1 El Tovar Road, Grand Canyon National Park, AZ 86023
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About
#2 of 2 hotels in Grand Canyon National Park
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Value
This celebrated historic hotel located directly on the rim of the Grand Canyon first opened its doors in 1905. The hotel was designed by Charles Whittlesey, Chief Architect for the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway. The Chicago architect envisioned the hotel as a cross between a Swiss chalet and a Norwegian Villa. This was done in an effort to appeal to the tastes of the elite from that era, who at the time considered European culture the epitome of refinement. El Tovar was one of a chain of hotels and restaurants owned and operated by the Fred Harvey Company in conjunction with the Santa Fe Railway. The hotel was built from local limestone and Oregon pine. It cost $250,000 to build, and many considered it the most elegant hotel west of the Mississippi River. In 1987 the Hotel was designated a National Historic Landmark. In the past, the hotel has hosted such luminaries as Theodore Roosevelt, Albert Einstein, Bill Clinton, Paul McCartney, and Oprah Winfrey.
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Property amenities
Free parking
Free internet
Wifi
Bar / lounge
Concierge
Gift shop
24-hour front desk
Laundry service
Restaurant
Breakfast available
Non-smoking hotel
Shared lounge / TV area
Shops
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Room features
Air conditioning
Private balcony
Room service
Safe
Telephone
Wake-up service / alarm clock
Flatscreen TV
Complimentary toiletries
Room types
Non-smoking rooms
Suites
Family rooms
Good to know
HOTEL CLASS
HOTEL STYLE
Historic Hotel
Languages Spoken
English, Spanish
Location
69Somewhat walkable
Grade: 69 out of 100
36Restaurantswithin 10 km
52Attractionswithin 10 km
3789Reviews61Q+A100Room tips
Reviews
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We stayed at El Tovar to celebrate milestone birthdays for both of us.It was definitely an underwhelming stay for us. Our "first floor" room was actually down two flights of stairs from the lobby. We had climbed up a flight of stairs with our luggage to get to the lobby. One of us had an injury and this was not a handicap friendly hotel. Our heater in the bathroom did not work and as a result it was very cold. Our view from our room was of a parking lot and the tree outside the window had a plastic bag in it. This was a splurge for a special occasion and was not worth it.
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Date of stay: February 2023Trip type: Traveled as a couple
Room Tip: Avoid this hotel if you have an injury or disability
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Helpful
Response from Sam L, Sales at El Tovar Hotel
Responded 1 week ago
Thank you for your TripAdvisor review! We are disappointed to hear that your stay at the El Tovar Hotel fell short of expectations, your comments have been shared with the Rooms management team. Regards, GCSR Team
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
As we entered the hotel we were so impressed by the entrance hall; the wooden interior, the animal heads, the history of the place. This was as far as it got. Our suite was a huge disappointment. Ancient old scratched and chipped furniture, tired carpet, the wardrobe in the sitting room …. We’ve had quieter trips on planes than the air conditioning system in the room. Deafening and pretty ineffective. Also, the wifi doesn’t stretch as far as the room so we had to go downstairs to get our emails. The restaurant food wasn’t that great either but you’re kind of stuck as there’s not much up there choice wise. Don’t look for housekeeping either. They don’t do your room we were told on arrival. One of the joys of staying in a hotel is to have your bed made everyday. All in all this is a hotel that has seen better days and needs some refurbishment.…
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Date of stay: February 2023Trip type: Traveled as a couple
Value
Location
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
1 Helpful vote
Helpful
Response from Sam L, Sales at El Tovar Hotel
Responded 1 week ago
Thank you for sharing your review and feedback, we will pass your comments along to our management team. Regards, GCSR Team
