Booking.com – 8.7 / 10
- Google – 4.4 / 5
- Price: Cheap $
- Amenities: Free WiFi, indoor swimming pool, sauna, hot tub
- Location: Center of Custer
Chief Motel is another excellent cheap hotel in Custer SD with super ratings and a great downtown location. It has affordable prices and you get the added benefit of a year round pool, hot tub and sauna, which are perfect after long days exploring the Black Hills.
Reviewers rate staff, comfort, cleanliness and location the highest at Chief Motel. All restaurants in town are within easy walking distance and family rooms are available. If keeping costs down is your priority, we recommend comparing prices at all three motels we’ve covered in our “cheap” category.
BOOK: Chief Motel Custer
4. Comfort Inn And Suites
Guest ratings:
- Booking.com – 8.5 / 10
- Google – 4.5 / 5
- Price: Mid Range $$
- Amenities: Free WiFi, indoor pool, hot tub, breakfast included, fitness center, laundry
- Location: West side of Custer
Comfort Inn and Suites is the most affordable chain hotel in Custer SD (with high ratings). It’s an amenity heavy hotel with a pool, hot tub, gym, continental breakfast and laundry available for guests. It has a good location to the west of Custer and you can use sidewalks to easily get into town.
Reviewers rate comfort, cleanliness and location the highest at Comfort Inn and Suites. You know exactly what to expect at a well regarded Comfort Inn, so this hotel might better suit you if you’re looking for a familiar place to stay.
BOOK: Comfort Inn and Suites Custer
5. Bavarian Inn
Guest ratings:
- Booking.com – 9.1 / 10
- Google – 4.6 / 5
- Price: Mid Range $$
- Amenities: Free WiFi, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, hot tub, laundry, pickle ball court, pet friendly, on site restaurant, breakfast available, board games
- Location: North side of Custer
Bavarian Inn is the top rated hotel in Custer SD. It has hundreds of exceptional ratings across all popular online platforms, it’s affordable and it has a secluded location less than 1 mile north of town. We spent a fantastic night at Bavarian Inn because of its sky high reviews and it certainly didn’t disappoint.
Reviewers rate staff, comfort, cleanliness, facilities, value for money and location the highest at Bavarian Inn. It takes a clean sweep with especially high scores for staff and location. It’s one of the better inns we’ve stayed at in the US, especially at this affordable price point.
BOOK: Bavarian Inn Custer
6. EO Bungalows
Guest ratings:
- Booking.com – 9.3 / 10
- Google – 4.6 / 5
- Price: Mid Range $$
- Amenities: Free WiFi, kitchenettes, robes
- Location: Center of Custer
EO Bungalows is the most unique place to stay in Custer SD and it’s perfect for couples. It doesn’t have as many ratings, but the ratings so far are sky high and extremely positive. In time we think this quirky, cozy and thoughtful accommodation could become the best hotel in Custer.
Reviewers rate staff, comfort, cleanliness, facilities, value for money and location the highest at EO Bungalows. Every score is near perfect at this original and personable lodging. If you prefer something unique over a typical hotel chain, look no further than EO Bungalows.
BOOK: EO Bungalows Custer
7. Holiday Inn Express
Guest ratings:
- Booking.com – 8.8 / 10
- Google – 4.4 / 5
- Price: Mid Range $$
- Amenities: Free WiFi, indoor swimming pool, hot tub, fitness center, breakfast included, laundry
- Location: West side of Custer
Holiday Inn Express is a solid mid range budget Custer SD with excellent ratings. Comments are positive about its extensive breakfast and its pool area, both of which might be helpful for families traveling with kids. It’s a little more expensive than you might expect, but it’s a quality hotel with great reviews.
Reviewers rate staff, comfort, cleanliness, facilities and location the highest at Holiday Inn Express. We’ve all stayed in Holiday Inn hotels around the world, and some are just better than others. This is one of those better Holiday Inn properties and it’s located just a few minutes walk to the west of town.
BOOK: Holiday Inn Express Custer
8. Creekside Lodge At Custer State Park Resort
Guest ratings:
- Booking.com – 9.2 / 10
- Google – 4.6 / 5
- Price: Luxury $$$
- Amenities: Free WiFi, laundry, on site restaurant and bar, breakfast available
- Location: Custer State Park
Creekside Lodge is the best hotel near Custer State Park, which is around a 25 minute drive from the city of Custer. It’s a luxurious lodge and it’s perfect for driving the famous Custer wildlife loop, but it’s also far more expensive. We think the lodge is a great options for families on a higher budget.
Reviewers rate staff, comfort, cleanliness, facilities, value for money and location the highest at Creekside Lodge. There are few reviews available because it’s a brand new hotel option but the few reviews so far are exceptional. You’d be immersed into nature and surrounded by plenty of bison!
BOOK: Creekside Lodge At Custer State Park Resort
Best Hotels In Custer SD 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 in Custer SD as per genuine user generated reviews from popular online resources.
1. Booking.com
According to previous guest reviews on Booking.com, your three top rated hotel options are:
2. Hotels.com
According to previous guest reviews on Hotels.com, your three top rated hotel options are:
3. Google
According to previous guest reviews on Google, your three top rated hotel options are:
4. Tripadvisor
According to previous guest reviews on Tripadvisor, your three top rated hotel options are:
Affordability
Hotels in Custer SD are more affordable than you might imagine considering it’s so close to Mount Rushmore and the most popular Black Hills tourist spots.
If you book during a weekend in summer or on a holiday weekend you can naturally expect the prices to be inflated. But we can tell you from years of experience that midweek prices and off season prices at are extremely affordable when compared to other popular areas around the US.
One important thing to remember about booking hotels in Custer is seasonality. Many hotels around the Black Hills are only open in peak season from April through October.
READ: The best hotels near Mount Rushmore
Added Tax
Bear in mind when booking your hotel in Custer that you’ll pay 9% hotel tax on top of your base rate. You’re also required to pay $2 city tax per night (per room).
So let’s say the basic nightly room cost at a cheap Custer hotel is $100.00 for one night, your actual total cost will be $111.00.
- 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 won’t be subject to further add ons.
- Conversely, if you see text reading something like +$10 for taxes and fees, that means you’ll pay the hotel room cost + the additional taxes.
Our Verdict
Custer, South Dakota has a good selection of affordable highly rated hotels. It’s a great place to stay for visiting Black Hills attractions like Mount Rushmore, Custer State Park, Sylvan Lake, Wind Cave National Park and more. Hikers can stay in Custer for easy access to the superb Black Elk Peak Trail.
Chalet Motel and particularly Rocket Motel offer quality low budget accommodations. Comfort Inn and Holiday Inn provide typical hotel chain lodgings, whereas Bavarian Inn and EO Bungalows give you excellent unique hotel options. Creekside Lodge at Custer State Park is an expensive but well regarded luxury offering with easy access to the wildlife loop.
We stayed at Bavarian Inn because it was affordable and had fantastic reviews. We’re also huge fans of the Alps in Europe, so we’re easily drawn in by Bavarian themed hotels (like in Stowe VT and Leavenworth WA)!
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We hope this guide to the best hotels in Custer helps with your visit to South Dakota!
Please let us know if you have any questions about any of the hotels in our list 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.