Sitio El Tropicano

Housekeeping never came during our stay. We had to call for clean towels, trash pickup, and toilet paper, which I've never had to do before. I saw a woman cleaning rooms down the hall, so I don't know if we'd done something wrong. That was really frustrating. The bathroom smelled bad, and the staff weren't friendly. When we complained, they came off almost sarcastic. I was assigned a different room location from the one I'd reserved online. I was supposed to be near the pool, but got a downtown view instead. I actually liked the view better, so I didn't mind, but they should have told me about the change. Parking is $20 a day. This was my first and last stay at this hotel.

The room never felt properly clean while I was there, so housekeeping could use more attention. The person at the Express Cafe shop in the lobby was on her phone while I tried to buy something and seemed unhappy to be working, which changed the feel of the hotel for me. On the other hand, the front desk staff were great. Quentin (?) was especially pleasant at check-in. The hotel is good, but better room cleaning would help a lot.

We’ve stayed here many times for different reasons and are always pleased, even though the hotel is older and dated. We were lucky to get a room for our last-minute visit, July 27-29, 2018. The place was busy but clean, and we never heard other guests. Everyone was courteous and helpful, especially evening Manager Michael, who went out of his way to make our stay lovely. Our room was small but comfortable, and housekeeping did a good job. Staff took care of everything we asked for. The breakfast buffet was very good, with attentive wait staff, and the bar drinks were reasonably priced. The Tiki Punch was fabulous. We’ll be back soon.

San Antonio’s first Riverwalk hotel opened in 1962, and this chic mid-century modern property once hosted many dignitaries and other notable guests. It’s currently being renovated to restore its former grandeur.