Fairmont El San Juan Hotel

AVOID THE THIRD FLOOR on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. The added patio is NOT worth dealing with the noise coming from the Brava Club on those nights. It lasts until 4am and shook my family's room (we were in Room 325 until we insisted on a move the next day). The hotel did finally agree to change our room, but it took a LOT of (loud) complaining and finally insisting to get it done. The Manager, Carl, did finally take care of us, but it was much more difficult than it should have been (they must get this same complaint every Friday). THE HOTEL SHOULD NOT EVEN SELL THOSE ROOMS ON THOSE NIGHTS UNLESS THE LEVEL OF NOISE IS CLEARLY DISCLOSED AND THE ROOM HEAVILY DISCOUNTED AS A RESULT. Ask to be placed on any other floor. Better yet, if you are on a beach vacation, try to find a deal at the St Regis (check Costco, USAA, etc.) in Rio Grande and just drive into San Juan as needed...our stay there after the Fairmont was heavenly. The Fairmont is a 4 star hotel (at the most), so don't expect a 5 star room or 5 star service. The beautiful lobby was very cool, though, which is the only thing keeping me from leaving a 2-3 star review. The beach and pool were OK.

Stay somewhere else. There is construction going on several floors that’s start at 8:30am. Saws, hammering you name it. We have construction on 5th floor and could also hear banging & saws from rooms above. Our rooms should not be sold given the construction. This is supposed to be a nice relaxing vacation. We came here to celebrate my husband 50th birthday and unfortunately it has been a bad experience. My husband talked to management and there’s “nothing they can do”. Cannot move rooms bc they are full …can’t sleep bc of noise. We’ve stayed here 2x in the past year and always tell our friends how wonderful it is. Disappointing for sure. I can no longer recommend El San Juan.