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Visiting the Grand Canyon in the winter is a real risky business. We lucked out -- right in the middle of two snow and ice storms with enough time in between for a nice warm-up for our stay. The hotel's fabulous location provided us with great access to the village and to the rim. Staying in one of these old park lodges (we have also stayed at The Ahwahnee in Yosimite) requres a different set of criteria from a resort. It's the historic element that you must consider along with the period architecture. But given all this, our service was great. They checked us in upon arrival even though it was several hours till check-in. Rooms were great considering the age of the lodge. Nice and clean, roomy enough with comfy furniture. We didn't have a view. You have to scale up pretty high to get a room with a view. If you've read any other reviews, you've read they don't have an elevator, and this is no rumor!!! They do have bell help with luggage. Now to parking. It's odd. Anyone in the park can park anywhere. So since there is no reserved parking around the hotel, you may have to park quite a distance away. We lucked out again and got a space right in front of the hotel. The locals tell us to stay parked and use the free shuttle service until you're ready to leave. Food service was comparable to fine dining, and so were the prices. Unfortunately, not the quality of the food at dinner. It was just okay. My husband had a fish special that he didn't particularly enjoy, and he loves fish. I had the salmon off the menu, and it was pretty good. Breakfast was better. Again,, pricey, but enjoyable. So overall, the El Tovar added to our Grand Canyon experience. It was nice to sit in the dining room and look out across the canyon. We loved the "1900's elegance"…
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Date of stay: February 2023Trip type: Traveled as a couple
Value
Location
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
1 Helpful vote
Helpful
Response from Sam L, Sales at El Tovar Hotel
Responded 1 week ago
Dear Cynthia, We appreciate your review and feedback! Regards, GCSR Team
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
I absolutely loved my stay here- the location is perfect, right on the South Rim with amazing views of the Canyon. It's close to several trails and bus stops. It also had a nice restaurant and a couple of cool stores with souvenirs or that one chapstick that you forgot at home. It's nothing fancy, but it was clean and comfortable.
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Date of stay: September 2022
Location
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Helpful
Response from Sam L, Sales at El Tovar Hotel
Responded 5 weeks ago
We appreciate your review and feedback, and we're pleased your enjoyed your stay! Best, GCSR Team
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
First time visit to the Grand Canyon and elected to stay at El Tovar. I don’t understand negative reviews of this facility given that it was built in the early 1900s. It’s alway about expectations and this exceeded ours!We enjoyed this historic GEM and recommend. As most historic hotels, water pressure is lacking for a driving shower - this is the only criticism we would have.
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Date of stay: February 2023Trip type: Traveled as a couple
Room Tip: Remember, this is historical and nature and not your typical brass, and glass resort!
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Helpful
Response from Sam L, Sales at El Tovar Hotel
Responded 5 weeks ago
Thank you for your review and feedback! Best, GCSR Team
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
We were given an amazing room and really enjoyed this space. It really is rich and warm and inviting. The dining is out of this world with staff that are just as wonderful as the property itself. The restaurant really shows great pride and the food is just amazing!
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Date of stay: February 2023Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Helpful
Response from Sam L, Sales at El Tovar Hotel
Responded 5 weeks ago
Thank you for sharing your review and feedback, we're pleased you had an enjoyable stay! Best, GCSR Team
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Today I witnessed a woman checking in with 2 roller bags mid afternoon, no line. One person managing check in and incoming phone inquiries. Once checked in this customer struggled to the lobby, hesitated and dragged her bags down the hallway. No bell service, no luggage carriers no hotel staff to assist her. Unexceptable lack of service here. Gone are the days when customers were respected. Short staffed, relying on reputation and location you are treated as a number here. Get them in, get them out. This place doesn’t try to earn your business and loyalty - it just expects it. Shame on management for creating this business model. It’s overpriced for what they deliver.
