This was our second visit to the Grand Canyon and this time we decided to spend a bit more and stay in the park itself. The room was on the small size but was adequate for our two night stay. Staff were friendly but breakfast was very over priced. Bar staff were great and the bar would be highly recommended. We had a slight view of the Canyon from our room. Gift shop was good.

My husband and I stayed in a deluxe queen room and could not have been more satisfied. The bed and pillows were awesome. The restaurant was full of character and our meal was very good. The gift shops are very fun to browse as well. We would definitely recommend the El Tovar!

My husband and I booked this hotel about 10 months in advance and were very excited about our stay in early November. However, El Tovar is extremely disappointing. Clerk at check in was very apathetic. Hotel hallways are dingy and dirty. Friends of ours mentioned how much they enjoyed the piano music on the second level, but sadly there was no music while we were there. Room strangely decorated; the a/c was so loud my husband and I finally wound up wearing ear plugs so we could try to sleep. The pillows were wafer thin, the hardest and oldest things you could imagine and I hated to put my head on them. The bed was lumpy. Don't count on getting a good night's sleep while you are here. On a positive note, the bathroom was clean and seemed like it had been newly redecorated.

We made reservations for two nights at the dining room, but were so disappointed that we wound up cancelling the second night. All of our food was lukewarm, even my husband's soup. Service was spotty. We ate on the lounge balcony overlooking the canyon and had a nicer evening.

As another reviewer mentioned, we were there over Election Evening and could not understand the hoses and pipes being dragged thru the lobby and up the stairs to clean the second level sitting area. I was hard navigating the stairs and noisy.

Listen to all the negative reviews and don't waste your money on El Tovar. I don't know what the other properties are like on the rim but for the money, I can't imagine they would be much worse.

We only stayed for one night but enjoyed it. The room was small but it's an old hotel, the bed was small too which I don't think there is an excuse for so I was pleased we only had one night in it. The staff were very friendly in the main, although the restaurant was a little eccentric in the way it seems to be run. The food was ok, no better than that. Anyway I forgive it these issues for its location, which is wonderful. Watching the light change in the canyon as the sun set was never to be forgotten, and the stars at night, wow. You may not be able to see the canyon in the dark but it's just as awe inspiring to look to the skies and see the night sky in all its majesty. I haven't seen it so clearly since I was at altitude in the middle of Africa and a flight away from the nearest town.
So I recommend El Tovar, enjoy it for what it is but mainly for where it is.