Siempre Viajando

If you want central, try the Singular Santiago.

Eastbay1K

It looks nice, albeit a bit dear for when I just need a clean, safe, convenient room.

RustyC

I stayed at the Novapark back in May with good results. Very modernish, and only a block south of O'Higgins Blvd, between the Santa Lucia and U. de Chile stations.

needtoescape

Hi, everyone. I have read this thread and other information (here and on TripAdvisor) about some hotels and wanted to get some recommendations for my situation. I am a solo, female traveler planning a first trip (2 or 3 nights) to Santiago for leisure. My criteria include:

1) A US based international hotel chain with a loyalty program in which I participate. I would pay cash or use points depending on prices. I don't want or need the most luxurious/expensive hotels, but I do not want the most basic properties either. The most important things are having clean, relatively modern, functional rooms and having front desk/concierge staff who speak English well.

2) A location that is safe, with at least a few restaurants and public transportation in walking distance. I would like to be able to walk in the neighborhood or back from the metro during the day and after dinner. I won't be out late and do not care about nightlife options in the area.

These criteria seemed to suggest the Las Condes or Providencia areas. I looked at the Intercontinental, Sheraton, Four Points by Sheraton, and Doubletree by Hilton the most closely, since these hotels seemed to broadly fit my criteria. Ritz Carlton, San Cristol, W, etc. are too expensive. Other chains (Hyatt, Radisson) did not have properties in the locations I wanted. Of the hotels I am considering, surprisingly, I am leaning towards the Doubletree, but I did not see it discussed much here and would like to get any thoughts on it versus the other options for my criteria. Doubletree has the best reviews on Tripadvisor and seems to be a pretty good option for the things I want. The issues I had with the other hotels were:

- IC: There are some pretty bad reviews; seems to be a lot of variability in room quality
- Four Points: I can't remember the last time I stayed at a Four Points property and have a general impression that they are lower quality. Within SPG, I usually stay at Sheraton, Westin, LeMeridien, and occasionally Aloft (airport hotels).
- Sheraton: Location not as convenient for walking to restaurants and/or public transportation.

Any thoughts about the Doubletree versus other options?

Thanks!

AlienInTheFatherland

Stayed there for three nights a couple of years ago. Great location, good rooms, excellent restaurant and very attentive staff. Possibly my wife's review was one of those you read on tripadvisor!

Eastbay1K

Note that if you pay cash (as opposed to a non-Chile-issued Credit Card) you will be subject to 19% (?) VAT. The hotel will photocopy your passport and entrance receipt. That, along with your CC payment, exempts you from the tax.

needtoescape

Thanks for the recommendation!

I didn't literally mean "cash" (currency) since I always use my points earning US issued credit cards for everything I can, but I was a little confused about how the hotel VAT worked in Chile. The hotel websites show the VAT, but I have read that international visitors to Chile (with some conditions) are not subject to the VAT. If I pay using a US issued credit card at any hotel in Chile, does that mean I don't have to pay the VAT? Do I have to specifically ask them to process the charge in USD (which I normally would not do when traveling internationally), or is this done automatically (prices in Chile are quoted on the hotel websites in USD without changing currency)? Thanks!

AlienInTheFatherland

What we had two years ago was a little chit stapled onto our passsports and when those were presented, we were exempted from the tax at hotels. Similar to a lot of countries in South America. Whether you pay with a CC or in cash is irrelevant.

Enjoy the trip. SCL is great!

Eastbay1K

(1) I've been to Chile no less than 30 times, and my limited experience is that you cannot pay in local currency and receive the IVA exemption ... or at least most hotels won't permit it, no matter where you're from.

(2) I like the Four Points location. It is very convenient to lots of things, including the Metro. It is perfectly acceptable, clean and safe, and in reasonably good condition. The neighborhood also isn't as precious as where the W, Intercontinental, etc. is, although it isn't that far. It is also a very short walk to one of my mandatory eats on trips there, a Lomito (or Gran Lomito if super hungry) at Lomit's on Av. Providencia. If you're alone, it is a good place to eat because they have a counter to sit at inside. If you are unfamiliar with the quantities of mayonnaise that Chilenos use, order your food w/o the mayo unless you're sure you really really love your mayo.

Viajero Perpetuo

Rule is a tourist with less than 59 days in the country can take advantage of the exemption if the lodging establishment is registered by the tax authority to offer it and the tourist pays in cash USD or foreign credit card (note that the charge does not have to be in US dollars which you want to avoid anyways becasue of the DCC scam). So this means that usually smaller establishments like residenciales, hostels, B&Bs, etc.may not be registered to offer it and thus cannot offer it and that even if registered to offer it don't have to offer it. Also be vigilant at what exchange rate the hotel uses when paying in USD cash.

geosch

We'll be staying in Santiago for four days. It appears that there are numerous reasonably priced downtown hotels, so I'm wondering if anyone could make a recommendation (or, if necessary, a warning)?

Eastbay1K

When you say "downtown," note that much of the lodging (at least well-known chains) is Providencia / Las Condes / Vitacura, which is not downtown. The city center doesn't have nearly as much.

geosch

I haven't been to Santiago so far, but I'd be curious to hear recommendations in which districts to stay.

RustyC

I liked the Novapark, which really is a block or two from downtown. Seems like it might have been transplanted from Switzerland and plopped into that location. I'll always stay either in Paris-Londres or surrounds or Barrio Lastarria, both of which have a lot more character than the gringo-oriented Sanhattan. OTOH I'm usually lower-budget and not burdened by unredeemed hotel-program points, and also have a bit of functional Spanish. The metro is also great for most transportation needs.

GeauxTigersGeaux

The Sheraton is off limits for most gringos during the summer months. Unless you enjoy your room hitting 29C by 10 AM with the A/C set at 16C. After maintenance came, my room only got to 30.5C today (A/C on blast) which is better than the 32C it was when I walked in last week.

The positive is that you can get dressed for work in the morning before your room heats up (depending on which side you face), but I literally acted like a dog and laid on the tile in the entry to cool off this afternoon. Pool is very nice, but you really can't stay in your room for hours at a time and have to work from the lounge, lobby or elsewhere to avoid the heat. (I'm from Houston, btw.)

The windows are clearly the problem, and need either replacement or *HEAVY* levels of tint applied.

The location is better than the Marriott, but the closest convenience store is about .4 miles away. It's convenient for exploring (can walk to a number of bars within about 15m), but not convenient for grabbing a big bottle of water. You have to cross a 2 lane road, a 2 lane road, a four? lane road, and an eight lane road to get to the "center" of town. It's not bad, and not unsafe even at 0400 from my perspective. There just isn't anyone around after business hours.

Great views from the pool side of the hotel, and Uber is cheap. Service is all over the map (get ignored at the *bar* for 10-15 minutes, but the lady in the lounge asks me if I'm ok about every four minutes, etc.) This carries over to housekeeping (I selected Green Choice every day, but had towels replaced, room cleaned, etc, and still got my green choice coupon). The lounge is serviced about every two hours outside of meal times, but is only stocked with 3 cokes, 3 diet cokes, and about six bottles of water in between servicings. The only food outside of meal times is a bowl of fruit and 8 lime granola bars.