My husband and I booked a last-minute babymoon at the Fairmont El San Juan Hotel. I had just stayed at a Fairmont in Scottsdale two weeks prior and was impressed, so I was looking forward to this getaway. Unfortunately, this property is a disgrace to Fairmont’s “luxury” reputation. Admittedly, I didn’t read many reviews before booking because of the trip’s short notice and because my previous Fairmont stay was top notch. I’ve stayed in many hotels, but this is the first time I’ve ever felt compelled to write a review. We arrived early Saturday and were told check-in was at 4p. We arrived back at that time to check on the status of our room, but the front desk told us we had to wait for a text message. It ended up taking another 20 minutes to get access to the room. The problems began the moment we stepped off the elevator to our room on the third floor. A musty odor hit us immediately. The hallway carpet was worn and stained, the walls were scuffed and in need of paint, and the small entryway into the room resembled a jail corridor. The air conditioning barely worked—even on the highest setting. The furniture and carpet were stained and torn. The bathroom was tiny. The in-room menu booklet had greasy fingerprints from a prior guest. The ceiling vent was warped from moisture, the windows were filthy, and the areas near the light switches were sticky. The entire space felt dirty and neglected. I immediately felt uneasy about staying the night, but didn’t ask to switch rooms, as I’d overheard another guest being told the hotel was at full capacity. I dreaded going back to the room later that night. Upon returning to the room for the night, we discovered the shower pressure was terrible, the bedding was paper-thin and scratchy, and the AC couldn’t cool the room during an 85-degree Caribbean night. I barely slept—and the musty smell still lingered. The next morning, I texted with my mother, who had arranged a fruit platter to be delivered to the room in honor of our babymoon. I hadn’t received anything. Honestly, the thought of eating anything in that room was revolting given the damp, moldy atmosphere. I told her the room was unacceptable, and she encouraged me to speak with management. Shortly after, a manager called to apologize and offered to move us to an Ocean Villa—available at 4p. She promised to text when it was ready. We spent the day at the beach and pool, anxiously waiting. When 4p came and went, we gave it some grace—but after an hour, still with no update, we went to the front desk and were finally given the keys. Back in the original room to pack, the musty smell was even worse—and ironically, that’s when the long-delayed fruit platter that my mom sent finally arrived. It had been left in the hot, musty room, on a dirty surface. The Ocean Villa was a noticeable upgrade—but still had serious cleanliness issues. The sheets were stained, there was sand on the floor, hair on the bed, and visible damage inside the closet. We immediately reported this to Ruthie, the villa manager, who sent housekeeping to vacuum and change the linens at our request. Later that evening, after being told the room was cleaned, we returned to get ready for dinner and were told we’d receive a $350 food and beverage credit for the inconvenience. While unpacking, I opened a drawer and found a half-eaten box of pizza shoved inside. I was nauseated and disgusted. I considered cutting the trip short, but our flights were non-refundable and change fees were steep. We informed Ruthie, and she added another $100 in food and beverage credit. Though the villa room still wasn’t spotless, it was finally tolerable. The fruit plate from my mother, however, was never redelivered. We slept better in the villa, but other issues persisted throughout our stay: a hairball behind the curtain, dusty surfaces, stained towels, and unreliable plumbing. The housekeeping team clearly needs better training on how to properly turn over and maintain rooms. As far as the resort itself, do not be fooled by the hotel’s social media or website imagery. This is not a quiet or relaxing escape. On weekends, club-style music blasts from 2p–7p at the pool. Guests also bring personal speakers to the pool and beach, playing loud music all day. One couple even left their speaker blasting while they walked away for lunch. I wanted a peaceful beach vacation—reading and relaxing—not a pool party atmosphere. Staff are friendly and polite, but they lack attentiveness and professionalism. There’s little to no enforcement of basic standards. One afternoon, a server was delivering full meals—including chicken wings and fries—into the pool, along with glass beverage bottles. This is both a health and safety violation and against the posted pool rules. We later saw French fries floating in the pool. One time when we placed a food order, I asked for BBQ wings but received buffalo. After asking for a correction, the second order still had buffalo wings mixed in. The server apologized and offered a complimentary drink, which I appreciated. The staff also do not clear garbage in a timely manner - empty cups and dishes pile up near the pool area overnight and the smells linger. One afternoon, our toilet clogged. Maintenance came but left filthy footprints on the bathroom floor. The lobby, beach, and pool look appealing at first glance, but aren’t well maintained. On our final night, I overheard another guest at the front desk voicing concerns about the cleanliness of her room. Clearly, these issues persist in other rooms at the hotel. Had any one of these problems occurred in isolation, we might’ve overlooked them. But combined, they soured our entire 4-night stay. I am grateful to Ruthie and the management team for trying to make things right. She was able to convert the $450 Food & Beverage credit to a resort credit, which was greatly appreciated. Overall, the experience left a lot to be desired. Before this, I trusted Fairmont to represent a high standard of hospitality. Sadly, after this stay, I doubt I’ll ever book with Fairmont again.

The hotel is beautiful. The lobby, pools, and beach, really great. We found the room spacious enough and very clean. But our first night we found out at 10pm that our room was over the night club! We were awake until 4am. The bass sound from the music was so loud we couldnt block it out with earbuds and pillows over our heads. We complained and they changed our room. However, if we had know this at check in we would have refused the room at that time. The kind man at the desk I spoke to at 2am said we should have been told at check in. Be warned - do not book 3rd floor rooms with patios. Other than that first horrific night we had a wonderful stay and would stay there again. Update: I was looking at recent reviews and see that they still do not warn guests about rooms over the nightclub. I took a star away for that. There is no excuse for this and it will ruin your vacation if they can't move you to another room.

Me and my family made a reservation to celebrate my son’s senior prom. We when we arrived at the hotel for our 2 night stay we received the great news that the hotel is fully booked and we put you and your family in smaller one bed room . WHAT????? I explained to them that we are staying for my son’s prom. We made the reservation ages ago. It is impossible to fit for people in a room like that. There answer is that there is no other option. We will gladly return your previously paid stay. FOR REAL. So if you are looking to stay at a place where they try to present themselves as a great hotel with everything you will need at your fingertips, be prepared to be EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTED. Your stay will be ruined the moment you get out of your car. This was supposed to be a memorable stay and celebration. I will certainly be, BUT IN WORST POSSIBLE WAY. Do not stay here.