This place was absolutely beautiful. The restaurant was amazing, I love the view of the canyon over a nice dinner. I went during Christmas time, the steak here is to die for. The pricing was not bad during the time I went but it sure was cold, I’m from Mississippi and the 0f felt more like -30f to me. Overall, my stay was great, the room was cozy, the night sky is AMAZING. This is one of the top viewing places in the USA for stargazing so definitely do that while you are here! The deer will always greet you if you’re lucky.

Great experience. Stayed at the hotel for 2 nights. Had partial view of the canyon from the room. Room size was a bit small, but it was very cozy. The decorations for Christmas were pretty good and set the holiday mood. The restaurant had good food for both breakfast and dinner. Will definitely want to stay again

The greatest preservation park in the US and using plastic forks/knives. Plastic cups. Paper plates. Nothing that is reusable anywhere to be seen except for a seat and table. That's in every single establishment I visited for a meal three separate times. To boot, I'm in what should be a classy place with solid meal choices and I am being served with all of that to eat/drink from. Disgusted is all I can say. The park's quality of restaurant utensils translates directly to the quality of their staff. I had just asked my girlfriend to marry me and she had said yes. I was so excited for a nice place to go and it felt like nothing short of a funeral home in your establishment. I decided to close out after realizing that this is what I was about to be put through. Spent $60 on two drinks and a glass of champagne. Left the place and went outside of the park and had an amazing experience at Plaza Bonita for some Mexican food. The Grand Canyon needs to figure out what is going on. 10 min away there was no issue with glassware, meta forks, or glass plates. All of which are environmentally friendly. Love the Grand Canyon. Grossly disappointed in their management. Not to mention their impossibly inconvenient roads.

I must say up front we did not stay here since the rooms range from 300 to $900. However we do it did go through it and it's very large and clean and there's a lot to see and do here. Staff is very nice and efficient. They have two full size gift shops and many amenities that we were unable to use. However the dining room, which is also huge, is open to the public and we did eat there. Surprisingly, their prices were about average for a restaurant. We would definitely eat there again! And if we ever hit the lottery, will probably stay there too!

I had an amazing experience at this hotel. It is true that it is an old hotel, but that is precisely where the fun lies. This is a historical hotel that transports you to 1905. The room was very clean and the bed was comfortable. The bathroom was spacious and clean. The AC worked very well. (I went in August so it's very important). The staff is fantastic. The restaurant exceeded my expectations, excellent food. The chef did an excellent job. But the best and what no hotel can beat is the beautiful view and how close it is to the Grand Canyon. Simply spectacular. Ah, it doesn't end here, at night you can see the stars like you've never seen them before. What more can you ask? If you want to live an unforgettable experience in the Grand Canyon, do not hesitate to stay at this hotel so you can enjoy a beautiful sunset and a magnificent sunrise. By the way, the French toast with brie and fig and the cream brulee that the chef makes there from scratch is to die for.

Although this hotel has appeal as an old building, that is also the biggest drawback. The walls are paper thin, so even with earplugs, you still hear EVERYTHING in and around your room. After we checked in the late afternoon and made our way to our room, we noticed a room service tray on the floor a few rooms up from ours with uneaten food on it, and it was still there late into the next afternoon. My eye mask fell behind the nightstand and I found a receipt and cracker on the floor behind the nightstand, I threw away the receipt, but I'll bet the cracker is still there. Also, for the price of this hotel (over $350 a night off-season), we expect decent linens and towels, but the bath towels here were as rough as sandpaper and barely big enough to wrap around any adult body. The room service options are extremely limited so we ate in the restaurant and the food was okay for dinner, but the next morning, we had the worst breakfast we have ever had. Our great server came to us three times to apologize for the wait, and said the eggs for our eggs benedict were the problem, but, the potatoes were swimming in oil, and the pancakes were a soggy, mushy, inedible mess, the restaurant took over an hour to deliver this awful "food". My husband joked that maybe the cook called in sick and the dishwasher had to take over. The next night they had a fire in the kitchen and we were not surprised. Thankfully, we had checked out and stayed at the Maswick Lodge for our remaining night at almost $100 a night less, with nice, quiet rooms, softer, full-length bath towels, and meal options that better fit our activities. Parking is also a major issue here as non-hotel guests are permitted to take up much of the limited parking.

