El San Juan Hotel Deal & More Travel for Less Money
Back in November I covered a deal for the El San Juan Hotel which is a Hilton Curio property. During the deal, two bedroom suites at the hotel were going for as low as $99 per night plus taxes and fees. I chose to get a refundable rate which was $113 or $148 per night all-in. For a 1,200+ square foot two bedroom suite that ain’t a bad price.
Well today I was doing a little digging and found out that this property is quite the little gem. When I booked the room I had seen mixed reviews on Trip Advisor, but had also seen that the property was under renovation. What I didn’t know was that it was a complete overhaul. In fact, the hotel closed in August for a complete re-do. The formal opening date has been announced for February 5, 2017 with rates of $250+ for normal rooms.
Based on the photos on their website (which I assume are accurate given the closeness of the opening date), it seems they have completely redone just about everything including all of the rooms, the pools and the public areas. In other words, they are aiming for a modern 5 star property and it looks beautiful! A historic property that feels completely modern and new.
Reservation Problems
I had heard from a reader that their reservation was changed without their knowledge to a lesser room at the same price. I have checked my reservations and confirmed I am still in the same room. The property has already charged my card as well so it does indeed appear to be set. (Or at least I hope it is!) Have you had any issues with your reservation if you booked this deal?
More Travel for Less Money – A Lesson to Learn
While I was truly impressed and excited when learning about the renovations, I didn’t write this post simply to brag about this deal. I wanted to illustrate how paying attention to deals that come across your screen can make travel so much better. Sure, traveling for “free” is fun, but paying little for big experiences is fun too. Let’s take a look at this deal for example.
- If I wanted to use points, the cost for a normal room would be 50,000 per night. Instead, I am paying $148 per night for a 2 bedroom suite! That charge can be offset by using a card like the Arrival Plus or BofA Travel Rewards.
- My family and I will also get free breakfast and other amenities as Hilton HHonors Diamond Members. I didn’t earn the status, but instead matched through 2017 and then re-matched through 2018 during their generous promotion.
- San Juan is far from home, so we’ll use the Southwest Companion Pass to save. Or perhaps we’ll use some of our huge stash of JetBlue points earned from their Virgin Match.
Taking advantage of deals can be a great way to get so much more while you travel. Sure, it will be hot and humid in San Juan, but it is a beautiful city and Puerto Rico is a beautiful place that I wouldn’t mind exploring a bit more!
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Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.
I am booked for a week in June- so far my reservation has been intact. I even had to contact the hotel to switch my dates and they kept the same room type and the same rate for me. They were very easy to work with and pleasant. Hoping to not have any issues once I get down there. Has anyone stayed on this rate yet?
Ugh…just checked my June reservation, it was changed to a “Main Tower Room-Sitting Area-King Bed” now I get to deal with the hotel to get it changed back, joy.
I don’t know how the hotel looks now, but when we went to San Juan, we stayed at the Intercontinental down the street and they were doing some pretty extensive work to the hotel. I hope you’re please with the end product
I snagged this deal back in Nov., too. Looks like my reservation is still intact…no issues so far. I agree that the new property photos make it look like they did an excellent job of renovating the property. Hope that is true in practice as well!
I hope so too. We all know photos can be misleading, but with the opening set for February 5, we should see some reviews come out before the Summer.
How was the Zika situation where you stayed?
I booked as well for July. Please do a review and how/if they honor the price!
By the time I saw the deal most dates were taken (not sure if Saturday nights were ever available at the lower rates but I couldn’t find any availability). Got five nights in June beginning on a Sunday. Definitely interested to hear reviews as well as suggestions for activities. I booked a cancellable rate and still not 100% set on going.
I managed to get a Thursday through Monday, but I booked fairly quickly. The timing seemingly works out for us so I think we will go, but I did choose a cancelable rate just in case.
Shawn, I updated FT. After emailing the hotel, the Rooms Mgr apparently reversed the change and put me back in a 2-bedroom suite at the original $113 rate. Good thing as this will be a family trip with grandma.
Thanks for the update!
I have mine in early May. When are you headed there? Be sure to do a review.