This hotel provides better service than many "upscale" hotels who are supposed to have all the…read more"proper" training.
I have been coming to Santa Fe for more than 35 years, always staying at our family home. When that home was sold two years ago, this became the first time my husband and I needed to find a hotel for one of our visits. Because Santa Fe feels like a second home to us--and because we were returning to celebrate our tenth wedding anniversary--I did a tremendous amount of research before booking.
We chose the Drury Plaza Hotel because we wanted to be within easy walking distance of the historic Plaza while still receiving genuine value. The included breakfast and evening Happy Hour were major deciding factors. Happy Hour includes drinks and enough substantial food that it can easily serve as dinner after a full day of sightseeing, adding meaningful value to the stay.
The location could not have been better. Each morning, I walked to the Plaza before my husband woke up, and we could hear the bells from the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi. We also took several day trips to nearby areas, and the Drury was an ideal home base for everything we wanted to explore. We stayed for 4 nights and 5 days.
The rooftop pool and Jacuzzi were another highlight. We enjoyed beautiful Santa Fe sunsets from the rooftop and returned later to soak in the Jacuzzi and gaze at the stars. Those quiet moments became some of our favorite memories from the trip.
A pro tip for future guests: on the second floor, at the end of the hallway, there is a lovely "secret garden" lawn area with tables and chairs. Relatively few guests seem to know about it, but you can take your Happy Hour food and drinks outside and enjoy a peaceful setting away from the activity of the main hotel spaces. It was an unexpectedly blissful little retreat.
As the former CEO of a destination event-planning business, I also paid attention to the hotel's conference rooms and event facilities. Any company or organization hosting a corporate meeting, retreat, or special event would likely find this property especially appealing. The combination of location, guest amenities, gathering spaces, and walkability makes it a strong option for groups wanting both convenience and an authentic Santa Fe experience.
The hotel itself is lovely, welcoming, and exceptionally well positioned, but here is what other reviews may not fully capture: the staff is everything. They are the true difference-makers.
We were told that employees are hired, in part, because they genuinely enjoy people, and that quality is evident in every interaction. The front desk staff looked up, made eye contact, and greeted us whenever we passed rather than remaining focused solely on their computer screens. The valet team warmly welcomed us each time we returned.
Angela was especially warm and welcoming during Happy Hour. Jo made us feel genuinely special, while Josephine stood out for her calm, gracious leadership and her ability to remember and acknowledge us whenever we returned to the hotel. Marco and Angel were also superstars at the rooftop bar.
The hotel proactively asks whether guests are celebrating anything, and the team actually pays attention to the response. We did not request anything special, yet we received a complimentary suite upgrade for our anniversary, along with a bottle of wine and a card signed by members of the staff. Those thoughtful touches meant a great deal to us.
We also experienced a power outage during our stay, and that unexpected moment revealed just how well prepared the team was. Staff members were positioned at critical points throughout the building, calmly guiding guests, opening doors, and providing assistance. Service culture and training often reveal themselves most clearly when something does not go according to plan, and this team rose beautifully to the occasion.
The Drury Plaza Hotel gave us the location, amenities, value, and atmosphere we were seeking, but the people are what made our anniversary stay truly memorable. After more than three decades of visiting Santa Fe, we are grateful to have found a hotel that now feels like part of our connection to the city.
We will absolutely return.