It was well worth the price just to stay inside the park right beside the rim of the canyon where you can walk out the back door and it's there. You can sit on the porch and enjoy the great view. The bed was okay pillows were good and the shower was fantastic that morning. The water for the whole facility comes from the north side of the canyon Viva pipe to the south side of the canyon is all spring water. So plan ahead save up your money and pay the extra to stay inside the park. The restaurant's fantastic food was terrific, some of the serving staff had been there over 35 years that tells you something. He was neat sitting in the lobby just listened to some conversations the one that stands out in my mind was when someone asked "since it's so hazy with the sunset this afternoon".

It was good due to location to the canyon. You can’t beat that. The onsite restaurant was very good. It’s nice to go out in the morning and in the evening when the canyon rim does not have many people there. Do not expect your room to be available early or by three or 4 o’clock. I was not able to get into my room till 5:30 and I had a 6 PM reservation for dinner. Made for a quick shower and dash to dinner. With high prices comes high expectations. You are paying for the proximity to the canyon and there are two other hotels that might be a better choice because you can still eat in the El Tovar restaurants. I stayed September 27, 2022.

We stayed for 3 nights in the "Fred Harvey" suite. Whatever the El Tovar was, it isn't anymore. Despite boasting of "exceptional service" on the card in the room the only reason to stay here is location. The hotel is extremely worn and needs to be refurbished. The AC units in the room were extremely loud, so much so that you must blast the volume on the TV to hear it (forget about talking with someone not next to you). There is no daily housekeeping (we had to make the beds, procure more towels and toilet paper, and empty our trash). Most of the hotel staff was indifferent, except for Beau who was extremely kind and helpful. We had 2 meals in the restaurant and 2 room service orders. The food was fine but nothing special (we had better dining experiencing in the lodges surrounding the hotel). The view from the porch is stunning but that is the most positive thing to say about this hotel.

So much to say. The location obviously is fabulous. The hotel itself is great if you are a history fan as it does not have some luxuries like elevators…given it is over 100 years old. Yes, the walls are thin, the hotel is dark..but it is representative and respectful of its history. My issue is with the company contracted to operate the hotel and dining facilities. Yes, you pay 5 star prices…and do not get basics like a good bed, daily room service, or healthy food options. The bed was awful as many mentioned. After hiking all day, a good bed would be appreciated. We actually left early because of it. Food prices are high, just know that…captive audience. That said, menus full of overcooked fried foods is the norm. There are small fridges in the rooms. Stop at a grocery store before coming. Front desk folks and gift shop were nice. The 3 stars for service are because of lack of basic services like room service.

What a great experience. Beautiful historic place and with a fantastic view of the Grand Canyon. If you're staying in the area at least have one great meal there. The staff treats you in first class style. Also the best breakfast value

I did not stay in the hotel but only visited for breakfast before trekking around Grand Canyon, so my review is only for their food service. We were recommended to come here for breakfast by a local guide, and what a recommendation it was! We got here really early (7:30am to be exact) and one thing we struggled with was the parking space. We wanted to park as close to the venue as possible. But worry not if you get here and can’t find anywhere to park - there’s visitors centre right next to El Tovar, short walk but definitely more spaces. We were warned by the local guide that coming for breakfast here would mean waiting before we get seated (especially if we wanted to get seats by the window with view of Grand Canyon), when we got there, lovely gentlemen told us it will be around half an hour, but within 10min we were called to be seated! Yaaay! Ernesto! My goodness did we looooove Ernesto! It was pleasure to have him serve us; such a positive person, smily, funny and great for recommendations!! Being from the UK our food differs/the words used differ for certain things, Ernesto was super helpful and got us exactly what we were looking for. Food was lovely, not greasy or dry. It was perfect! Great start to a day before embracing what Grand Canyon had to offer! Thank you for such lovely experience. (Ohh and if you can - thank Ernesto, from the UK road-tripping gang:) ) Ah PS. The interior was lovely - I interacted with two members of staff and they just made me smile! It’s a yes from me!!

Best location on the south rim in historical hotel. Great views from the patio and short walk to Bright Angel Trail down into Grand Canyon. Hotel room was clean.