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Date of stay: February 2023Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
1 Helpful vote
Helpful
Response from Sam L, Sales at El Tovar Hotel
Responded 5 weeks ago
Good afternoon Michael, Thank you for sharing your review and feedback, we're disappointed that your time at El Tovar did not meet expectations. Your comments have been shared with our management team at the South Rim. Regards, GCSR Team
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
We were greeted by grumpy receptionist- allocated a very small room which was so cold and the old heater was so noisy we asked to move and was told that all the rooms had the same noisy heating systems -the housekeeping chap was also grumpy and was not in the least bit interested in making our stay a good one nor were any of the staff ( except a nice young waiter in the bar) this hotel is so over priced for a room which is only just big enough to be a wardrobe ! We got a refund and moved to a cabin on the new Maswik and had a huge room with 2 big beds and a kitchen and a balcony for half the price! - the staff here were friendly and helpful. El Tovar restaurant is also a no go - didn’t get to have any food as despite booking 30 days in advance and giving our dietary requirements they were not in the least bit interested in providing this - the manager said he didn’t know about it until 4pm and even then didn’t bother to contact us to discuss - apparently chef can’t cook anything that isn’t on the menu so I assume it’s all just bought in and plated up and they probably don’t have a chef at all just kitchen staff to put pre-prepared food on the plate - otherwise they would surely have done all they could to get $100 for our dinner for 2 nights -which we booked for - they just are so arrogant about their location they really aren’t bothered about customers - this is the worst place we have stayed on our trip to the US they all really need to go on a customer service course - don’t waste your money here they are overpriced and not good value…
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Date of stay: February 2023Trip type: Traveled as a couple
Room Tip: Avoid this hotel you will be disappointed
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
1 Helpful vote
Helpful
Response from Sam L, Sales at El Tovar Hotel
Responded 5 weeks ago
Good afternoon, Thank you for sharing your review and feedback, we're disappointed that El Tovar fell short of expectations. Your comments have been passed along to our management team. Regards, GCSR Team
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
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.
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Date of stay: January 2023Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
1 Helpful vote
Helpful
Response from Sam L, Sales at El Tovar Hotel
Responded 5 weeks ago
Good afternoon, We appreciate your review and feedback for the El Tovar Hotel, your comments have been shared with our management team. Best, GCSR Team
Read more
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
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. …
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Date of stay: July 2022
Value
Location
Service
Room Tip: Get up early to wait in line for a table for breakfast. Bring a head lamp in case you have an...
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Helpful
Response from Sam L, Sales at El Tovar Hotel
Responded 5 weeks ago
Thank you for your review and feedback! Best, GCSR Team
Read more
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
PRICE RANGE
US$330 - US$563 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
el tovar hotel grand canyon, el tovar grand canyon, hotel el tovar, el grand canyon, grand canyon el tovar, el tovar lodge
LOCATION
United StatesArizonaGrand Canyon National Park
NUMBER OF ROOMS
78
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Frequently Asked Questions about El Tovar Hotel
Which popular attractions are close to El Tovar Hotel?
Nearby attractions include Grand Canyon South Rim (0.8 km), South Kaibab Trail (5.0 km), and Rim Trail (2.6 km).
What are some of the property amenities at El Tovar Hotel?
Some of the more popular amenities offered include an on-site restaurant, a lounge, and free parking.
What food & drink options are available at El Tovar Hotel?
Guests can enjoy an on-site restaurant, a lounge, and breakfast during their stay.
What are some restaurants close to El Tovar Hotel?
Conveniently located restaurants include Phantom Ranch, Bright Angel Bicycles and Cafe, and Grand Canyon Village Market & Deli.
Which languages are spoken by the staff at El Tovar Hotel?
The staff speaks multiple languages, including English and Spanish.
Are there any historical sites close to El Tovar Hotel?
Many travellers enjoy visiting Hermit's Rest (3.0 km), Grand Canyon Railway Depot (0.09 km), and Trans-Canyon Telephone Line, Grand Canyon National Park (0.09 km).
Does El Tovar Hotel have any great views?
Yes, guests often enjoy the mountain view available here.
Is El Tovar Hotel accessible?
Yes, it offers reduced mobility rooms. For specific inquiries, we recommend calling ahead to confirm.