Fairmont El San Juan Hotel

From the room to the manager lying this was the worst hotel stay of my life. I hope she doesn’t still work there but I will never be returning again. Fairmont should abandon this property.

We had a wonderful stay, made even better with the assistance of Coralys Torres! She went out of her way to turn a simple ask for coffee into a surprise delight! Would stay again. So refreshing to know that taking care of the guest experience is still alive and well!

We arrived quite late to property (after midnight). As a longtime Accor member I am accustomed to receiving a welcome letter outlining my amenities on property. I was told by the front desk agent I had none. That should have been my first clue this was not going to be as relaxing a visit as I had hoped for. I provided my reservation confirmation booked through Accor and the property website advising I had breakfast included, a discounted room rate and six additional benefits and asked if he could speak with a manager to clarify before morning. I went to the front desk in the morning before heading to breakfast and nothing had been resolved. I again provided the actual reservation confirmation from the Accor system and after 20 minutes was told we could have a $45 per person credit for breakfast. (I was not able to determine what the additional six benefits were, nor were any offered). Fast forward to checkout. I was presented with a bill that included no credits at all and proceeded to again provide the actual reservation confirmation from the Accor system with details of what should be included in my rate. The front desk agent read the notes on my reservation which incudes the words “she says she has these things included” which in some way implies I made up my benefits when in fact I had the actual reservation confirmation outlining benefits and charges due on property. After much back and forth we came to a resolution and for that I am grateful. My rate and breakfast package were honored and I appreciate the service Francesca provided. This is not a five star property for a variety of reasons: front desk interactions should not be multiple labored, extended, stressful experiences. The property is tired. Cracked tiles, broken beach chairs. People who are not staying on property are all over the pool area throwing things and being loud. The bathrooms are small and worn. The bedding has a sand paper quality to it. What was good: The breakfast offering and service at Cana saved our experience and is luxury property quality. From the minute you walk in the restaurant everyone has made it clear they will go above and beyond for you. The hostesses, wait staff and food service team are amazing. The property and rooms are clean and the staff is attentive. The porters, door men, etc. are all very lovely and helpful. The lobby is very nice. We did not use the casino. There are multiple food options on property including Starbucks. There are also several shopping options for souvenirs and snacks. As hotel prices increase and these ridiculous resort fees proliferate consumers have to make a choice about how much they will tolerate. There is a price where this experience would be tolerable because the property is not awful and the staff is generally good. But five star property this is not. At least not anymore.

The hotel could benefit from some updates, as signs of wear and tear are noticeable, especially in the rooms and it appears to be understaffed. It often feels like much of what you’re paying for is the entertainment in the lobby. While the hotel advertises a Saturday poolside DJ, there was no DJ this past Saturday. Adding more island flavor to the pool area would greatly enhance the experience. Breakfast at Caña is excellent, especially when it’s included as part of a travel package.The refillable water bottles provided are a great idea, but there is no refill station in the lobby—only in one area of the property. At night, guests have no option to refill bottles and must purchase water instead. Overall, the lobby remains the highlight of the hotel and has always been its strongest feature

We had a wonderful trip! The pools were amazing, the service at the restaurants was great and the rooms were beautiful and clean. Jorge Juan, our waiter at the pool was wonderful! My only complaint is the concierge. I emailed them ahead of time about sending formula and diapers via Amazon for my baby, and I told them when I was arriving. They said they could be very accommodating, but they failed to mention that the room where they hold the packages is closed on Sundays... and of course we arrived on a Sunday. More importantly, when I asked about gluten free options, they said there were two restaurants at the hotel I could eat at and one 20 minutes away. This made it sound so depressing but fortunately, they were so inaccurate! All of the restaurants at the hotel had gluten free options (so 5 or 6 instead of 2). We drove to the one that was "20 minutes" away. It took 40 minutes to get there and their menu was abysmal. I have no idea why they suggested we go there. Rest assured, if you are gluten free, Puerto Rico has amazing options. Il Sole at the hotel has gluten free pasta too! Also check out Bari in old San Juan that has gluten free pizza! At some restaurants you do have to explain gluten free more than you would in other places, but the food is there.