Regarded by many as the best hotel in town, the Quality Inn occupies a quiet and spacious site on the east side of Safford (420 E highway 70), in a generally rural neighborhood bordered by undeveloped land to the north. The hotel is less than a mile from downtown Safford, and is close to several restaurants & shops. Amenities include free full breakfast, a good sized indoor pool, hot tub, fitness center, gift shop and meeting space. All 102 rooms are very clean & comfortable, and equipped with a microwave & refrigerator; some have a private balcony. The hotel also provides several suites with a DVD player, whirlpool bath, and separate sleeping/living areas. To the east, US 191 forks north after 10 miles and enters the White Mountains - the most scenic section of the Coronado Trail.

One mile west of Safford town center, the Best Western Desert Inn is an older, 2 floor motel of 70 exterior corridor rooms (some containing a microwave/refrigerator) - built in three wings around a central parking area plus outdoor pool - though all accommodation and the exterior was renovated in 2008. The hotel has quite a rural location, on the south side of US 70 (1391 W Thatcher Boulevard), with fields just to the north and mountains on the horizon yet is within half a mile of various shops and restaurants in Safford. Pets are welcome, and the inn has other amenities of free continental breakfast, guest laundry and basic business services.

New for 2008, Comfort Inn & Suites Safford is another well regarded property from the Choice Hotels group - a 3 storey building close to US 70 on the east side of town, 0.2 miles down a quiet side road. Free full breakfast is prepared each morning, and for lunch/dinner there are several restaurants within walking distance though most are around half a mile west, closer to Safford town center. For relaxation, guests have use of an outdoor pool, hot tub and fitness center. The 88 oversized rooms all have a microwave, refrigerator, sofa bed, pillow top mattresses, and nice views northwards towards the Gila Mountains.

On the eastern approach to Safford along US 70/191 (5th St), the Econo Lodge motel provides budget accommodation in 39 smallish, exterior-corridor rooms, plus the expected amenities of free (basic) continental breakfast, guest laundry, fitness center, hot tub and an outdoor pool. All the rooms have a microwave and refrigerator. There are about half a dozen restaurants within one block along the highway, plus a few small shops; the main stores in Safford are 2 miles away on the west side of town.