W is for Wonderful: A Review of the W Santiago
This stay at the W Santiago is a perfect example of why the AmEx $200 Credit FHR is an underrated and valuable perk of the AmEx Platinum. Photo by: Evan Berman
Our first city in South America that we visited was Santiago, Chile. As such, we needed a hotel for 3 nights and we opted for 2 separate hotels. First up was the W Santiago, a Marriott Luxury hotel we booked through AmEx FHR.
The review of the W Santiago is a part of the larger South American Adventure. For more on this trip, follow these links:
Flight: CHS-JFK in Delta Economy
Flight: JFK-SCL in LATAM Economy+
Osaka Santiago, Chile Restaurant Review
W Santiago Hotel (This Article)
Flight: SCL-AEP in Aerolíneas Argentinas Economy
Flight: AEP-FTE in Aerolíneas Argentinas Economy
36 Hours in El Calafate, Argentina
Trekking on Perito Moreno Glacier, Argentine Patagonia
Flight: FTE-USH in Aerolíneas Argentinas Economy
Flight: USH-AEP in Aerolíneas Argentinas Economy
2 Days in Buenos Aires, Argentina
Flight: AEP-SCL in Aerolíneas Argentinas Economy
Flight: SCL-MIA in LATAM Business Class
Hyatt Place Ft. Lauderdale/Plantation
Flight: FLL-CHS in Silver Airways Economy Class
Intro:
It’s not a big secret that Starwood Preferred Group (SPG) Hotels are far superior to Marriott hotels. Though both groups of hotels are united under the Marriott banner, the differences remain evident. W Marriott Hotels are one of the luxury brands of the Marriott (formerly SPG) group.
Booking:
This particular hotel is affiliated with AmEx Fine Hotels + Resorts (FHR). One of the benefits of the AmEx Platinum (review, application– note, I do receive AmEx Points but am not compensated for your use of this link) is a $200 annual credit that can be used at any stay at FHR or The Hotel Collection (THC). Additionally, when you book through FHR, you also receive a $100 credit to be used at the hotel. In this case, the benefit extends to food and beverage or spa services. Free breakfast is included, but the $100 can go a long way towards free lunch, dinner, and/or drinks.
When using a Platinum Card to book this stay, you earn 5x points on the entire booking (points are not clawed back for using the statement credit).
Note that to earn this higher rate, you must select the “Pay Now” option. Paying at the hotel or using points will not earn the 5x on all spend.
While I would not go out of my way to use it, this can prove valuable. Searching 1-night stays (with FHR, there is no minimum stay, for THC, you must spend at least 2 nights), I noticed that the W Santiago and Ritz-Carlton Santiago were both available for roughly $289 a night. As a personal preference, I would choose a W over a Ritz anytime, but in this case, we had the added incentive to book a stay at the W in that the reviews were significantly better across all areas.
As such, I paid $289 with my Platinum card for a “Wonderful” Double Room with a View and was issued a $200 statement credit 3 days later. $89 for a room with 2 double beds, and a beautiful terrace is a stellar deal and that does not even include the free breakfast and $100 credit that can be used on food or drinks!
Cost: $289 ($89 out of pocket, $44.50 per person)
Points Earned: 1,445 AmEx Membership Rewards Points, 6,094 Marriott Bonvoy Points.
Review:
This hotel was located in the Financial District of Las Condes. While the area is very touristy, the upside is that there are many restaurants and bars within walking distance. The hotel itself was very upscale as one would imagine for the price and we enjoyed the benefit of 4pm Late Checkout and the upgraded room.
Value:
As mentioned above, the hotel normally costs $289 for the night. However, with the AmEx $200 statement credit, we paid $89 for this hotel. Considering that the cheapest hotels in the entire city were between $50 and $70 per night, this was a terrific deal. Additionally, I earned 1,445 AmEx Membership Rewards Points and 6,094 Marriott Bonvoy Points.
11/10, Above and Beyond.
View:
There were 2 different views that we enjoyed during our stay: outside our room and on the rooftop. While we were only on the 5th floor of the hotel, we were treated to a lovely secluded terrace outside the room. From the rooftop, you can see the entirety of the city. We had the added benefit of it being springtime in Santiago when we visited and there were lots of flowers in bloom. The views were fantastic!
10/10, Excellent.
Service:
The service was excellent, as one would expect from a luxury hotel of this sort. The front desk attendants spoke fluent English and were happy to provide any and all assistance that we requested.
We had arrived before our room was ready and rather than make us leave, the attendant asked if we would like to have them hold our suitcases and gave us a key to get to the rooftop. This small example shows how the service was top-notch.
10/10, Excellent.
Location:
As usual, my disclaimer applies: this one is highly subjective. Was the location incredible? No, but we could walk to several nearby restaurants. That being said, we certainly had to Uber anywhere downtown.
If you prefer a nature view (as I generally do; in big cities that is rare to find) or need to be in the heart of downtown, you might not like this location. That being said, this hotel is perfect for anyone in Santiago on business.
8/10, Very Nice.
Bathroom:
The bathroom was quite impressive. Inside, there is a room with the toilet, separate from the shower and the rest of the bathroom. The shower is a waterfall design with lots of space and it gives a luxurious feel. As is more common nowadays, rather than provide individual travel-size shampoo and conditioner bottles, there was a large bottle of each in the shower.
9/10, Great.
Furnishings:
The beds were quite comfortable. There were 2 double beds, although the only other furniture inside was a chair by the desk. Outside; however, there was a terrace with a table and two chairs. The furniture itself was not the most memorable, but solid quality.
8/10, Very Nice.
Electronics:
There was a large TV in the room, though I was on vacation and did not feel the need to watch anything.
The Wi-Fi in this hotel was solid. I did not have any video calls, so I am not sure how that would have fared. We had no issues checking email. As is typical with Marriott hotels, after selecting the network, you are prompted to enter your last name and room number. If security concerns are of high importance to you, you can be satisfied with these precautions.
9/10, Great.
Housekeeping:
I usually refuse housekeeping service. Additionally, we only stayed for one night. Therefore, we did not see what housekeeping was in our room. However, as evidenced by the above picture, there were messes outside of many of the rooms on our floor.
6/10, Below Average, though I did not experience the in-room housekeeping.
Food and Drink:
The breakfast was fantastic. We greatly enjoyed the food, a combination of locally-inspired food and standard fare. We did not have the chance to try any other food at the various restaurants in the restaurant.
There were several bars, 2 on the rooftops and 1 on the main floor. The $100 credit was eligible for use at any of these restaurants and bars.
9/10, Great.
Parking:
We had a rented car and needed parking, for a change. The garage was shared with a nearby business but was free of charge for guests of the hotel. The system for this was rather strange: we were told at check-in that the parking would be free; however, upon exiting the garage, the stamped ticket did not activate the sensor and we had to call for the parking attendant. She asked if we were staying in the hotel, we answered yes, and she opened the gate for us to exit.
The price was right, but I would have liked the process to be more straightforward.
9/10, Great.
Overall:
10/10, Excellent. We greatly enjoyed our stay at W Santiago and would return very soon (at least for another 1-night stay booked through FHR). 😉 I would highly recommend this hotel if you are willing to only stay 1 night and have an AmEx Platinum and the $200 hotel credit. That being said, even if you pay the full $289 per night, this hotel would be a nice place to stay for that price.
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