Mark Lambie / El Paso Times Manny Hernandez, right, relaxed on the porch of Casey's Cabins in Ruidoso last week, with, from left, wife Maria Hernandez, daughter Jessica Hernandez, nephew Juan Posada and son Manny Hernandez Jr.

At a glance The population of Ruidoso is about 9,000, but during the summer about 30,000 people are in the village at any given time. Visitors have about 100 lodging options, including rustic cabins, world-class resorts and quaint bed-and-breakfasts. More than 80 restaurants serve the village, including French bistros, fast food and barbecue. About 120 shops line the two main commercial streets in Ruidoso. The area has nearly 20 attractions, including the Spencer Theater, Casino Apache and the Ruidoso Downs Race Track.

RUIDOSO -- After spending the first night of their Fourth of July holiday weekend at the Comfort Inn in Ruidoso, the Hernandez family decided to make the leap across the street to Casey's Cabins, a small, family-owned complex of rustic cabins.

"We wanted to rent a cabin because we've never been in one," said Maria Hernandez, the matriarch of the family. "It's real nice here. We like it a lot."

As the Ruidoso area continues to gain popularity as a tourist destination, the hotel and motel industry in the mountain village is keeping up with the growth and now boasts newer chains such as Best Western and Motel 6, in addition to the quaint cabins and family-owned motels that have dominated the lodging market there for decades.

The Inn of the Mountain Gods, closed for several months for renovations, has led the growth trend. The hotel is on track to open in March with 273 rooms.

"We're promoting this as the best all-season resort destination in the Southwest," said Brian Parrish, director of marketing for Inn of the Mountain Gods. "We have 40,000 square feet of meeting space, and in order to meet our financial projections, there's a certain mix of customers we have to have. The idea is because we have so much meeting space, we can push some of that occupancy to Ruidoso."

The Inn will be accompanied by hundreds of other new and renovated hotel and motel rooms in the Ruidoso area.

The many recent changes are making some of the smaller and older establishments worried about keeping up, while others are happy about the extra competition. Many are even renovating their motels, hotels and cabins to maintain their reputation as small quiet getaways while competing with well-known brands such as Holiday Inn Express.

Betty Beachum owns Casey's Cabins, which has been in Midtown Ruidoso for about 70 years.

"We are renovating these cabins and preserving their history," Beachum said. "We're trying to keep a part of Ruidoso that people come for: the experience on the river. ... I feel there's a movement in the town to preserve the beauty of the community, and I hope we can preserve the character."

She said that she is not worried about her new neighbors and that she is sure those who want a more traditional mountain getaway will continue visiting businesses like hers.

"Competition is very healthy," Beachum said. "People like staying in cabins because they're historic and rustic. It's like you're stepping back in an area in the mountains, and I think there's a lot of character in that."

Stacie Barela and Dale Czech bought the Apache Village Cabins in July 2003 and have been renovating their more than 50-year-old log cabins.

"We've been doing a lot of work," Barela said. "We had four dilapidated buildings in back, and we remodeled them completely. We're real proud of them."

The cabins that were becoming run-down only a year ago have received new furniture, and each comes with its own gas grill.

She said the cabins will continue to be renovated and improved in the coming months.

Norma Tiffany, owner of Arrowhead Motel and RV Park, is happy to have the extra competition in town. The newest chain hotels have opened down the road from her motel on Highway 70.

"I think (the new chain hotels) are great because it shows the town is growing," she said.

The 15-room Arrowhead motel with 18 RV spaces dates from the 1950s and sits quietly nestled against the mountain.

"It shows the area is in a good growth spurt," Tiffany said. "I feel I can keep my prices down compared to what the chains charge, so I have my own little niche."

But she also has advice for others in the area who want to compete with the new and renovated hotels and motels.

Older motels "need to keep their places up," Tiffany said. "This one wasn't bad, but it just wasn't attractive before."

Since taking over about a year ago, she has renovated the motel, inside and outside -- sprucing up the parking lots and giving the rooms a makeover.

However, not all the smaller hotels and motels are happy to have shiny new neighbors.

Sunny McDougal has owned the Sierra Blanca Cabins with her husband for about 35 years.

"It's been kind of slow. People aren't making reservations as early as they used to," McDougal said July 3, as she waited for the last of her cabins to fill with holiday guests. "The more places there are for people to stay, the more that's hurting the smaller businesses -- the mom and pop businesses."

Visitors are also concerned about the future of the smaller motels in the area.

"I think with the new hotels there will be less people for the cabins," said Manny Hernandez, who stayed with his family at Casey's Cabins for the Fourth of July holiday weekend.

The Inn of the Mountain Gods has scheduled a soft opening in March and plans to have its grand opening around Memorial Day 2005.

The new inn could begin taking reservations as soon as mid- September.

"We're not trying to cannibalize the existing business here," Parrish said. "If all we're doing is taking rooms from Ruidoso, nobody wins. ... We want to draw attention to Ruidoso and the racetrack and Ski Apache."

When the hotel is complete, it will feature its own restaurants, nightclub and spa, as well as a casino about twice the size of the one now there. The old casino will eventually be renovated into Camp Mescalero, which will offer activities for children.

People in the know said those who plan to visit the area, whether their stay is during the busy summer racing season or winter ski season, should think ahead and educate themselves about what is available.

"If you don't book early, there's no telling what you're going to get," Barela said.

Erica Molina may be reached at mailto:emolina@elpasotimes.com 546-6132.