St.Regis Mexico City = Good Hotel but Short of Greatness
Introduction I stayed at St.Regis Mexico City and found the hotel to be decent although not my favorite St.Regis. I would not call the hotel ‘aging’ yet but it will get there at some point and I was not wowed by the hardware. Regarding service it was generally good but there were also some hiccups, so all in all I can recommend StR and I would consider returning but for the price tag I am not sure it’s the best deal in the city. Room I booked the entry level room and was upgraded as Ambassador Elite to the Executive Suite which is the standard suite at this hotel. It was a formal suite with the living room completely separated from the bedroom but overall not very spacious at 60 sqm, it was particularly the bedroom which felt cramped. Another issue was that the room was a bit boring and many walls were blank, it was somewhat missing a Mexican flavor to the room. For older hotels I usually dislike carpet but at StR the carpet was thick and fluffy and I did not notice any stains. The bathroom was also still in decent condition and I liked the shower which also served as a steam room, plus there was a TV in the bathroom mirror. Most recent modern hotels have power plugs on each side of the bed but that was one sign of StR’s age, power was not easily accessible and generally power outlets not plentiful elsewhere in the room. Thankfully the bed was very comfortable and clearly StR quality, and air conditioning worked well. The view was nothing special especially since my room was not on a high floor. I believe other hotels have far superior views in Mexico City. Dining Breakfast timing was a generous 7am-11:30am and was served in the restaurant which had some seating indoors and some in an area which was semi-outdoors as it looked a bit like a greenhouse but with windows open to get the cool morning breeze; for the venue I found it was great. Breakfast was entirely a la carte without any buffet, and I found the menu to be quite varied and extensive, and my dishes were all excellent. Service Service during my stay was quite good with staff addressing me by name but there were also some miscues and room for improvement. First of all, the welcome amenity was a glass of champagne and some chocolates which I enjoyed and they also gave me a N95 mask which is a good idea because most hotels only give generic surgical masks. Also I had made them aware that my suitcase was delayed and might arrive during the night. It was a great gesture to bring me extra amenities for the first night. There were a couple of service lapses during my stay however, first during the first breakfast, several minutes after I made my order they told me their equipment broke and that I could not have a hot dish and they asked me to choose something else. As far as I know they do not have only one restaurant in the hotel so I am not sure they handled it very well and they could have offered me some alternatives, anyway I said I preferred to wait rather than eat only cold dishes and after perhaps 20 minutes they brought the dish I had originally ordered. Also one day I had to ask three times for a refill of water in the room because they failed to bring anything the first two times I asked. W Wifi Wifi worked well with speed of 15 Mbps. Overall In the balance of things it was a good stay and I appreciated the suite upgrade but it was not the most wonderful StR suite and considering that room rates at StR are quite high during week days (weekends are cheaper), next time I will be open to return to StR but I will also explore alternatives.