Inn and Spa at Loretto — Attraction in Santa Fe

Los Alamos National Laboratory staff hosted the MRD/CONOPS Review meeting at the Inn of Loretto on June 21, 2019. I want to express my gratitude and acknowledge all the people involved in making this very important meeting a success, we could not have done it without each and everyone of you who came together to make us feel welcome at your hotel and for the amazing professionalism of all the staff!

Yvonne Chavez (Event Manager)--THANK YOU! For your efforts from day one in reserving our meeting room and getting the BEO to perfection and your overall professionalism in interacting with Kristen Seith at Princeton University and with me, Melissa Martinez, LANL--your knowledge and kindness was so appreciated! You stayed on top of everything to ensure that our event was going well. Thank you for meeting with me to show me the meeting space prior to event and for providing an extra screen and projector to make sure all participants were able to see and participate with no issues. For your patience in any changes back and forth from Princeton Univ. in the AV area and billing. Princeton staff was also grateful to you for everything! For you efforts in welcoming all the participants in the hall leading them to the meeting space, thank you. It was such a pleasure to work with you!! Its so important to outside companies and universities etc. who have events at hotels to get STAR quality work and effort and you have exceeded that expectation, THANK YOU!

AV/IT Staff--(Ben Hoffacker and Paul Kailey) having the best AV/IT people working behind the scenes to ensure that everyone is satisfied is not an easy job. Ben and Paul came together and provided the best AV/IT assistance and for that I am grateful as well as the participants attending the meeting in person and for those on WEBEX that called in! We are were so appreciative for your efforts prior to the event and for you assuring us that all was going to work out fine! Not to mention you checking in periodically throughout the day meant a lot! Talk about TOP NOTCH service, you guys are the best. THANK YOU BOTH!--Paul you truly are the best and it showed!

Cooking/Kitchen staff (Head cook--Aaron Block, Head of kitchen--*Elsa Garcia--Spirit awardee of heritage, and all the other amazing kitchen staff, (Anna Beltran, Herman Gamboa and Giovanna Reyes)involved in making our event wonderful! Elsa it comes to no surprise that you won the spirit award of heritage, your professionalism is outstanding! Thank you for ensuring that we were well taken care of ! Thank you for checking in periodically to ensure that all was going well. Your true kindness was so much appreciated! Aaron, you rock as the head cook, thank you for working behind the scenes to ensure the best quality food possible, we appreciated you and your efforts! For introducing yourself to me and for your kindness. The food was AMAZING! Thank you for having my back on the oversight of the participant that needed a nondairy meal! Anna, Herman and Giovanna--You all were so professional and kind and extremely helpful-thank you!

HVAC Tech (Tommy Lujan and Gary) THANK YOU for your prompt attention to our participant needs when it came to cooling and heating to ensure our participants were comfortable. You both were so professional and attentive throughout the day, you are amazing! Gracias!

General Manager (Hal Leonard) and Regional director of sales--THANK YOU both so much for greeting and welcoming all our participants this morning and leading them to our meeting space. I have never seen a general manager and director do this, WOW--so impressed with your efforts!! You both represent Inn of Loretto very well!!

Valet staff involved in parking for our participants--Roosevelt Garcia, Rocky Olsen and Josie Rendon--Thank you for your professionalism and for all your helping in going above and beyond, we were so grateful.

Front desk staff--(Danny Martinez and Dan Achiridoaei--for your amazing professionalism and your attentiveness to any of our participant needs all with such a positive...

