Kiva RV Park & Horse Motel

The Kiva RV Park and Horse Motel is located near Bosque, New Mexico, and includes a total of fifteen acres of land. There are 35 RV sites available for guests to stay in, as well as fifteen horse stalls should they wish to lodge their horses there. The property also has a main building with a store, bathrooms, and shower and laundry facilities. Robert, the owner of the RV park, says that their busiest seasons generally occur between April and May, because of the region’s generally moderate temperatures around that time, as well as between October and November due to the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta. The fiesta involves over 700 hot air balloons taking off at one end of the city and sailing across to the other, which has made it a popular event for photographers and videographers. The park also hosts an event for the Fourth of July each year, with plans to host more in the future as the park continues to grow.

About

Situated off of Interstate-25 near the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge is the Kiva RV Park and Horse Motel. The property covers a total of fifteen acres, seven of which are dedicated to the horse motel, five for those staying in RVs, and two for mobile home rentals. There are a total of 35 RV sites available for guest reservation, each with full 30 and 50 amp hookups. Additionally, every site has bushes and trees that provide shade in the summertime and an area beside the RV space where guests can set up any chairs or tables they may have brought with them. All of the sites are considered to be pull-through units.

For guests staying at the Kiva RV park with horses, they can check them into the horse motel on the premises during their stay. The area has a total of fifteen horse stalls, with four of those stalls in the barn and eleven outside. Some of these stalls also feature runs for the horses staying in them. Hay and other feeds are not supplied by the park, so the owners of the horses must provide their own hay and feed their own horses.

A store is located on the property in the same building as the main office, where guests check in upon arrival. This store contains a variety of snacks that people may want while they are staying at the park. This main building also contains the RV park’s bathroom, shower, and laundry facilities. One of the most unique features of the RV park is the morning and evening views of the desert surrounding it. Robert, one of the owners of the park, says that the property is in a position to get “good sunrises and good sunsets.”

Culture

Robert, one of the owners of the Kiva RV Park and Horse Motel, is able to accommodate events at the park. In such cases, he asks that patrons coordinate with him prior to their arrival. There is one event that the park hosts along with the local fire and police departments every year around the Fourth of July. This event is open to the public, allowing visitors to interact with the respective departments and their vehicles. During this same time, a fireworks display is put on by the RV park. Robert hopes to host more events at the park in the future, such as arts and crafts fairs and other similar activities. Another popular festival that draws in a number of guests each year is the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta, held about one hour away in Albequerque every October. The festival hosts around 700 hot air balloons, which many people take pictures and videos of as they take off, float above the city, and land again.

When asked about how he wants his guests to feel while they are staying at the RV park, Robert says that he wants patrons to feel "comfortable, relaxed, and safe." In order to help people feel this way, Robert and the park’s staff will interact with guests and strive to ensure that their needs are met. Something that Robert says is that he is open to customer feedback, and he is open to any suggestions that people have on ways that the property can be improved. Many past customers have left reviews that have mentioned how safe they felt during their stays. One customer reported, “the owner and his wife work hard to make your stay not only pleasant but safe. It's close enough to Socorro and Belen that getting supplies are no problem. He has a great staff working there that are very helpful.” Other things that have been mentioned in reviews of the Kiva RV Park and Horse Motel have included the cleanliness of the bathrooms, the shade trees at each of the RV spaces, and the quality of the horse facilities.

The RV park is open year-round; however, its busiest seasons usually occur between April and May, as well as throughout October and November. During the fall season and particularly during October, many of the people staying at the property are in the area for the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta. Many of the people who stay at the park are returning patrons. In addition to bringing horses to stay at the horse hotel, some guests may also bring ATVs or bikes to use on the large number of trails that are in the region surrounding the Kiva RV Park and Horse Motel. Other guests have stayed at the park to appreciate the large number of different bird species in the area.

History

Though it has not always been a business in the hospitality industry, the property comprising the Kiva RV Park has been in the area since the 1960s. The establishment was originally built with a total of ten spaces which were built upon by subsequent owners. Bob and Diane, the last owners of the park, planted trees between the RV spaces and established the horse motel on the property. They owned the RV park for 20 years and operated it as a 55+ community before selling the property to the current owners, Robert and Kami, in 2017.

Before taking over the property, Robert and Kami lived on the United States' east coast. Robert worked in Washington D.C. and wanted to change professions from corporate life to owning an RV park after his children were born. While working in D.C. he rarely got to see his family, so Robert appreciates that while maintaining the property, he can see and interact with his own family more. Since taking ownership of the park, Robert and Kami have made some changes to the way the park has operated, most notably by changing a policy that only allowed guests aged 55 and older to stay there. This was done to expand the park's demographics to include families.