Review: Courtyard Marriott Santiago Las Condes

Review: Courtyard Marriott Santiago Las Condes

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Our quick trip to Santiago presented us with a little bit of a quandary: with only one full day to see the city, but two nights at our disposal, our goal was to maximize time, tourism value, and points all in one shot.

This was the only opportunity to stay at a points-based property on this trip, and with two short nights and a day that would be spent mostly out of the hotel, we couldn’t quite justify the points premium on some of the higher-end properties in the city.

Lucky for us, Santiago offers no shortage of Marriott properties at all price levels, so we settled for the mid-range Courtyard Marriott Santiago Las Condes. With an all-in price of 35,000 Bonvoy points for two nights, and reviews promising a stellar location, this seemed to serve the purpose as well as any limited-service urban hotel that we could ask for.

And when you’re rolling in at 1 AM after a full-day of travel, there’s something to be said for checking into a hotel that is a known quantity. So — with all that said, let’s take a look at how the Courtyard actually stacked up.

Courtyard Santiago Las Condes check-in experience

I actually hadn’t even originally planned to do a hotel review here – with our short time and my slightly sleep-deprivation-altered state, the last thing I was thinking about upon arrival was taking pictures of the lobby and the elevator buttons. But all that changed when we checked in, where I was blown away by the level of service that we were presented with.

You do have to take an elevator up to the lobby of this hotel, which occupies floors seven through sixteen of this building on Santiago’s Avenida Kennedy. We never found ourselves waiting long for this elevator, and naturally were the only ones checking in at this wee hour.

The gentleman who checked us in immediately recognized my husband’s Platinum Premier status (now known as…Titanium), and while he couldn’t offer us an upgrade, we were immediately offered a welcome gift of Moai-shaped chocolates.

Courtyard Santiago welcome gift

He continued by offering us the option to choose a card that would have an additional gift. Ours entitled us to choose an item from the pantry, so naturally we chose a Chilean beer, which prompted the phrase “well, if you choose a beer you get two!”

As if that wasn’t enough, he grabbed a massive bottle of water and sent us off to our room (unfortunately, there was no bellhop to help with all of the new gifts we had acquired). Here is what the collateral damage ended up looking like:

Courtyard Santiago welcome gift

I’m not sure if he was feeling bored, generous, or both, but his efforts were definitely appreciated.

The hallways were nondescript but generally clean, which is all you can ask of a Category 3 property.

We probably could have done without the extra booze, given that there was an additional welcome amenity in our room, in the form of wine, mixed nuts, and a love note from the front desk team:

Courtyard Santiago welcome amenity

For those of you in need of a higher prescription, the note read, word-for-word as follows:

Thank you for prefering us we hope this little present acomodates for your first time with us

Kind Regards,

Front Desk Team

And they must have known how much free booze they were giving us, because waiting for us in the room was yet another bottle of water.

Two sips of beer later, after contemplating whether I should write a blog post then and there about how generous they were for a moderately-priced property, I was out like a light.

Courtyard Santiago Las Condes room

Speaking of light, I waited until I had some before taking some pictures of our room. As expected, the room was basic but utilitarian – nothing more, nothing less.

The bed was reasonably comfortable – not quite Westin or even Sheraton level, but good enough for a couple of nights. I do wish they had sprung for king size pillows, though – the postage stamps were dwarfed by the rest of the bed.

Courtyard Santiago bed

Across from the bed was a coffee machine, situated over a mini-fridge. While we ended up eating every meal out in our short time in Santiago, it was nice to have options.

Our bottle of wine remained untouched

Rounding out the room were a TV and a small desk area.

Courtyard Santiago room

Much like the room, the bathroom was totally utilitarian, if nothing special. I did appreciate that the temperature controls on the shower were located out of the line of fire, to prevent unexpected ice baths or scalding:

Courtyard Santiago shower

And like many hotels outside of the U.S., the toilet was located in its own separate room:

Courtyard Santiago bathroom

So while the 300 square feet of room didn’t leave us much space to spread out, it more than did the trick as a clean place to crash. And with Courtyards, I don’t expect much more.

