My wife and I stayed at Palacio Provincial two weekends ago. While the hotel itself is lovely, we had an unfortunate experience with management that left us deeply dissatisfied.
Before check-in, my wife and I were in Old San Juan for our maternity photo shoot. She is 8 months pregnant, and during the shoot, she urgently needed to use the restroom. As we passed by the hotel, our photographer kindly asked if my wife could use the facilities. Unfortunately, the manager on duty, Andrea Figuerosa, refused without offering any explanation or asking if we were guests. When my wife personally explained her condition, Andrea's response remained the same--no empathy, no courtesy, and no alternative offered. The interaction felt unnecessarily cold and dismissive.
Later that day, after we checked in (we were paying $400 for our stay), we approached Andrea again to clarify the earlier encounter. She claimed that there was a restroom policy and that we could have purchased a bottle of water to gain access. However, this option was never communicated to us at the time. If she had offered such a simple solution, we would have gladly complied. What bothered us most wasn't the policy itself but the total lack of compassion and hospitality in how it was handled.
As compensation for this poor treatment, we were given a late checkout (a standard courtesy at most hotels). Additionally, a kind woman who oversees the restaurant sent us a complimentary dessert and an apology, which we appreciated, but it didn't change how we felt about the initial negative interaction.
Ultimately, the experience left such a negative impression that we decided to not extend our stay and enjoy the remaining of our stay at Hotel Rumbao-Marriott. The difference in service was astonishing--upon arrival, we were greeted with kindness and respect. Marriott even went out of their way to give us dining credits and a free drink voucher, without us asking for anything.
After our stay, we emailed Hilton, and they put us in touch with another manager, Henry Neumann. Unfortunately, his response was just as generic as the initial apology, with no real effort to address or rectify the situation. A quick look through other reviews reveals that this is a recurring issue with Palacio Provincial--management seems to routinely offer a simple "sorry" without making any meaningful efforts to improve the guest experience.
If you're considering a stay in Old San Juan, I strongly recommend Hotel Rumbao-Marriott over Palacio Provincial. The difference in customer service and attention to detail was like night and day.
Below is my response to the Manager's Misleading Reply under my google review:
I was disappointed but not surprised to see the General Manager's response misrepresenting the facts of our stay.
To clarify:
1. We were in Old San Juan for a maternity photo shoot before checking in, not planning to take pictures in the hotel. The beauty of San Juan speaks for itself, and we had no interest in using a hotel as a backdrop.
2. Our reservation at the hotel was made after the initial encounter with Andrea. We were hopeful for a better experience moving forward, and while other staff were pleasant, the management's disregard is what left a sour taste.
3. We did not seek any form of compensation or favors. Your claim that we requested this is simply untrue. Compensation was never asked for, nor would it ever be wanted from your establishment.
All in all, My wife is pregnant, and the issue was as simple as needing to use the restroom. It's saddening that the manager felt the need to lie when he knows that the steps to communicate their policy was not delivered. There's no need to lie about such a simple issue. It is my right to post a review of our stay, and the fact that the manager has to be dishonest about the events only speaks to the type of establishment being run. Guests deserve honesty, respect, and a higher level of service, especially at such a high price point. I stand by my review and hope that future guests are treated with more care. read more