To be clear, this is a review of the fantastic old restaurant in the venerable El Tovar Lodge and not a review of the lodging. My wife and I stayed in another nice little lodge here in the Grand Canyon Village but had all of our meals in the El Tovar dining room. This is a dining room in which the father of the American National Park system, President Theodore Roosevelt himself had enjoyed many a meal in during his stays here back in the day. All that I can say is that it has singularly been the best dining experience that I have encountered in many years. The setting is epic with amazing views of the Canyon, the service was lovely and the food was exquisite. It will remain one of the finer memories for my wife and myself without a doubt. The only thing to keep in mind is one should plan to either make reservations many weeks in advance or be prepared to arrive at 4:30 so as to be one of the first on standby to get a table otherwise a table will not be available. We were lucky enough to be early to get in each meal but there were others who were unable to be seated. I very highly recommend this culinary experience to anyone.

This was our second time to the South Rim and our first time staying at El Tovar. When we originally saw the hotel it was during the holidays and were with our kids pre Covid and decorated for Christmas. My husband and I vowed to come back one day on our own. While the location is top notch, the hotel is not. We paid $800 for a suite that was old and tired, there was nothing “charming” about it. We couldn’t get hot water from the bathroom sink, the furniture was in horrible shape and the worst was that we were on the back end of the hotel and on Saturday morning at 5:19 am were awoken by the trash truck backing up again and again with its extremely loud warning noise. To make matters worse when we came back from a tour on Saturday, the room smelled like sewage. We did eat at the restaurant in the hotel and that was lovely. Overall we were sadly disappointed.

Beautiful historic hotel on the rim of the Grand Canyon. We only stayed one night, I wish we had stayed longer. Beautiful views and friendly staff. The restaurant is expensive, but totally worth it. You will get things here that you don't get anywhere else.

Great location. The building is designed to make you go outside to view the canyon. So only a few suites have views of Canyon. Terrence level rooms are cheaper for a reason, their location and view is not good. The other rooms and amenities are great. Rooms are clean, and staff is friendly. It's kinda dark though, you'll literally squint walking out on a sunny day due to the really dark interior.

Although the location is spectacular, the hotel not so much. The room smelled like cigarettes, the air condition was not working in one of our rooms, we called the front desk and housekeeping after 9 pm and no one answered. The restaurants have a very limited menu and not very good food. The hotel doesn't refresh your towels or coffee station every day and the restaurants at the hotel don't open early. This would not be such a big deal if there were other places nearby to get coffee or breakfast.

Pros: Wonderdul, rustic decor and decorations! The nicest, most spacious bathroom I’ve ever personally encountered in a hotel! Loads of history and the best location right on the canyon itself that you’ll ever find! Very tasty breakfast with excellent service at the dining room. To stay at the El Tovar is to be a part of history! Cons: For the price, the rooms themselves are slightly underwhelming (aside from the bathroom) in terms of amenities, decor, space, etc. Perhaps my biggest complaint personally, though, would be that we couldn’t get our air conditioner to get the temperature in the room below 74 at any point (including at night), and when I called the front desk about it they told me that that’s normal and that that’s how it is with all of the rooms. I’m not sure if that’s truly the case since I’ve never stayed in any of of the other rooms… but if that is true, I must say that it was kind of uncomfortable for me and my family. We like things a bit cooler.

I really need to give more stars for location. The hotel is right there... at the canyon's edge. The lobby and rooms are steeped in history and apparently no two are exactly alike. The staff in the hotel are outstanding with special acknowledgment of manager Kendra at the front desk who is a shining example of professionalism, support and empathy. Her kind actions elevated our stay to the point where my wife shed a couple of tears when we had to leave. I gotta tell ya, canyon view rooms here are pricey. But if you can afford it you will be rewarded with a memorable experience. We stayed in the Mary Colter Suite with a large balcony overlooking the canyon. From the balcony we enjoyed ever changing views of the canyon, the milky way and meteorites at night, a couple of great sunrises and some elk just below us munching on grass. The Suite was spacious and filled with nice antique furniture along with photos, paintings and other memorabilia of Mary Colter's life. One note to remember...if you get a space in the nearby parking lot, hold onto it for dear life because it's a long walk to the alternatives

Took two love ones to see the Grand Canyon. Had to stop and have lunch in the historic El Tovar. Had to have reservations to eat in the main restaurant but they accepted walk ins in the lounge. Small wait but well worth it! Mission accomplished for lunch at the El Tovar! Food and service were exceptional! Next time I'm planning on having reservations!!! :)

It is a beautiful restaurant. We had lunch there, and it was a very good experience. The staff were nice and attentive. The food was varied and very good. I highly recommend this as a spot to eat while visiting the Grand Canyon.

