Hotel Chimayo — Hotel in Santa Fe

Not my favorite place! To start with, my key did not work, so I returned to the front desk and the key card was re-keyed. In the conversation, the front desk clerk told me that there was no other room for me, although they had already taken my money. When I entered the room, somebody else's things were in my room. When I asked the front desk about that, they acted confused and didn't even have the correct dates of my stay for the room I had reserved earlier. They got that fixed and miraculously found me another room. That room is three floors up with no elevator and a narrow stair case. (Hint: Do not bring a large suitcase in case Heritage Hotels and resorts decides to put you in a third floor room. You will not be able to get it up the narrow staircase. They also do not have bellmen to help with luggage even though the in room phone lists that as an option.) The fire marshal probably allows customers to stay in this top floor room because there is a fire extinguisher by the TV. The hotel IS within walking distance of the Plaza and the Cathedral so that was nice. I never received maid service in my two nights and 2.5 days here. When I checked in, I was told that underground parking was free to guests. When I returned from an outing one evening, the parking garage was full except for one space with pieces of lumber blocking the space. So I asked an employee who was throwing out garbage in the hotel underground garage if he could help me. He told me it was not his job, because he worked for another entity, not the hotel. So, I parked behind another car and moved the lumber out of the parking space and finally parked my car. At least three other customers tried to park as I was unloading my vehicle. I called the front desk and, out of curiosity, asked where paying customers were supposed to park since the garage was full. The woman who answered told me that they tell customers to park in a lot next door for which the customer will have to pay, but which they will take off the final bill. I wonder why they never told me that when I checked in? I wonder if they tell anybody who makes a reservation or who checks in, because one of the people backing out of the underground parking garage was yelling at somebody on the phone as he drove by me. When I got to my room, the maintenance man was talking to a customer on the first floor. I called to him and suggested that they put a "lot full" sign up at the parking garage. He said he would "talk to the front desk" about that. I am surprised that Heritage Hotels and Resorts and Resorts has not figured out how to do that before. Putting up "lot full" signs is quite common these days when a parking lot is full. Finally, the website indicates that check-out time is 11:00 am, but the sign on the back of the door in the room indicates that check out time in at noon. So I called the front desk and asked. I was told, "I am so sorry about that sign. Checkout is at 11:00 am." Heritage Hotels and Resorts could certainly use some training in how to communicate with customers, both verbally and in their signage. I certainly could have gotten this kind of incompetent stay for a lot less money elsewhere...

After a four day, four night stay, here's our review: It's very clean, the staff is friendly, and the bed is very comfortable.

However... we paid extra for a suite with a fireplace, only to discover that the layout of the room is not at all conducive to enjoying the fireplace. There is no sofa and there are no comfortable chairs in the suites - not in ours, at least. The seating consists of a small square table with two wooden straight-back chairs and an L-shaped padded banco in the opposite corner of the room from the fireplace. In other words, if you are sitting on the only padded seating, you are sitting either far away or along the wall beside the fireplace, not facing it. This was very disappointing to us, as we had envisioned spending our evenings relaxing by the fireplace (Santa Fe evenings are typically cool) after busy days exploring Santa Fe. As it turns out, we didn't use the fireplace at all during our four night stay.

Even though I called the hotel directly to make our reservation rather than using one of the booking services that can be deceiving in quoting rates, we were still deceived. After arriving and checking in, and just before being directed us to our room, we were told that that we would be charged an additional 'Amenity Fee' of $30 a day "for parking and for bottled water provided in the room" (two small plastic bottles of plain water available in stores for $3.00 per case of 36). There were no other 'amenities' other than the typical hotel toiletry items. It's very frustrating to specifically ask if the quote provided "covers everything" and be told yes, and then have $120 sneakily added on. It's about the principle more than the cost.

It can be hard to find something to eat during off-hours without going out or ordering out for food, even though they advertise having dining opportunities on-site. (Their pizza bar opens at 5:00 PM and El Rincon Restaurant opens at 5:30 PM. No lunch options.)

Their 'Continental Breakfast' is abysmal. Apple, orange, cookie. Period. I chose a packaged cookie and it was so old and dry that it crumbled into small, powdery bits and tasted absolutely awful - like old, rancid oil. For the price here, one should be able to expect at least an edible danish of some kind- even if packaged.

The bathroom is tiny. The small area that's beside the tub and in front of the toilet is too small to dress in without banging elbows into wall or door.

Don't expect luxury. The furnishings and accommodations are what would have been considered luxurious in 1956, but are pretty basic now.

What makes this Santa Fe hotel option one to consider anyway is that it is literally yards away from the plaza where the world of Santa Fe...

Can’t say enough positive things about Hotel Chimayo!

Service- Initially, we weren’t certain if we’d be permitted to check in early, knowing the official check-in time is 4 PM. We asked about 12:30? And held our breath. No problem! And no additional charge for early check-in. We were so appreciative after a long travel day.

Upon check-in, we were greeted by friendly, knowledgeable staff who answered all our questions. And if they didn’t know the answer, they knew how to find out. None of this “I don’t know” business as with other hotels.

Since no elevator to 2nd floor rooms, the front desk sent a bellman to help with our luggage. Lupe was both helpful & joyful. He was genuinely happy to help us. Lupe went above and beyond, not only helped with our bags, but also filled our ice bucket, set up the bags in the room, and many other helpful things without our asking. All with a smile.

Room- Such a lovely, quaint room we had. The boutique hotel has a feel of a Casita development. Very authentic. We had the two-room suite with one living area, one bedroom. Upon our request, staff was very happy to assist with setting up an additional rollaway bed and a fan. Following day, we asked for clothes-laundry services, again the answer was always yes to just about anything we asked.

Such a refreshing and no-stress stay. Very comfortable bed with some of the highest quality linens I’ve seen in a hotel. Plus, the suite comes with a wet bar, Kureg with coffee, small refrigerator, microwave, and two TVs, one for hubby, one for wife. But 4 stars on the “rooms” rating , instead of 5, due to very dim lighting in the sink & mirror area, very difficult to put in contacts, or do makeup/hair.

Location- Just park and leave your car in their underground garage for days. It’s worth the $30 parking fee. Everything you need is walking distance. It couldn’t be more convenient. We walked to tours, gift shops, restaurants, & museums. Understanding it is a downtown location, there is street noise. However, ear plugs did the trick and I slept soundly.

Finally, be sure to stop by Low and Slow bar just off the lobby. The pizza is to die for! Made in a wood fire oven. Absolutely delicious. And you’ll never see a harder working bar staff & pizza chef, all rushing around to serve guests.

I recommend Hotel Chimayo, we had a lovely stay at this quaint...