"Sometimes you stay at a hotel for a week and leave thinking, *"That was nice."* And sometimes you stay for **one night** and immediately start wondering how soon you can come back. Our one-night stay at the **Mandarin Oriental Santiago** in September 2025 was very firmly in the second category. In fact, this is easily one of the best hotels I've stayed at in Latin America. It’s difficult to pick a single highlight. Was it the enormous room? The spectacular mountain views? The fantastic breakfast? Or the genuinely outstanding service? Honestly, it was probably all of the above. A Hotel That Makes an Entrance The hotel has a distinctly modern feel, but it's far from boring or clinical. The architecture and design give it plenty of personality, particularly the spectacular atrium lobby with its huge glass dome. The lighting around the bar area is another standout feature and gives the hotel a sophisticated atmosphere, particularly in the evening. Even though we were only staying one night, the hotel immediately gave us the impression that **these guys know exactly how to do luxury hospitality**. And then there was Florencia. A Special Anniversary Welcome I have to give a huge shout-out to **Florencia Crippa from Guest Relations**. Her communication with me started before we even arrived, and she continued to make an effort throughout our stay. She even came over to say hello personally while we were having breakfast — a small gesture, perhaps, but one that says a lot about how seriously she takes looking after guests. We were also celebrating our **one-year anniversary**, and Florencia arranged a truly wonderful surprise waiting for us in the room. I won't spoil it by describing everything — the photos really do tell the story — but it was incredibly thoughtful and completely unexpected. Florencia, thank you again for making our stay so memorable! This is exactly the kind of personal service that separates a good luxury hotel from a **great** one. Our Room Was HUGE The first thing you'll notice about the room is the **size**. It was enormous. There was even a small set of steps leading down to the separate seating area, giving the room a slightly unusual but very appealing layout. There was plenty of space to relax, and the overall design was modern, comfortable and suitably luxurious. But for me, there were two clear highlights. The first was the incredible anniversary surprise Florencia had arranged. The second was the **view**. From the windows, we had fantastic views towards the mountains surrounding Santiago. There's something particularly special about being in a city and still having such dramatic scenery right outside your window. It was one of those views that makes you stop what you're doing and take another look. Breakfast Worth Getting Up For Breakfast was another highlight. There was an excellent selection, the food was great and — importantly for a hotel review — the service was fantastic. And it was during breakfast that Florencia came over to say hello, which was a lovely way to round off what had already been an excellent stay. It's amazing how much better breakfast tastes when you're sitting there thinking, *"Why am I only staying here for one night?"* Would I Stay Again? Absolutely. In fact, my biggest complaint about the Mandarin Oriental Santiago is that we only stayed for **one night**. For such a short stay, the hotel managed to leave a huge impression. The room was exceptional, the mountain views were beautiful, the architecture was impressive, breakfast was excellent and the service was genuinely outstanding. But what really elevated the experience was the attention to detail — particularly from Florencia and the Guest Relations team. I've stayed in some fantastic hotels during my travels, and I would comfortably put the Mandarin Oriental Santiago **among the best I've experienced in Latin America**. I really hope I get the opportunity to return one day — although next time, I'm going to need more than one night! **Verdict: One night wasn't nearly enough. Spectacular rooms, mountain views, exceptional service and a genuinely memorable anniversary surprise — this is luxury hospitality done properly.**"

"Lovely rooms and great Japanese restaurant. But they have surprisingly rowdy guests. Two experiences: 1. Getting in the elevator to dinner there were was a rowdy group of very loud Americans cursing and being obnoxious. I’m 6’ and live now in the USA and even I found it surprising for such a nice hotel. 2. At 3.30am guests returned to the room next to me. They were shouting in the corridor and then loud in their room. I opened my door and slammed it shut, and they got the hint and were then quiet. I just came from a ski resort with loud Brazilians and slept with ear plugs, so can roll with it. But expected somehow a more upmarket experience for such a nice hotel."

"Exec suite and interconnecting for a family of 5 . Space was great to enjoy and room service excellent. Access to club lounge was also good for mini snacks and drinks. Views were lovely. We had an issue with the air-conditioning not working the first night for the living area ans the kids room causing loud banging noises. This was.fixed the next morning . Staff were aleays helpful."

"We stayed at Mandarin Oriental, Santiago previously and had such an exceptional experience that we chose to return. Having also stayed at several other Mandarin Oriental properties around the world over the past year, we arrived with very high expectations. Unfortunately, this visit fell well short of both our previous stay and the consistently excellent experiences we have had with the brand. There were still many positives. The rooms are beautiful, the views are stunning, and the staff were friendly throughout our stay. The restaurant was once again a highlight. Every meal was absolutely delicious, and we would especially like to thank Valentina and Orlando, along with the room service team, for taking such wonderful care of my dietary requirements. Nothing ever felt like too much trouble, and we were incredibly grateful for their kindness and attention. Unfortunately, the rest of our experience was disappointing. We booked through American Express Fine Hotels + Resorts, and during our previous stay at this property, as well as several other Mandarin Oriental hotels, we had been welcomed with a thoughtful in room gift recognising the partnership and our loyalty, along with a complimentary room upgrade where available. This time there was no welcome amenity, and we were initially allocated what felt like the least desirable Club Room, directly beside the Club Lounge toilets. The room also had an unpleasant odour, which we could not determine whether it was coming from the nearby facilities or elsewhere. To the hotel’s credit, they moved us after we requested another room. However, the replacement room was actually smaller and lacked features that our original booking included, such as a proper desk and workspace. As alternative rooms were clearly available, it left us wondering why we had initially been allocated such an undesirable room. Our biggest disappointment, however, was our spa experience. A week before arrival, we booked a massage through the hotel’s WhatsApp service and received confirmation that everything had been arranged. We planned our day around the confirmed appointment, only to arrive and be told there was no booking because it had supposedly been moved to the following day. We had never requested any change. When we asked what time the appointment had supposedly been moved to, we were told it could be “anytime tomorrow”, which was even more confusing because no specific replacement appointment appeared to have been booked. Despite the therapists appearing to be available, no attempt was made to honour our original appointment or offer an alternative that day. We therefore contacted the hotel through WhatsApp so we could speak with someone who could better understand the situation and assist us. To their credit, the management team responded promptly and apologised. However, they were unable to explain how the booking had been changed, and the only appointments offered the following day were at times that conflicted with our plans. We also raised our disappointment regarding the room allocation, but beyond an apology, no meaningful resolution was offered. What made this particularly disappointing was that we were returning guests who had deliberately chosen Mandarin Oriental again because of our previous experience. We know how exceptional this hotel and brand can be, which made this stay all the more surprising. We remain grateful to the wonderful restaurant team and the many friendly staff members who made parts of our stay enjoyable. However, considering our previous experience at this hotel and our loyalty to the Mandarin Oriental brand, this visit did not deliver the level of service, attention to detail, or guest recognition we have come to expect. Sadly, we are unlikely to choose Mandarin Oriental for our future visits to Santiago and, based on this experience, would no longer recommend it with the same confidence we once did."