The Royal Sonesta San Juan

Once again I had a great experience with the Sonesta team during my recent training conference in the hotel. Not only the infrastructure of the facility but the performance of its staff is outstanding. Our company has booked multiple training sessions in the hotel meeting rooms. The process is swift from the initial planning and contract through the event it self. Catering Manger Jessica Padilla and Banquet Manager Sarita Cintron ensured my event was a total success. They simply when above & beyond their position to assist my team from the selection of menus, guarantees, meeting logistics and extra ordinary support during the conference.

We had a two night stay here, but when we arrived they informed us the A/C was out and in repair. They offered to cancel without penalty, however at 6:00pm we decided just to stay. Both nights there was no A/C and no additional information or updates provided by the hotel on when it would be resolved. It was quite a let down for an otherwise great hotel. Management did offer an apology and some credit the day after we returned, but it felt too little too late. The positives, the pool and beach were wonderful and its in a great location in Isla Verde with plenty of restaurants walking distance from the hotel. I would come back here again, but hope management does a better job of taking care of its customers in the future.

The Royal Sonesta was a beautiful place to vacation. I first stayed 4 days with girlfriends and then a week with my husband (10 days total for me!). The hotel has the politest staff, all hard workers. The rooms were beautiful. The pool was large and the swim up bar fun! The beach was dreamy! Take a look at the hotels live cam and you'll see how beautiful it is. Special shout outs to: Nester the Concierge who is kind and helpful, Millie who works security and was informative and sweet, and to Jose who was always happy to help on the beach. There were many more beautiful people we didn't get the names of! Visit this wonderful place and you will be so happy you did! 🥰

Pass on this hotel. Our AC went out the last two days completely. WIFI stopped working. I’m not a Karen but it’s overpriced anyhow so you should get what you pay for. No one knew when AC would be fixed. Just a letter up front saying, yep- it’s out. The beach and pool are average (and no way justify the price). It’s 1 pool and 1 hot tub. No chairs since people reserve early. Public beach is busy, smelled and also hard to find umbrella. Ate at three restaurants - Sottivento, Breakfast buffet and Ocean Breeze. Ocean one was good - but the Italian one was terrible and way overpriced. Eat at Meat Market next door for way better food. Breakfast buffet bad, overpriced. Noticed others taking photos of checks because you feel like you need to keep track or “mistakes”will be made. Walk to nearby restaurants instead. We won’t be back and bummed because I really wanted to love Sonesta since we are gold travel pass members.

We stayed at the Royal Sonesta for our wedding, and the ceremony was absolutely amazing. The food, music, and décor were beautiful. It rained just a few hours before the event, but it cleared up in time—almost as if the gods were watching over us. Everything turned out perfect. Our friends and family had a great time and really enjoyed themselves. A special thank-you to our wedding planner, Karen, who helped us bring everything together seamlessly. And Lydiette, our wedding coordinator, made sure the details were handled on the ground. While there were some communication hiccups along the way, she still did a great job and helped ease our nerves on the big day. We were lucky to work with some incredible vendors: • Luis, our DJ, kept the energy up and the party going. • Francisco, our videographer, and Hector, our photographer, captured every magical moment. • Pablo, the officiant, delivered a beautiful ceremony. There were so many amazing moments—memories we’ll treasure forever. However, our experience with the front desk and sales team fell short. As someone who has worked in the hospitality industry for over 20 years, I can tell when a guest experience is genuinely hospitable—and unfortunately, this one felt very transactional. We encountered several billing issues that no one at the front desk could clearly explain. The staff seemed unequipped or perhaps not empowered to resolve issues directly—it was always “you need to speak with a manager,” and each manager kept referring us to someone else. There was a particular issue where my mother-in-law wanted to pay for a few rooms, and that process turned into a complete mess. We originally worked with Lizette, who failed to sort things out. When we followed up on Monday, her only response was that “the problem was solved”—which it clearly wasn’t. I asked for clarification, and she said “her feelings were hurt.” That was a shocking response. She even refused to speak in person, claiming she was in an employees-only area. I couldn’t help but wonder—can’t you meet an unhappy guest in the lobby for a simple conversation? After multiple calls and meetings with supervisors and the catering manager, we eventually got some clarity: the billing had been done incorrectly. The frustrating part was how no one took ownership, and the entire situation lacked transparency. That said, Dixy at the front desk was a true professional and a breath of fresh air. She was the first person who actually listened, showed empathy, and made no excuses. She helped us make sense of everything. Empowering your team to take initiative speaks volumes about your trust in them. Unfortunately, most of the front desk team didn’t seem to have that trust or confidence—and it showed. In the end, our wedding was unforgettable, and we’re grateful for the magical moments we shared with our loved ones. But I wish the experience outside of the ceremony had matched the quality of the event itself.