Fairmont El San Juan Hotel - European Plan

Customer Ratings & Reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

1908 reviews

• 

  Very disappointed

  We are presently here at the hotel. We booked and paid for a poolside villa with an ocean view. We did not receive that room and was told that they didn’t have any other rooms available except for the tower looking at the small pool and the top of the restaurant. We paid for 3 adults and the pull out couch had an extremely thin and uncomfortable mattress. We were promised a new room and was told to pack up our belongings because we would be moving in 10 minutes. It never happened. Paid top dolly for a run down unaccomading staff. Don’t bother booking!

  Feb 17, 2026
• 

  A much better resort

  What a great experience. We decided to extend our stay in San Juan and the resort we were staying at could not accommodate us which turned out to be a great stroke of luck for us. The Fairmont was able to accommodate us and we could not believe how much better the experience was. From the room, hospitality, facilities and amenities the Fairmont is way better! We are already planning a return visit.

  Feb 15, 2026
• 

  Overrated and Disappointing

  I never write a review BUT our small group of four felt this hotel for being “high end” was poor and not worth the cost of the stay. If it were not for a decent attempt by one manager and the restaurant manager to try and make our experience better I would rank this as a terrible experience. First there were just not enough I people on check in to deal with the traffic. Waiting in line was just too long. Then when we finally got a room, the wait to get your key is another task. For the three hours we had to wait for our room to be ready, we saw others checked in at similar time get rooms an hour or two earlier than us. It felt unfair……. We went to the bar outside where they were serving snacks and lunch and not once in the hour and a half there did someone ask if we wanted service. The people working in the bar area seemed glum and unhappy like they had better things to do. I could have asked for service but my wife wanted to see see if we would get served but we did not. When we finally got a room, we’d room we received had a balcony with a solid wall that made you feel you were in a luxurious prison. This was the final straw for my wife who refusal to unpack and complained to the shift manager. To his credit after hearing the grievances he changed our room and gave us a $150 credit for our bar experience. This was followed up with a call by the restaurant manager as well - a nice gesture as well. After that I really wanted to turn the stay around and make it more positive. The problem is that most of the staff there were just not friendly and you got the feeling that they felt we were at their pleasure rather than the reverse. The next day when I sat down outside for a snack, I decided to ask one of the guys for service as I did not want my wife to get worked up. I told him about our experience the prior day and he shrugged his shoulders said someone would serve you and made me feel like I am the problem. The restaurants in the hotel were pretty ordinary. In fact the Italian restaurant we went to at the hotel automatically charged us a 20% gratuity to a party of 4 for what was OK food and service. If it was not caught by one member of our party I probably would have added another tip. I understand an automatic gratuity for a large party when it’s documented but this was 4 people for as so said OK service and again felt entitled. When we asked for hotel references on another night, the people at the spent desk were not great with suggestions and seemed to be phoning in an answer. As a result we walked the strip outside looking for something ourselves. As it relates to the hotel it felt dated, The lounge chairs and the outside furniture were “low end”. The lobby dark and a little depressing. Again not terrible but disappointing for something that was high end. What really made me notice how bad it was, was when we had to deal with a cancelled flight and decided to stay at a Hilton in Old San Juan. The Hilton front desk people were very nice, they talked about the amenities and gave us cold water. As we had come there around 9:30 pm our friends wanted to eat and when they came downstairs after dropping three luggage off the Hilton staff had 3 good suggestions with clear directions. The next morning when we decided to walk outside they told us it was likely to rain and gave us umbrellas which we did use. Again they offered us cold water. Much better service than the Fairmont at a fraction of the cost. Sorry San Juan Fairmont I would not recommend you……..and I have to warn others….

  Feb 14, 2026
• 

  Not a Fairmont

  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.

  Feb 10, 2026
• 

  Fantastic Guest Experience

  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!

  Feb 04, 2026