The Fairmount Hotel, San Antonio

this hotel would have gotten a full 4-5 stars for me, but when i booked the room they stated that the valet parking was free for bookings in the presidential suite (which i booked in part to take advantage of that amenity). when we were checking out, they refused to honor what the staff had said and i ended up being charged $84 extra for valet. it's really a shame when businesses refuse to honor these kinds of statements, implying that the customer fabricated it somehow. it ruined an otherwise wonderful trip.

I stayed at this hotel with numerous family members celebrating an anniversary. We reserved four rooms, three prepaid through a discount internet service and one, purchased at full price, through the hotel. When we arrived, all four rooms contained one bed. We explained to the staff that we needed at least two rooms with two beds to accommodate a child and a mentally challenged adult who would share rooms occupied by adult couples. The staff insisted on charging an extra $30 per night for one of the two-bed rooms. The other two-bed room was the one reserved at full price through the hotel. The staff was unwilling to change the one room without the extra charge despite having numerous unoccupied rooms. The only overnight parking available was valet at $21 per night. With three cars and the extra charge for the two-bed room, I spent an extra $186 on a two-night stay. My wife and I stayed in a room with a single full-sized bed and curtains that could not be opened because they had partially fallen off the rod. The faucet handle on the bathroom sink leaked and sent water wandering across the countertop every time the water was turned on. This required clearing the counter top of toiletries every time one wished to wash hands. The fixtures in the shower, along with the shower door, were badly corroded. With the exception of the room charge, the staff was friendly and worked hard to accommodate us. The valets were top notch and had great personality. The hotel was a decent property at a discounted price. However, after being nickled and dimed to death, I don't feel that it was such a bargain.

Pulling up to the hotel we noticed the character and charm of the hotel . . . you really can say that The Fairmount Hotel is “The Jewel of San Antonio”, it sticks out as being so unique compared to the other hotels downtown. This was our first family vacation with our 14 month old son, so our van was loaded down with everything but the kitchen sink. We expected a bit of annoyance from the staff because we had so much travel gear, but Nathan was there to help us get everything out of the van and into the room without hesitation. I have to say that we may have required a little more attention than normal because we had a toddler with us – when we needed more towels the staff had them to our room in a moments notice and every morning and evening when we wanted to give our son his milk my husband would go down to the hotel restaurant and they gave him all the milk we needed and didn’t even charge us! We stayed in a Veranda Suite that overlooks the courtyard on one side, and Hemisfair Park on the other (windows on both sides – big room). When we entered our room we felt as though we were entering a Victorian mansion that someone let us stay in for a few days. We walked into a sitting room that was decorated with the most beautiful antique furniture, then the large bedroom with two queen beds was connected with a long hallway (a luxurious bathroom is located off of the hallway). The room was huge and there was plenty of room for our van load of stuff. We were even able to set up our son’s travel play yard in the room so he could occupy himself with one of his favorite things. Luke the Labrador, The Fairmount’s Pet relations Director is as cute as he can be – my son loved him and Luke even let us take several pictures of him and my son with out any problems. He’s a big friendly ham of a mutt. I can’t say enough great things about the Fairmount Hotel - the staff was super friendly and prompt with any of our requests. The hotel location was excellent, across the street from trolley service to everything in town, and just a short walk from all the things we wanted to do, like the Riverwalk, La Vallita and, of course, The Alamo. We loved the room – it was both spacious and luxurious with Victorian-style furnishings and modern amenities. They pointed out that each of the rooms is decorated differently, when we go back we look forward to trying other rooms. What a wonderful first family vacation experience!

I loved this hotel. We received stellar service and for a great price compared to other hotels in the San Antonio Convention Center area. The rooms were just beautiful, and antique furniture everywhere. We had a nice balcony room, and since we are smokers, we were able to step out onto the balcony and smoke, and watch the SA nightlife. The people who worked there were very nice and helpful. Valet parking worked perfectly, and my car was right behind the hotel when I needed something out of it.

Restaurant was closed for "special functions". No breakfast, nothing. Nearest coffee is 3 blocks away. Outrageous charge for parking, valet only. This is a joke in San Antonio. Service was lousy.

My wife had booked the hotel for a conference about four months ahead of time. We never received a written confirmation so she called in about a week ahead of the conference to confirm. She was told that the hotel has the reservation but cannot honor the price because it was not booked directly through the confernce booking agency. Needless to say that to such requirment was mentioned when originally booking. The further told us for them to honor the reservation we had to agree to a much higher price. When I later called myself, I simply gave my reservation number to the front desk clerk, he checked and confirmed that I was booked at the lower price. "Sir, that is exactly how it is in the computer, you do not need to worry!" he said. About five minutes later the hotel manager calls my wife back and leaves a meassge on the answering machine that the front desk persons information is to be disregarded and if we want the room we need to pay the higher rate. I called back and the front desk person said he did not confirm the reservation "just the number and name" . When I called back later I pressed the clerk whether he would be willing to lie under oth and he said " I just tell you what i am told to say". After the fact i started reading online reviews and know know I am not the only victim.

I reserved a room in November 2005 for June 2006. I specifically asked for two beds as there were four of us for a convention (two adults, two big kids) I got a call today, one week before the convention that they only have a room with one bed available. It took them six months to call to tell me, leaving me in the lurch for a long planned trip that is six days from now. I was "lucky" after searching for hours today to finally find another hotel, far away for twice the price. The Fairmont did not even care. Now I will be paying an extra $600 that I did not budget for.

We had made reservations through Expedia two months ahead of time with our credit card being charged in full. After 22 hours of traveling, we arrive to find out that we have no room. The desk clerk said that expedia had cancelled our reservation although expedia showed no record of it. I had emailed the hotel directly four days earlier to inform them of late arrival, but did not receive an answer. The manager blamed the lack of email response on technical difficulties and our lack of room on expedia. It seems that they are adept at blaming others, but not adept at all at providing good service.

The pictures are deceiving. it is not centrally located at all. I have to walk the distance to get to my conference. Room spacious and nice but not much more. The staff is ok for what is worth. If you are looking for a hotel where you won't see a soul then be my guest and stay there. If you are going for what you see in the internet however, you be dissapointed. No parking except for valet parking. There is too much bells and whistles about this hotel that is simply not true. Don't expect food service at this hotel. The restaurant was always closed. We had to go to other hotels to eat breakfast. that is how pathetic this place is.

This hotel was outstanding. I have stayed there twice, and from the moment you pull into the driveway you are treated like a king. I would recomend this hotel with its beautiful rooms, amazing staff, and prime location to anybody.