Le Méridien Santiago

This was our first trip to Santiago.   We decided to stay at Le Meridien Santiago because of its location.  On arrival, we were greeted warmly by Mr. Gonzalo Ceriani, more than what we expected as a Merriott Bonvoy member. Our room was ready, and everything in the room, including bed and bathroom, seemed to be in great condition. We didn't experience any night-time disturbance or noise from the road traffic.  Then, there was a pleasant surprise the next morning- a big spread of breakfast items including made-to-order omelet.   Make sure that you include breakfast with your reservation.  Over the next two days, we also interacted with Ms. Michele Calvo at the front desk, who was also very helpful.  I didn't see any MAC machine to withdraw cash, however the hotel offers money exchange service- the exchange rate was very reasonable. The hotel is located near the historic district of Santiago, everything within 15 to 20 minutes' walking distance; some of the interesting places to visit are Santa Lucia, Santiago Cathedral, Plaza Santiago, La Moneda Palace, and several museums.   A short walk of 15-minutes to Funicular and cable car takes you to the top of the mountain for a great view of the city.  If you like shopping, don't miss Bellavista (about ten-minutes' walk) where you will see several boutique shops and restaurants.  If you want to venture out farther,  there is a metro station about five-minutes' walk from the hotel- however stay away from the metro during rush hour.   If you care for a larger shopping mall, visit Costanera Center which is also accessible by metro.   Most local tour companies offer pick-up service form the hotel for day-trips outside of the city area including Valparaiso (a must see) and other places.   I hope you have a good time at Santiago as we did.

If you have low expectations you’ll probably be happy staying here. The location is ok and easy walk to lots of cafes and bars. The hotel has jail like fencing out the front, some nights it’s open, some not, no one would tell us why. The room is ok, I understand it is refurbished, I would have hated to see it beforehand. The windows are filthy, the ac doesn’t work and floors aren’t level. Housekeeping seems inconsistent with bottle water some days, but not others, same with washing or replacing crockery and glasses. But the sheets and towels are clean and fresh, and beds made freshly. We tried having a drink by the pool, despite the bar setup there’s no one to serve you. Went to the gym, the water is cooler is empty. The doorman/concierge person would rather stand there and look at you than offer any assistance. The whole place is little sad and rundown, it feels like the staff have given up. We wish had done more research and stayed elsewhere.