GHL Hotel Lago Titicaca — Hotel in Puno

Our stay at this advertised “five-star” hotel was filled with disappointments, particularly with the accommodations and the lack of accountability from management. While there were some redeeming qualities, such as the excellent staff who were eager to please (Leslie and Franz at the front desk, Lucio the bellman, Milagros in QA/QC who tried to make amends by “upgrading” us, Hugo the restaurant waiter, housekeeping ladies, etc) and the tasty and tastefully presented food at the restaurant, the overall experience fell far below expectations. This place is reminiscent of a 1970s/80s hotel with dated interiors and furniture and stained and wrinkly carpeting, and does not merit more than three stars in my opinion and based on our experience. On our Peru tour, we had previously stayed in truly five-star properties such as Inka Del Tambo (Marriott) in Urubamba and Inkaterra Machu Picchu (Aguas Calientes) and Inkaterra La Casona (Cusco) - superb properties all, and it was hugely disappointing that GHL Lago Titicaca advertised itself as five -star and took my money accordingly! Even after our travel agent followed up on our behalf, while we were “upgraded” as I note above, there was zero management accountability; instead they pretty much called me a liar for highlighting the gross deficiencies at the property even after I presented photographic evidence.

Room Experience:

The issues with our accommodations began immediately upon arrival. The first two rooms we were allotted were uncomfortably hot, with no adequate climate control. Despite the hotel’s attempt to remedy the situation by providing a portable fan (which itself was broken and the staff were not aware that it needed to have water filled periodically for it to “cool”), it did little to mitigate the oppressive heat. After raising our concerns, we were moved to what seemed like more acceptable rooms. Initially, we thought this would finally offer some relief, but later, we discovered a blood stain on the bedroom curtain, hair on the supposedly clean bedsheets, and crumpled floor carpeting. This was a frustrating end to what had already been a challenging process, leaving us feeling increasingly dissatisfied and questioning the hotel’s standards of cleanliness and comfort.

Customer Service and Accountability:

Compounding the issues with the rooms was the hotel management’s complete refusal to take responsibility for the problems we raised. Rather than acknowledging and addressing the valid concerns we brought to their attention, the management dismissed them entirely and even implied that we, as customers, were being unreasonable. This lack of accountability was deeply disappointing and turned what could have been a moment to rectify the situation into a display of poor professionalism.

Restaurant Experience:

The hotel restaurant offered a rare bright spot in an otherwise lackluster stay. While service was slow and the waitstaff rarely checked on us, the food itself was outstanding. Every dish was visually appealing and delicious, showcasing a clear attention to detail and culinary expertise. We thoroughly enjoyed the meals and appreciated the high quality of the dining experience, though the delays in service made it harder to fully appreciate.

Conclusion:

Although the food at the restaurant was exceptional, the overall experience at the hotel was marred by its many failings. From the dated and unclean accommodations to the dismissive attitude of management, this hotel falls far short of its advertised five-star rating. At best, a three-star property.Without significant improvements to the facilities, service efficiency, and a willingness to accept accountability, it’s hard to recommend this property. Guests considering a stay here should adjust expectations...

