El Gran Hotel

Lovely old hotel right in the heart of Merida. Friendly and helpful staff. Good air conditioning unit in the room. Very friendly housekeeping staff. Nice shower, as well as hot water every time I wanted it in the shower and sink. I feel very strongly about supporting local restaurants and cafes so please don’t support Starbucks even though it’s very tempting without a coffee maker in the room. Go to one of the many places offering very nice and reasonable breakfasts with unlimited coffee. I took the tour to Uxmal offered at hotel reception. It was superb with an excellent guide and great value for money. The reception staff were also very helpful organizing my COVID test to return to the USA; United Airlines weren’t helpful at all.

I knew breakfast wasn’t available when I booked, but the hotel needs some life in it and a bar or breakfast area would solve that issue. I had breakfast at both hotels in the same plaza, which were very nice, as well as another hotel near Plaza Santa Lucia, all of which I highly recommend. But it would have been nice to enjoy the beautiful lobby of Gran Hotel sitting there for a drink or breakfast. I realize the necessity for a plastic cover on the mattress, but the sheets slid off every night and it caused me to sweat. Not a big concern, but something to consider. Also, I’m 6 ft. tall and the sink was just a tiny bit high for me. Again, thinking of others who are shorter.

We were greeted on arrival with 5 star service. We are very familiar with Merida and this is the most historic hotel in Merida. The architecture, the furnishings, the ambiance, location and staff make this THE place to stay in Merida. We are 27 year veterans of visiting Merida and I had always promised myself We we’re going to stay here. Tour guides of the city bring groups here to tour the lobby and and tell of this 1901 hotels history. A fact is that Fidel Castro stayed here many years ago while visiting Merida. We were here 3 nights this trip, all a great experience. Enjoy this place.

Absolutely nothing

Best location in the central historical location. Lobby’s on each floor are beautiful. Air conditioning and fans worked excellent. Rooms are large and equipped with a safe. Hotel is absolutely beautiful as was our room. There is a Starbucks coffee shop immediately outside the lobby.

A bit more TLC could be used in our room. Several cosmetic repairs were warranted. For example, our room had several loose floor tiles that we could actually lift up. Front desk staff were hidden behind plastic barriers (for COVID) which made talking to them difficult. Once you put forth some effort to talk to them and to get to know them, they were great and “muy amables”.

The hotel is very well located, very classic style. You are walking distance from the best restaurants and places to buy regional clothes. There is an Starbucks downstairs so we spent lots of time there. It doesn't have a restaurant but you can walk to the Chaya Maya for the best regional food or to Hotel La Mansión for the best pancakes. The only inconvenient of this hotel is that it doesn't have an elevator. They don't take American Express. The staff is super helpful and nice. Overall, great value for your money.

It doesn't have an elevator, the parking is not located in the hotel. You can't pay with Amex.

The location by Centro is excellent. The room was large and comfortable nicely decorated. The beds are adequate, not rated high for comfort. Be aware of the bolted bed frame to the floor. It's a toe catcher. The staff were very friendly, polite and accommodating. I love the beauty of the Colonia building. The entrance is very elegant and the atrarium is three stories high. There is no elevator so be prepared to walk up some beautiful marbled stairs. For being right in Centro, it is relatively quiet at night.

The car garage is very inconvenient. It is two blocks away and there is no valet parking.Hours for parking your car are 7:30 a.m. until 9:15 p.m. If you have to be to the airport prior to those hours your car is locked in. If you'd like to go to dinner past 9:15, you cannot get in to the garage.

This is for aficionados of colonial architecture and a good example of the style. We enjoyed the the atmosphere of faded glory - the woodwork, the grand staircase. The location is fantastic, steps from the cathedral and central square and in its own attractive square. The rooms are not large but comfortable, and the shower yields hot water at high pressure. Service is pleasant; we were glad of the porter since there is no elevator and we were two staircases up.

There is no elevator which wasn't a problem as the porter took care of our luggage, but the staircases might be difficult for anyone with mobility issues. There is no breakfast, though there are places to have it in the square.

A faded gem of a property. Big rooms with high ceilings, good aircon or just fans if you prefer. it has a wonderful ambiance. Very central and close to the main town square. The hotel has free parking in a local estación you just need the hotel to stamp your parking ticket.

There is no jug in the room to heat water, though plenty of cold water on each floor. The staircases are amazing old style, no lifts though so not a suitable hotel if you have mobility issues. Each floor has a gracious lounge area to sit but the lobby is really stuffy so you tend to retreat to a fan or aircon in your room.

The hotel sparkled with old-world elegance and shine. From the beautiful tiled floors to the antique furniture, the paintings - all showed care and special attention. The location was excellent - in a main plaza- easy walking distance to excellent restaurants and artesanías. My favorite business shared space with the hotel: Santa Clara ice cream and coffee. Cute tables out front for outdoor dining and people watching. Starbucks on the other side - easy morning coffee outside your bedroom. Room had mini-fridge -a nice convenience not always found in Mexican hotels.

Rooms had no coffee makers (Starbucks important!) and wifi in our room was spotty. Large central sitting areas outside the rooms had much better service so we needed to leave the room for best service. No elevator but Santos was ready and able to help with luggage- always with a smile.The staff was very helpful with arranging transportation to Progreso beach.

Fantastic hotel location overlooking a lively plaza. The hotel is full of beautiful antiques and my room was very large. The Starbucks and ice cream store adjacent to the hotel were an extra bonus.

Everything in the bedrooms feel a bit worn. The bathroom was very small and the in-room refrigerator froze everything. There were no elevators which wasn’t a problem for me but there were 3 flights of stairs to climb to my room. If you’re a light sleeper the nightly music on the plaza may keep you awake.

The Gran Hotel is like stepping back in time to another era, without any pretentiousness. If you look closely she’s an aging beauty and you can see the cracks in the ceiling and the old carpeting. Never mind that—it only adds to the experience in my opinion. Extremely centrally located with huge bedrooms and huge beds, our stay with 3 adults and 2 kids was very comfortable. To add to it all, there’s a Starbucks attached to the hotel, an ice cream parlor, and a nightly craft fair outside. Just perfect!

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