Palacio Tondon, La Rioja Brinas — Hotel in Briñas

I absolutely loved the actual hotel. It’s located in a very quaint little village in Rioja that is super walkable and right on the river. The room was so comfortable, contemporary and enjoyable. The staff, however, left much to be desired. I had the distinct displeasure of having Carmen check me in, and this young woman was rude and condescending from the start of the visit to the very end. The check-in process should’ve been seamless as the room was already completely paid for and a credit card on file, however, she seemed to take so much time to check me in and was not pleasant while doing so. The next day, I was sad to find her working the front desk again, and I had to try to work with her to figure out Some wine tastings to go on. She could not have been less helpful and less informative. I was ready to write the entire hotel staff off until I came across another front desk worker the next day who was extremely kind and helpful. The hotel has complementary breakfast included that I did find to be quite good, but they only had one person working the entire breakfast room and it was often over crowded and many tables were dirty and needed to be cleaned. They really need to have Marriott train the staff better because it was not the level of service that you should have at a hotel of this caliber. Also, I did visit the restaurant and the food was just Ok, it was very scenic on the river and the wine selections were incredible. However, real highlight of the trip had to be the wine tasting at the hotel. It was absolutely incredible and the sommelier was extremely knowledgeable and kind. Overall, it’s the mixed bag, but they really really need to work on the staff training....

Beautiful hotel by the river. In a small nondescript but really beautiful and peaceful village. Felt totally out of this world.||||Room size is ok, room is nice and contemporary. Expensive toilet fittings. Window overlooks the river, which is soothing to look at. If I could draw or paint, it would be a perfect spot to do so. ||||The only flaw is the interior designer focused only on the aesthetics and didn’t pay more attention to function (hence my rating of 4 rather than 5). Shower cubicle is all glass; could be really sexy but it would be nice to have some private moments, even if you are traveling with your partner. I imagine it would be odd if traveling with a friend. There was nowhere to hang your towel after a shower, except to hang it in the toilet with the toilet bowl, which doesn’t feel quite sanitary or pleasant to me.||||Dining room is charming and breakfast room is even more so.||||Hotel staff are helpful and polite.||||The hotel is a leisurely but long (45 minutes) stroll or a 5 minute drive to the wineries at Haro (Muga, CVNE). ||||If you feel like eating something different, a small cafe / bar just a stone’s throw away from the hotel entrance, managed by a lovely lady, serves delicious food at super reasonable prices.||||The hotel has no parking available but you can park anywhere around the hotel so long as you don’t block...

Was our last stay in Spain after a two week trip. Absolutely beautiful location and really enjoyed being along the Ebro River. Nice trails right beside the hotel terrace. Was very disappointed by the services we received. Our room was nice, but only one "dormitory" style pillow each - not even a small extra pillow as decor. My husband had to sleep without as I needed to be propped up for digestion due to late night dinner. No robes or slippers - first Autograph hotel that didn't provide, no body lotion (had run out two days prior) and when I asked for a bottle the next morning - was grudgingly provided. Only hotel on this trip that didn't provide, most hotels had in glass bottles that you used as needed. Was given two PLASTIC bottles of water upon arrival - ONLY hotel that gave out plastic. Everywhere else they used glass or metal. In today's time, don't you think we have enough plastic in our environment? Finally, had dinner (again final meal in Spain) and only a few items we would choose. So had Cheese plate and Langostina Salad (basically crab potato salad) and sampled two of their white wines. Food was good but disappointed by lack of choice. I understand this is a small hotel; but we truly stayed all over northern Spain and this was the worst experience of...