Stayed here for three nights in January. The hotel is on the rim of the Grand Canyon but you don’t see much of it from the actual property. The rooms are small and a bit tired. The hotel is a historic landmark and as such is a magnet for day trippers so you need restaurant reservations in advance. The restaurant claims to do fine dining but could do with enlisting the services of Chef Ramsay as the food is average at best and the service patchy. All in all what we paid didn’t feel like good value for money even with the location.

Worth the stay. Would come back. You smell and feel charm of the materials used to build this place. Try the hot chocolate in the restaurant! Had to pinch myself the Canyon view was SO close. Our room was the writers/artists room (which we were surprisingly upgraded to - such a treat!). The night holds incredible dark views of the Milky way (I believe the El Tovar is located near or IS a registered "darkest area" in the US - having no light pollution at night... don't forget your head lamp!), and you'll definitely be visited by a few elk (moose?) while you're here. They wander the grounds freely, as they should. There is a very cool time capsule trail you can take with stones depicting many years, and feels like an interesting walk in time. I HIGHLHY RECOMMEND waking up early to watch the sunrise - this is a treat in and of itself!! The whole experience, having this incredibly close access to the canyon, is one I'll not soon forget. I would rank it among the top trips of my life. The rooms are spendy, but worth it if you can save up and stay 2-3 nights. This time allows you to really take in your surroundings and catapulted me back to the 30's when explorers and president Roosevelt was smitten with the place. It makes you consider our very short time on this planet, compared to the beautiful colored ribbons of history the canyon has so beautifully preserved for us to read. Every time I descended the front steps of the El Tovar and turned the corner to take it in, it felt so awe inspiring - like a hug. The restaurant breakfast was among my favorite experiences. We had the waffles with berries and cream (delicious) and it was worth getting up early to get a table. The wait staff is friendly and quite knowledgeable about the park. As you sit and dine, you can take in partial views and marvel at the glorious place you'll get to spend your day.

You just remember this property is over 100 years old. It is not as big, bright and accommodating as the newer modern hotels. That being said, the hotel is a great way to experience being next to the canyon with very quiet, dark nights. The food is better quality than the surrounding lodges and also a little pricier. This place has a lot of history and the location can’t be beat!

Not worth the price. Reserved months in advance to book-end a hike down to Phantom Ranch. Arrived in the off-season after a snowfall. Parking was very difficult as the lot did not appear to have been plowed. The lobby fireplace was only a few embers and at around 8:30pm, a guest tried to add wood. A woman on staff rudely stopped the guest, yet refused to stoke the fire since they were “low on wood until tomorrow.” Rooms are small. Save your money by staying at one of the less expensive hotels and pop in to visit the lobby or tiny bar area if your curiosity about old El Tovar must be satisfied. As an overnight guest, I’m underwhelmed.

Skip this over priced and honestly creepy hotel and book one of the cheaper option Bright Angel cabins. The cabins are half the price and have much better views of the canyon because they are right on the rim. Most rooms at El Tovar face the parking lot. Rooms are very small and have the same amenities and level of housekeeping as the cabins. You aren't getting any higher level treatment here than being in the cabins. Also, the restaurant food is not good. The pancakes at breakfast were so dry, it was unappetizing. I had better meals and more enjoyable staff service at Fred Harvey Burger for much less money.