The building is old but amazing. It's not falling apart by any means, but the location more than makes up for it. We had breakfast in the main dining room and witnessed elk coming up near the hotel and eating. The hotel is located immediately off the path along the rim of the Grand Canyon and maybe 300 feet from the Angel Trail.

I definitely recommend booking dinner here! After a long day of hiking, it feels amazing so go to a cozy restaurant and have excellent service. I believe you can make reservations here 30 days in advance online - which is a must! All of the food was great and definitely worth it. Highly recommend to anyone visiting the area, even if you are not staying in the hotel.

I have to agree. The location is spectacular. However, the hotel seems to be caught in a time gone by. Amenities are lacking service is lacking. Furniture has seen better days as has the bedding and carpeting. There are no amenities such as an elevator due to the age of the building. Therefore I am rating the El Tovar 2 stars. This was very pricey for the experience expected.

Such an amazing experience! You will not find a better location for your Grand Canyon adventure!! I cannot thank Kendra at the front desk enough for making our wildest dreams come true and helping me book the presidential suite for my Dad as a surprise for his birthday! The balcony view was spectacular and knowing some of our nation’s leaders stayed there too gave me chills! Thank you again to Kendra and the El Tovar staff for a wonderful stay this past April, we loved every minute of it!!!

If your grandma was a queen and lived in an old house and you went to visit for vacation and never wanted to leave! Just perfect location, superb character! One of my most unique stays in a hotel. Absolutely worth the money if you can afford it and if you can't, I don't know find a way ! I did! You have to stay here at least two nights My only thing would have been if at check in they would have realized it was my birthday and realized I have chosen a special day to stay here and just leaving this here as it goes a long way for future guests!

We didn't stay at the hotel but we did eat at the restaurant in the hotel. The menu is diverse and has some regional options too. There is a daily special soup and entree. We chose a daily soup which was butternut squash and it was outstanding and the chicken club which they changed up and put on a brioche bun. It too was pretty darn good. Just a note, breakfast and lunch are first come first served and dinner requires reservations. My compliments to the kitchen and wait staff.

Ate delicious lunch at the hotel. Rode the train in from Williams. Staff was great, Ernesto gave excellent recommendations on the food. Compliments to the chef the vegetarian dish, Navajo taco, & cheese burger were all fantastic. Meal with a view of one of the world’s most natural beauties!

Walk out of hotel and fall in grand canyon. Felt like I was staying in turn of the century lodge , expected teddy Roosevelt to bust in the front door with a bear at anytime. Excellent rooms , good food at restaurant , service was great and very clean. Highly recommend staying here.

I loved being right up against the Grand Canyon! Best views of the Grand Canyon and I highly recommend it! The only thing I did not enjoy was the unwelcoming, tired service I encountered at check in. Good thing it was fast! Also, El Tovar requires reservations to eat at their restaurant and that means you might have to walk into the nearby hotels to eat; not complaining. The room was clean. The standard queen beds were a bit too hard for my taste, I had to keep tossing and turning to avoid hip and shoulder aches. The pillows were perfect. The cooling system was loud, but worked great! Best way to enjoy the Grand Canyon is to take your time.

Poor food and beverage service. I never had so many problems just to have a drink at the bar. The rate is too high for the quality of the furniture. The rooms were small. They don’t have housekeeping service. The only good thing about the room was the bathroom.

This was our first trip to the grand canyon so we wanted to experience it fully. Staying here seemed to be the best choice. The hotel is quaint and we appreciate the historical location. Rooms are small, you need to run the water for a good 10 minutes to get warm water. Service in the restaurant was fabulous. Being woke at 515am on a Saturday morning by a garbage truck with loud warning bells was too much. We were cleaving this day anyway so decided let's get on the road. We were the only ones in the lobby at 6am and the desk clerk didn't acknowledge I pledge us maybe touristed out. No intentions of commenting on garbage truck, but would have appreciated a thank you. Honestly enjoy lunch or dinner, but save your money unless improvements are made.