Currently staying at the hotel and wanted to make an objective review. The rooms are very nice, if a bit sober and some details in need of repair. The concierge service in the house, led by Gustavo and Consuelo were first class. As a result of the remodel the hotel is undergoing we were advised in advance, when making reservations, that the pool house (Casa Limon) would be closed during our stay but that we would be able to use a pool at a nearby golf club. So far so good.

Upon arriving at the hotel we were greeted to " your room is not ready yet" although after meeting the front desk associate a minute later a room was made available immediately. To our disappointment, the room assigned did not have a terrace. I called the front desk to request one with a terrace and was told that the next day one would be available. Minutes later Gustavo called the front desk and showed us two rooms that were available, one of them with a terrace. We agreed on one and left for lunch. Our belongings were promptly moved to our new room with a beautiful view.

The next day, an unusually rainy day in San Miguel (according to the locals), we felt like breakfast in bed. We called room service but were told that since the restaurant was not close by, we would only be able to order cold items. A inherent lack of planning was evident. In addition, Giselle at the front desk mentioned that we should have received a letter indicating this fact. Given I never received such notice (at reservation time or otherwise) I insisted that they accomodate my request. Giselle spoke to her manager and quickly called back to take my order. Breakfast arrived promptly with Gustavo's apologies for the incident. This set an unpleasant tone for the start of the day.

I asked to speak with the Manager, Mark Rodriguez, but have not heard from him yet. Below is a summary of what my letter to Orient Express will mention.

Front Desk:

DAY Service at the front desk and communication with guests is not up to the Orient Express Hotels standard. No greeting when entering the small "make do" front desk. Dali is the exception to this who was pleasant and offered another guest and me some refreshments. The other young clerks appeared as though they were having coffee and chatting at a gathering instead of being welcoming to guests.

Service in the house: EXCELLENT. Gustavo and Consuelo are superb and make every effort to make guests welcome. Unsolicited coffee and juice at our room prior to breakfast was another nice touch in the mornings.

Another service desk clerk that deserves mention is Octavio. He went out of his way and in an unsolicited manner called the restaurants I had mentioned as possibilties for dinner to insure they were open to make reservations. This is the expectation and previous experience at other Orient Express Hotels.

Management needs to act accordingly and offer full disclosure, and manage expectations while the remodeling of the hotel occurs. Training is lacking on younger clerks and I suspect, or want to believe that the transition from previous ownership is not yet complete. Four Seasons is entering the market and there are plenty of boutique hotels, such as Oasis that are and will be giving this hotel a run for their money (visited and will try on my next visit to San Miguel).

I hope that management takes notice on the small details which can make or break an experience for a guest and are described above.

Alex Mirkin

We organized our 2006 sales meeting in this hotel last November. Our experience was beyond expectations. What a fabulous cuisine! The service is amazing and the new rooms are spectacular, with Mexican colonial sense in combination with the unique touch of Orient-Express.

The room in which we held our meetings is very good also. I strongly recommend this hotel for any occasion.

As well as the Hotel, San Miguel de Allende is one of the most wonderful places in Mexico.

Congratulations Casa de Sierra Nevada!

Jorge Sales
General Manager of Sales Internacional
Mexico City

We have just returned from a week at Casa Sierra Nevada in San Miguel de Allende. The property has been purchased by Eastern and Oriental Express and we would have awarded 'Excellent' if it wasn't for the fact that some renovation work is underway.

What made a huge difference to our stay was the service we received. Hannah Maldonado is the consumate front desk manager who was willing to take my wife on shopping expeditons on an ad hoc basis. Her professionalism is of the highest order. Dali guided us round the town of Guanajuato which would have been impossible with a rental car. Gustavo brought fresh orange juice and coffee and looked after our house. He made a special effort to make us comfortabe, setting out candles on the roof patio. The views of the illuminated churches are stunning.

The hotel's Garden restaurant is situated next to a park and food and service are what you would expect from E&O.

We will be back next February when I expect the hotel to have completed its upgrade construction.

Michael Paxton

We were in town for a friend's wedding, and followed their recommendation to stay here. When I made the reservation, the hotel was part of the Quinta Real group. When we arrived, it was no longer a part of that chain. Consequently, our reservation was lost. They were accomodating enough to put us up in their satellite property for one night, then transfer us to the main hotel for the remainder of the trip. Overall our experience here was pleasant enough, and the rooms were beautiful, but I thought the bathrooms could have been better for the price.