Courtyard Santiago Las Condes amenities

Fortunately, if you do plan on spending an appreciable amount of time here, there is plenty of space to spread out outside of the guest rooms. The lobby, while under construction at night, is home to a nice-looking (if not particularly happening) restaurant:

Courtyard Santiago restaurant

And offers ample seating areas:

Courtyard Santiago seating

The seating continued onto the outdoor terrace, also located on the 7th floor:

Courtyard Santiago outdoor terrace

And if you don’t like being around people (and enjoy really uncomfortable chairs), you can just sit on the very narrow part of the terrace and avoid all eye contact:

Courtyard Santiago outdoor seating

Meanwhile the fitness center, located on the top floor, offers stellar views to reward anyone who chooses to work out while traveling:

Courtyard Santiago fitness center

(I wasn’t too excited to creep on the pour soul on the treadmill who was probably wondering why I was taking pictures of weight machines, but rest assured that the hotel offers cardio options as well.)

The piece de resistance, however, is the rooftop pool. While not quite as well-lit as the advertisements may indicate, the views were almost enough to convince me to swim laps. Almost.

Courtyard Santiago pool

Now is as good a time as any to remind you that this is a Category 3 property.

Courtyard Santiago pool

And if you’d rather soak up the views without breaking a sweat, you’re also covered:

Courtyard Santiago rooftop seating

Although I’m not quite sure what those weird metal crane-like things are for.

Courtyard Santiago rooftop seating

Rounding out the rooftop area is a game room, complete with foosball and a basketball shooting game:

Courtyard Santiago game room

Side note: if you ever want an easy win at foosball, come find me.

Courtyard Santiago game room

Courtyard Santiago Las Condes location

While I can’t really find flaw with the hotel property itself, particularly given the price point, the neighborhood left something to be desired. Prior reviews had indicated the “great location” as one of the major selling points, and when you’re doing a quick 36-hour city tour, this can often be the deciding factor.

And I guess the area’s outstanding location reviews are due to the…shopping mall nearby? Abundance of green space and business centers? Proximity to the Marriott next door? Seriously – while the neighborhood felt safe and totally manageable, most of the attractions that we wanted to see required a cab ride, or a pretty hefty walk.

We spent most of the day walking around the incredibly popular San Cristobal hill, which is, by many accounts, the top tourist attraction in Santiago. It also happens to be quite the hike from the hotel:

Luckily, I convinced my gazelle husband to take an Uber back when we were done (questionable in Chile, but that’s a conversation for a different post).

Now, I’m sure some of you out there know Santiago far better than I do, so if I missed something here, seriously, let the comments fly. But to me, the neighborhood felt less like I was traveling, and more like I was getting ready for a meeting at a very nice corporate campus in Silicon Valley.

And while that’s not necessarily a bad thing, it doesn’t necessarily scream “vacation.”

By contrast, when we went out later that evening, we ended up using the W hotel as our starting point – less for our love of W hotels, and more for its centralized location in the bustling El Golf neighborhood.

As a Category 5 hotel, I don’t know that it would have been worth dropping double the points for a stay at the W, but with both the Sheraton Santiago and the Four Points Sheraton Santiago located a stones throw away, I would look at those options if I were to return.

Courtyard Santiago Las Condes bottom line

There’s not much to fault with the property itself. With clean, perfectly functional rooms, nice amenities like a rooftop pool, and enough welcome gifts to keep us hydrated (and dehydrated) for the length of our stay, this limited-service Category 3 property doesn’t owe us much.

But with such a short stay, and with so many visitors like us using Santiago as a launching point for destinations like Easter Island, Patagonia, and Valparaiso, I have a hard time advocating staying that far from the main tourist attractions. If I were touring Santiago again, I’d take a long, hard, look at some of the more centrally located properties before returning to this one.

