Elena de Cobre, Leon, a Member of Design Hotels

We stayed for two midweek nights. It's a nice-looking hotel, but we found only the front desk and security working, with nobody in the restaurant or bar. That's a shame, since the place is lovely. We went out on our first evening, then couldn't get back in after ringing the bell for 15 minutes. The security guard said Oscar, who was on duty, was missing. The bathroom lights also went out and never came back on, which was annoying. It would be good if guests could use more of the hotel than just the rooms.

The location is great, and the rooms are pretty good: comfortable pillow-top mattress and comforter, nice towels and shower, a new-looking high-quality sink and toilet, a safe, and dark wood storage cubbies. The bottom sheets didn't fit well, and a few parts of the room were rough around the edges, though nothing was badly damaged. The rest of the place felt practically closed. The lobby and restaurant area was dark, the bar was shut, and nobody would serve even a drink or snack in the common area. The rooftop had two swings and some seats, but nothing happening and no drinks available there either. The photos of the patio pool and twin soaking tubs only apply to the rooms that rent those spaces. The main pool looks good in photos, but with no loungers and just a few awkwardly placed wooden chairs, it's hard to enjoy. There are basically no services. Breakfast is available only if it's included in your room rate, and the staff didn't seem helpful or sure what was going on. For what looks like a cool, historic, unusual property, the price seemed reasonable, but there wasn't much to go with it. The online photos make this place look great, so be prepared to be disappointed when you arrive.

The room was what we expected: two beds, clean sheets, comfortable mattresses, nice linen, and good shower pressure. One heads-up, the hairdryer won't be useful if your hair is longer than two inches. We chose the hotel through the Marriott Bonvoy app because it was part of the Hotel Design group, and trusted the Marriott connection without reading reviews. We enjoyed our stay, but this is closer to an upscale bed and breakfast than a full hotel, since there's no restaurant on site. Our room package included breakfast, which was excellent. There was no menu; we were asked what we wanted and could choose from fruit, yogurt, toasted frozen waffles, eggs, chilaquiles, juices, and coffee. We went with fruit, yogurt, and waffles. The coffee was strong and delicious. The people made the place special. Rosalia and Karla at reception shared useful local information and were very helpful. Mario told us about his favorite restaurants and offered to bring chairs to the rooftop if we wanted to watch the sunset. The breakfast staff were fantastic and took good care of us. Although the bar wasn't staffed, the front desk clerks handled drink requests too. We only asked Karla for glasses of ice to take to our room, and she brought them with a smile. A little background helps explain the service setup. The property used to be called Hotel Emiliano. It opened around 2017 as a high-end hotel with a high-end restaurant. A lobby book has before-and-after photos from its construction. At opening, a night reportedly started at $4,200 pesos. The current price is less than half that. It's two and a half blocks from the city center, or centro historico jardin. An Uber to Zona Piel costs $60.00 pesos.

The food came quickly and was phenomenal, and housekeeping kept the room thoroughly clean and everything organized. The room itself was beautiful, well laid out, and had nice amenities. My wife and I came to León for a wedding, but now we want to return just to spend more time at Elena De Cobre. The staff were the best I've experienced in more than 20 years with Marriott as a lifetime Titanium member. They were so attentive and responsive. Thank you all!