Fairmont El San Juan Hotel

Absolutely disgusting hotel . After waiting 7 hours to get into the room which was diabolical . Tatty , dirty carpet awful creased bed linen that looked as though it had already been slept in only to find the room change we asked for was just as bad . The safe wasn’t even screwed down so anyone could just walk away with it .. Fairmonts we have previously stayed in were so much better . This is a joke . Premier inns are better .

We got the last room available in town because of the blizzard in the northeast stranding thousands . It was not cheap at 550 per night but I could see why. The entire complex was top notch. Bars, casino, shops, pools, room all beautiful. Loved our stay there .

The worst! There was a dirty, old bandaid at our front door. The shower ceiling was covered in dirt. The door did not shut when you left the room-had to be locked from the inside to close properly-bungalow 105! Not very safe with my belongings inside! Service at breakfast was non existant-had to leave after pouring my own water several times with no server. No berries, smoked salmon etc on the buffet. The host was telling people at entry that they were very short staffed and sitting at the bar would be the only way to get drinks in a timely manner... it was full! Check out is about as slow as it can get. Called for my bags and nobody showed up after 30 minutes. I waited 20 min to get a new key made since my daughter was sick- and they gave us an extra hour but the key stopped working at 11:00 am. Avoid at all costs!

A year ago, my wife and I took a trip to Puerto Rico and stayed at the Fairmont El San Juan for 4 days. It was nice so we came back this year and stayed for 4 weeks as a trial run for “snowbirding” to Puerto Rico from Michigan. Frances checked us in. She is a star! She was very personable and friendly. We feel that she was a major reason that we enjoyed our stay as much as we did. For example, when she realized that we were staying for a long time, she asked her manager to upgrade us to a villa at no charge. She personally escorted us to the villa to make sure that we preferred it to the assigned room. Every week, she sent us a little “gift” such as a fruit and cheese platter with wine. Every time we passed the front desk, she chatted and gave us good advice. It was like having our own private concierge! The hotel is fantastic. It is pretty, very well maintained, and has a great staff. The pools are beautiful. The beach was our favorite. The water is shallow for a good ways out and is warm. The Chico Cabaret lounge had great entertainment and a cool vibe. The fitness center is large. We are going to make this 4 week visit to Puerto Rico, an annual event. Frances is the main reason that we will stay at the Fairmont El San Juan!

I really wanted to love this place, especially at $500 a night for a “garden view” room. Unfortunately, it felt like this hotel overpromises and severely under delivers. Let’s start with the positives because there were some. John Paul at breakfast and Carlos at lunch were incredible. Both were kind, attentive, and genuinely cared about guest experience. Lunch at Caña was delicious. The watermelon salad is incredible and one of the best things we had all week. Gabriel, one of the managers, was clearly passionate about guest services and tried to help. Now for the reality. The mornings were tremendously mismanaged. Jennifer, the restaurant manager, was condescending and dismissive. After we raised concerns, she avoided us entirely and rolled her eyes when she saw us. There was also a blonde staff member who called customers “crazy” for questioning why a prepaid breakfast had over an hour wait. That kind of response is unacceptable at this price point. Breakfast was inconsistent at best. Some days the food was not edible. We were promised smoothies, but the blender was “broken” the entire time. It felt less like equipment failure and more like they simply did not want to make them. The beds were uncomfortable. Our “garden view” was actually a roof. On Thursdays the hotel hosts a club night that goes until 2am. It was 18+ night, and our windows overlooked the parking lot where everyone exited. We could not sleep because of the noise. The hotel is also right outside the airport’s landing strip, so you will hear airplanes day and night. Gabriel offered us a food and beverage credit, which we appreciated. However, it was not clearly explained that it could not be used everywhere. We ended up at the steakhouse, where our steaks were cooked incorrectly twice. We still paid $350 for two entrees, two drinks, and two sides. The lines at the front desk and to speak with managers moved painfully slow, largely because so many guests had complaints. Overall, this hotel is extremely overpriced for what it delivers. I left feeling disappointed and honestly bitter about traveling to Puerto Rico again, which is unfortunate because the island deserves better representation than this experience. I truly hope the Puerto Rico travel board becomes aware of what is happening here. Three stars because there were some standout staff members and a few good meals, but I would not return.