That said, if all I’m looking for is a good night’s sleep and a clean place to shower and get some work done, I would come back in a heartbeat. Especially with beer and chocolate on the line.

Have you stayed in Santiago? What’s your favorite hotel?

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  1. charlie Guest

    i stayed at this Courtyard in 2019. as a "old guy" and a first time customer (and not having elite Marriott status at the time), the hotel comp'd me breakfast for my 4 day stay. the welcome presents were a pleasant gesture as well.

    as said the rooms are modern and clean. the location for me is ideal, as it to me is in a "safer neighborhood", and close to a large mall with plenty of restaurants and shops.

  2. Shane Guest

    I've been to Santiago many times and still prefer the Courtyard over the other options.

    I prefer the area around the Courtyard/Marriott/Renaissance vs the W and uber is fairly easy to use there if I need it. I use it quite often there and outside of a few issues around the airport, almost never have any issues with it.

    The Sheraton and the Cristobal Tower were just OK and not in a great location for...

    I've been to Santiago many times and still prefer the Courtyard over the other options.

    I prefer the area around the Courtyard/Marriott/Renaissance vs the W and uber is fairly easy to use there if I need it. I use it quite often there and outside of a few issues around the airport, almost never have any issues with it.

    The Sheraton and the Cristobal Tower were just OK and not in a great location for walking. The Renaissance was just as nice as the Courtyard, which shows you how nice the Courtyard is, and had useless internet. The Marriott is a poor choice as it's old.

    This courtyard is one of the best out there.

  3. JJJJJJ Guest

    The Santiago metro is very modern and reliable. You should have used that instead of the taxis

  4. eduardo Morales Guest

    nice review (as always) waiting for details on Easter island, planing to go on early december

  5. Ian M Guest

    The Double Tree in Santiago is very good. Great location and gave me a great upgrade as a diamond member. Breakfast was excellent as well.

  6. Ryan Marks Member

    This looks alright, but I LOVED my stay at Hyatt Centric in Las Condes.

    When in Santiago, eat at 040. It's better than Borrago.

  7. PAK Member

    This is a great hotel and the nicest Courtyard Marriott I have visited. The review is thorough and accurate, other than dining - this was my biggest disappointment, as breakfast was mediocre and quite expensive for the area (although elite members get discounts). The location is convenient if visiting Santiago on business and the mall next door is quite nice (except for the incessant construction in the area). It is an easy drive to other...

    This is a great hotel and the nicest Courtyard Marriott I have visited. The review is thorough and accurate, other than dining - this was my biggest disappointment, as breakfast was mediocre and quite expensive for the area (although elite members get discounts). The location is convenient if visiting Santiago on business and the mall next door is quite nice (except for the incessant construction in the area). It is an easy drive to other parts of the city which may have more character, and there is quick access to the highway to/from the airport.

    As others have said, also highly recommend the Renaissance, which is close by (down Avenida Kennedy, across from Mandarin Oriental). It has a hip and modern vibe and nice lounge for breakfast/happy hour.

  8. Charlie Guest

    @glenn t
    The smog in Santiago is at its worst in June, July, and August, the Chilean winter months due to a meteorological phenomenon called temperature inversion. The smog is not nearly as bad the rest of the year. I have always visited in the spring or the fall, and the smog hasn't been bothersome. I won't visit during the Chilean summer (December, January, and February) because it gets quite hot.

  9. glenn t Diamond

    Having overnighted in Santiago last month, transiting between EZE and SYD, this lukewarm review does not make me feel the desire or need to revisit. After crossing the Andes on a brilliant clear day, descending into the pea-soup smog which enveloped the Santiago region I was thinking how unlucky I was to arrive on a bad pollution day. Apparently it is like this almost year round. Santiago has been struck off my bucket list of cities to visit.

  10. Charlie Guest

    I have not enjoyed the American chain-branded hotels in Santiago with the exception of the Ritz Carlton. I've stayed at a number of decent independent hotels, mostly in the area along the dividing line between Providencia and Las Condes. Once you get up into Las Condes, you are in a boring (but very upper class) part of town.