A shower is not simply a shower for me. A shower is a way of acclimating myself to the lucidity required to engage in everyday life. It is a way to mentally and physically prepare myself for whatever may lie ahead for me for the day. It's a routine that borders on a spiritual ritual to allow myself to function in the world at my maximum potential. I am not exaggerating, then, when I say my shower at The Inn and Spa at Loretto was one of the most uncomfortable experiences in my life.I awoke early in the morning in eager anticipation to enjoy everything Santa Fe has to offer, and as I watched the sun rise over the Sangre de Christo Mountains, marveling at the beauty of the New Mexico sunrise. All that was left for me was to take my shower and prepare for the day. Nothing could have prepared me for what happened next.I stepped into the bathroom and made my way over to the shower, and turned the knob as I always would to roughly halfway to initiate the process. As I anxiously waited to begin my shower routine, the bathroom quickly filled with steam. After the cool morning air this felt nice at first, but of course I didn't want to scald myself! I turned the faucet back towards the cool side as I stepped into the shower, expecting that I understood where I would reach a "warm" temperature. Within seconds I was blasted with ice cold water as if straight from a glacier. Pain shot up my spine to my neck as the icy water rained upon me, and I reflexively turned the knob back towards the hot side, thinking I surely had found the "happy medium". Within moments I was engulfed in red hot water that felt as if it had just been boiled in a tea pot across my face and neck, stunning me yet again. Frustrated, I moved the shower head directly to the floor, spraying my feet with the same steaming water. I then carefully moved the faucet, one centimeter at a time towards the cold side, gauging the point at which the water would begin to cool. Amazingly, there was no change. After 10 or so careful movements of the knob, the water began to cool, to my great relief. However, within moments the ice cold water returned, once again sending shivers up my spine. After more experimentation and constant discomfort, it became clear that there were only two options for this shower: burning hot or ice cold. The rest of my shower was spent doing a horrible dance of moving between excessively hot and cold water, moving my body out of the water frequently to minimize the pain. I ultimately managed to do the bare minimum necessary to get myself clean, with the chance of a relaxing and revitalizing experience clearly being out of the question.This is not how I would want anyone to start their day, and I feel this should be unacceptable for a hotel with the stature and reputation of The Inn and Spa at Loretto. While the rest of my experience there was quite nice, this shower left me with an awful feeling for much of my day. I hope they are able to ensure that future guests do not have to go through an...

I am documenting my first impressions during our stay. I'll update my review after our stay. First of all, we are not wealthy. We would not pay what it usually costs to stay at Loretto. We were able to afford this visit due to a deal we found on Living Social.

That being said, everything at the Loretto costs extra. There is no option to park for free on their property. The valet costs $21/day and tips are extra. Public parking in the area is similarly priced. We asked for a bell cart and we were told that there are none for free. If you want a bell cart, you're required to hire a bellman. So, being on a budget, I carried our bags in through the main entrance since my vehicle was about to be parked on the far side of the hotel from our room.

The Living Social deal came with several blackout dates, we knew this when we bought the vouchers. It was difficult to find a time within our schedule that was not a blackout date. Unfortunately, the timing of our arrival coincided with a local prom that was being hosted at the Loretto. So the first night we endured loud music until late at night coming from the pool area and wherever the prom was taking place.

Our room smelled like a greasy kitchen as soon as we walked in. The smell was less prevalent at times making me think that the odor was coming through the air conditioning vent. I'll add photos of the balcony "view", but suffice it to say it doesn't belong on any postcard. It basically overlooks the 1st floor roof. And, while you can't see the pool area you can clearly hear everything from the pool area.

The king size bed is very comfortable. The headboard is a decoration that is somehow attached to the wall. It is loose, though, so every movement made it rattle against the wall until I stuffed a cushion between the mattress and the headboard. There is a tiny refrigerator in our room and no microwave. The walls are thinner than I expected. We are able to hear conversations, music, and the television from both rooms next to ours.

The Loretto is a nice hotel within a gorgeous setting. I am truly thankful for this once in a lifetime opportunity to stay here, but at this point I don't ever intend to stay here again. There are other excellent lodging options in the area that are more affordable for a middle income couple that offer the same or better amenities. At the Loretto, you're basically paying for the privilege of saying that you stayed at the Loretto. And, boy, are...