Terrible Staff that put the lives of their guests at risk! Our troubles began even before we arrived at the hotel. we tried to call and email the hotel to book a taxi to pick us up from the railway station. we were not able to connect with the hotel. Our hotel in Cusco somehow managed to get in touch and book our taxi. at the railway station, a man holding a board for GHL hotel turns up to pick us up. we tried to call the hotel again to confirm if he was the correct person. no luck. we then spoke to the manager of peru rail who said there may have been a change in ownership. no body from the hotel communicated the change of name or group to us.There were strikes in Puno and we were scheduled to travel to Bolivia on 6 September. we booked a car through the hotel and spoke to Alexander (the manager) to check if it was possible to travel on 6 September as they claimed. Alexander reassured us saying that the travel agent used by Libretador was very reliable and trust worthy and knew what he was doing. based on his reassurance, we booked a tour in Bolivia once we would arrive. we checked with Alexander before booking and he once again said it would be ok if the agent was saying it was ok. at 9 pm the same evening, the reception calls us to say that the agent had been in touch to say we wouldn't be able to travel by car on 6 September and they have instead booked us on a boat at 6.30 to go to Bolivia. once again we sought reassurance from the hotel and whether we would reach Bolivia by 10.30 am for our onward tour and transfer as what we had read was that it was not possible to cross the border on water. once again we got the same response that it would be ok and the agent used by the hotel was very good. we came downstairs with our bags on 6 September at approximately 5.50 am and asked if the car to pick us up had arrived. the driver booked by the hotel told us that we would not be able to travel to Bolivia at least until mid day. we told the agent we had to be in Bolivia before 11 for our onward transfer. he said nothing could be done and that he would let us know when we would be able to transfer to Bolivia by road later that day and that we should cancel our onward transfer and tour in Bolivia. we spoke to alexander again but was told that we would report for duty only 3 hours later at 9 am. when alexander arrived at 9 am, his only response was that what could one do and these situations happen. he simply failed to understand that as guests in his country and hotel, we had put our faith in his reassurances as we had no news update about the situation. at 11.30 am, we were told that strikes could end at 12 noon for Bolivia and the strikes were over. we had to arrange our transfer to la paz through him as they asked to cancel our.original arrangements for transfer from copacabana to la paz. all this time, Alexander never bothered to check in on us. finally, we left at 12.15 pm for Bolivia. more bad news. the strikes were on in some places and people were burning things and the driver had to take all kinds of back roads. fearing for our safety, we asked two or three times, if we should just go back to the hotel. driver assured us it would be ok and no need to go back to the hotel. the transfer which usually takes 6 or 6.5 hoursTook 12 hours and we only arrived in la paz around midnight after a 12 hour ordeal of no food or bathroom breaks but.more worrying than that was the strikes which we were told had ended. alexander never bothered to get in touch with us through this ordeal and didn't even bother to check if we had made it to Bolivia safely.  also on 5 September, when we tried to check out and pay the bill, it took 4 persons at reception to try and find the correct machine for USD payment and checkout took...

Let me start by saying that I have a background in hotel management, am a certified luxury travel consultant and have vacationed in over 50 countries so consider myself well versed on luxury hotels and processes. This hotel is definitely not luxury or deserving of a 5 star category. My mom and I stayed for 3 nights specifically because it was convenient to Lake Titicaca of which was the only reason we were in town. There are other properties that are newer and nicer looking but this one had been established & the reviews we read were promising. Unfortunately, the reviews left out that the property has blackouts several times per night and they do nothing to safeguard their guests or warn them ahead as use of elevator, steps or such could be a hazard upon losing power. We experienced 8 one night alone including while dining in a pitch black restaurant and not one employee said anything but just moved along as usual. Candles would have been a nice gesture at the very least. It also smells like cow manure outside as the cows graze in Lake Titicaca which carries inside the entire hotel and is disgusting. If that is not bad enough, I am writing to warn others that this hotel has a thief within their staff. The 2nd day we were there and headed out on the Lake, my small wristlet was accidently left behind & upon my return was gone. I reported it right away to them after ripping my room apart to confirm it was in fact, missing and not just moved. It was a very small Coach bag, had money in it & the key to my suitcase. I felt violated and have never in all of my years staying in hundreds of hotels, had someone take something of mine. Regardless of their signage that says they are not responsible for things left outside the safe, that does not give the employees there the right to just take stuff they see sitting around the room knowing they won't be caught or penalized. The hotel promised to review the cameras and figure out what happened but instead, they gave me the run around for 2 days finally admitting they did not have any protocol in place for reporting theft and nothing to share with me to prove the employees innocence. I had to insist on them writing up a hotel incident report and even signing it, had to pursue a police report on my own and the manager showed a list of people entering the room several times that day but could not produce details and camera footage and times were missing where we left and returned so completely shady. We also noticed they leave multiple doors to the guest rooms open while cleaning elsewhere which leaves opportunity for anyone to enter. The manager felt more sorry for her housekeeping team that were being accused than me as a guest and basically insinuated that her employees would never do such a thing having only asked them directly and getting a response that they hadn't seen the item in the room. Not sure what else they expected them to say. Whether this was the first time or not that something like this has happened, with no serious investigation on behalf of their guests and no established protocol in place for employee theft, someone will continue to get away with it so be warned should you choose to stay...