  11. FN Guest

    Well, the Courtyard in Santiago (and all the other hotels in the area) caters to:
    a. Business travelers who need to be near the Nueva Las Condes business district (all those mirrored buildings you can actually see from the hotel).
    b. Our Argentinean and Brazilian neighbors that (economy depending) love shopping in Santiago! Being close to the Parque Arauco and Alto Las Condes shopping center is one of the positives of the hotel

    ...

    Well, the Courtyard in Santiago (and all the other hotels in the area) caters to:
    a. Business travelers who need to be near the Nueva Las Condes business district (all those mirrored buildings you can actually see from the hotel).
    b. Our Argentinean and Brazilian neighbors that (economy depending) love shopping in Santiago! Being close to the Parque Arauco and Alto Las Condes shopping center is one of the positives of the hotel

    Having said that, I suggest staying slightly more central if your objective is to do some tourism. As you point out correctly, El Golf is already much closer to everything.

  12. john Guest

    I stayed at this hotel in May and second your impression of the check-in process. Maybe Courtyard is making a special effort because the last other Courtyard I've stayed at (Costa Rica) in the last few months was refreshingly fun. Guests play a Wheel of Fortune game for a welcome amenity. Check in is often the least enjoyable part of a hotel stay, and Courtyard has found ways to make it fun.

    I think the...

    I stayed at this hotel in May and second your impression of the check-in process. Maybe Courtyard is making a special effort because the last other Courtyard I've stayed at (Costa Rica) in the last few months was refreshingly fun. Guests play a Wheel of Fortune game for a welcome amenity. Check in is often the least enjoyable part of a hotel stay, and Courtyard has found ways to make it fun.

    I think the location is great because of the pleasant neighborhood and nearby mall with all kinds of restaurants. Plus for sightseeing the Courtyard Los Condes is also in a great spot being on the hop-on, hop-off bus line. I chose the Courtyard over the comparably priced Four Points which is a short walk from the Costanera Center in the city center. The Courtyard is a newer, much nicer property.

    The Renaissance Hotel just down the street is another great option in the Los Condes/ Vitacura area. It sometimes costs less than the Courtyard.

  13. Carlos Guest

    Didn’t realize in your prior post that you were going to Torres del Paine in the middle of the winter.. good luck with those hikes, you really are going to need it!!

  14. Andesbrian Guest

    Next time stay at our rental apartment in the heart of downtown Santiago. You’ll be at the center of all the attractions the city has to offer.

    https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/plus/30140104

    As others have mentioned, I think the Courtyard by Marriott location can be excellent under the tight circumstances. You have a world-class park next door, Parque Araucano, as well as lots of great restaurants in the next door complex, Parque Arauco. Some of the city’s best...

    Next time stay at our rental apartment in the heart of downtown Santiago. You’ll be at the center of all the attractions the city has to offer.

    https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/plus/30140104

    As others have mentioned, I think the Courtyard by Marriott location can be excellent under the tight circumstances. You have a world-class park next door, Parque Araucano, as well as lots of great restaurants in the next door complex, Parque Arauco. Some of the city’s best restaurants, like Boragó, are also very close in the Vitacura neighborhood.

    For your limited time in Santiago, I would have suggested the Turistik hop-on-hop-off bus. From Parque Arauco and the Courtyard, it would have been the easiest way to Cerro San Cristobal (though, I question your ranking it as the top tourist site in Santiago), as well as all the other major attractions in the city.

  15. Kory Guest

    I stayed here in December for two nights on my way towards Punta Arenas in the Patagonia. Service was absolutely tremendous, although the one thing I’ve always despised about Santiago (especially arriving around midnight which seems to be frequent) is how expensive it is to get from the airport to the hotels. They have buses during the day but unless I’ve missed it, they don’t run late into the night. The taxi drivers are the...

