Union Hotel Cusco

“Great spot in Cusco”

Great location, friendly staff, excellent breakfast!

“Excellent hotel”

Excellent hotel. The rooms were clean. The food and the staff were very nice and helpful. Special thanks to Joel, Juan, Alexis, Guiseppe and the bartender at night for making our stay a very special one.

“Lovely hotel close to the main squares”

The hotel is in a great location, a stone's throw from the San Pedro market. It is not too noisy at night. The hotel has a beautiful courtyard, and Kiki, the pet alpaca, is definitely a feature that perks up passersby's spirits. The breakfast is good, with an omelet and pancake/waffle station. The… more

The hotel is in a great location, a stone's throw from the San Pedro market. It is not too noisy at night. The hotel has a beautiful courtyard, and Kiki, the pet alpaca, is definitely a feature that perks up passersby's spirits. The breakfast is good, with an omelet and pancake/waffle station. The hotel seems to be at high occupancy, as we could only get a triple room. Even though we paid more, we couldn't upgrade to a room with a king bed. A late check-out was also not possible. I would recommend this hotel if you were able to get the room type you wanted at the time of booking, because changes are not possible or entertained.

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“acceptable but poorly managed”

First, the good things: Union Hotel is in a fairly central location near the San Pedro Market. The rooms are clean, the beds are comfortable, and Kiki the alpaca is a hoot. The staff who clean and serve in the restaurant are generally better than the front desk staff. The latter are a problem. … more

First, the good things: Union Hotel is in a fairly central location near the San Pedro Market. The rooms are clean, the beds are comfortable, and Kiki the alpaca is a hoot. The staff who clean and serve in the restaurant are generally better than the front desk staff. The latter are a problem. When I checked in, I was charged 10% more than the amount stated in my confirmation email. I eventually figured out that this was a standard service charge, but it seemed like a bit of sharp practice. I was immediately presented with a detailed legal form stating that the hotel was not responsible for anything stolen from my room. I stayed at six different hotels during my two weeks in Peru, and this is not standard practice. I asked the concierge if I could sign up for the much-advertised weaving class the next morning. She dismissed me by saying that she didn't know if it was happening. Early the next morning, I returned to the front desk and asked a different employee if I could sign up for the weaving class. She said she had no record that I was staying in the hotel. I showed her my room key and my name in the hotel register; it then transpired that my name was also on the printout of guests on her desk, but she could not find it in the computer. I did eventually get to attend the weaving class, which was actually a knitting class. Some of the other advertised activities, such as the live music, were not happening when I was there. In the breakfast room, there is a large poster stating that pancakes and waffles are offered "Todos las dias." I twice tried to order a waffle and struck out each time. On one occasion, it took the servers 15 minutes to tell me that waffles would not be served that day. On the third morning, I didn't even ask. There were several small problems with my room, including peeling floorboards and a bright light outside the door that shone into the room through the transom every night and could not be blocked. The room never got entirely dark. When I was leaving to join a tour group, I asked the front desk to book me a taxi. Without asking, the concierge booked me a taxi to the airport. This caused all sorts of trouble; the taxi driver had to pull aside on the main road and have a long conversation with his dispatcher before he agreed to take me to the hotel at which I was joining my tour group. He also overcharged me, but I didn't feel like arguing about it because he had been misled by the Union Hotel staff, and it wasn't his fault. Overall, this hotel is fine for a few days, but the management is a carnival of incompetence and I certainly would not stay there again. You can find equally nice hotels in Cusco, a little simpler but with much better service, for half the price that Union charges.

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