    I stayed here in December for two nights on my way towards Punta Arenas in the Patagonia. Service was absolutely tremendous, although the one thing I’ve always despised about Santiago (especially arriving around midnight which seems to be frequent) is how expensive it is to get from the airport to the hotels. They have buses during the day but unless I’ve missed it, they don’t run late into the night. The taxi drivers are the absolute worst there compared to what has to be over 200+ airports I’ve been to. I’ve stayed in Santiago several times and the idea it feels like the Silicon Valley (I live there) is absolutely true...I’ve always described Santiago to essentially be a San Jose. In the future, the best bet from a location perspective is to stay near the metro. Clean, efficient, easy to navigate around. I think it was something like a 15-20 min walk from this hotel to the nearest metro station Manquehue so not horrible but not necessarily the most convenient either when carrying luggage. Good review!

  16. manny Guest

    there are plenty of great hotels near many of the the metro (subway) stations, this is the best way to move around Santiago, is clean, fast and safe.

  17. Eric Guest

    Have stayed at W, Four Points, and Sheraton. Liked the W a lot, but thought Four Points was a steal given its low points cost and great location. Didn’t like the Sheraton - poor location that’s across across a highway from anything interesting.

  18. travel4b Gold

    Thanks for the post. We'll be in Santiago in December and booked a couple nights at the nearby Renassaince using points but have been worried about the location as well. The reviews talk up the location but it doesn't seem so good to me either for sightseeing and nightlife. I think we will look into changing. I see they are supposed to open an AC closer to the city center by November. @Chris M, we looked at the Doubletree - good to know it's in a good location.

  19. Mathias Guest

    Great review!

    Was the room originally booked for one person? A bit weird to only set up one wine glass and one bottle of water in the room as the welcome amenity.

  20. WindowBro Guest

    Pretty sure "those weird metal crane-like things" are what the window washers strap their platform into

  21. Chris M Guest

    Ah Austral and Kunstmann, the two best beers in Chile and some of the best in the world with those pristine patagonian waters!

    But yeah location wise this part of Las Condes would be described at "good" by locals as it is safe, upper middle class and close to amenities. But to tourists especially from the West it'd be just another sterile Mall location far from anything local and interesting. Next time I would...

    Ah Austral and Kunstmann, the two best beers in Chile and some of the best in the world with those pristine patagonian waters!

    But yeah location wise this part of Las Condes would be described at "good" by locals as it is safe, upper middle class and close to amenities. But to tourists especially from the West it'd be just another sterile Mall location far from anything local and interesting. Next time I would recommend staying at Vitacura district. Hip place, safe, next to St Cristobal, lots of food and bev options and some good nightclubs. Plus its a relatively quick cab ride to old town, next to Providencia the more bohemian part of town, and "Sanhattan"/El Golf the business district and Costanera Center the tallest building in South America. Doubletree there is a good option, starting at 20k Hilton points, with an executive lounge that offers free drinks ALL DAY with beer wine and liquors...

  22. Fraser Guest

    The cranes are probably for window washing boom

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charlie Guest

i stayed at this Courtyard in 2019. as a "old guy" and a first time customer (and not having elite Marriott status at the time), the hotel comp'd me breakfast for my 4 day stay. the welcome presents were a pleasant gesture as well. as said the rooms are modern and clean. the location for me is ideal, as it to me is in a "safer neighborhood", and close to a large mall with plenty of restaurants and shops.

0
Shane Guest

I've been to Santiago many times and still prefer the Courtyard over the other options. I prefer the area around the Courtyard/Marriott/Renaissance vs the W and uber is fairly easy to use there if I need it. I use it quite often there and outside of a few issues around the airport, almost never have any issues with it. The Sheraton and the Cristobal Tower were just OK and not in a great location for walking. The Renaissance was just as nice as the Courtyard, which shows you how nice the Courtyard is, and had useless internet. The Marriott is a poor choice as it's old. This courtyard is one of the best out there.

0
JJJJJJ Guest

The Santiago metro is very modern and reliable. You should have used that instead of the taxis

0
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