We’re relatively easy to please, but we couldn’t rate the Grand View any better than ‘okay’. And if it were not for the Marriott right next door with a pretty good restaurant, we may have rated the Grand View poorer. We had arranged a pre-paid 3-day whirlwind Jordanian tour with an Amman travel agent, so we had one morning in Petra before driving back to Amman. We arrived at the hotel at 5 o’clock in the evening, then left at 8 the next morning, so all we really needed was a meal and a bed. Service was indeed spotty, we had to go to the Manager in order to get someone to agree to serve us a beer at the pool (we had been told it was “impossible”). The staff was nice and friendly, but the service was approaching non-existent. The room was ‘okay’, most hotels would have renovated by now. The breakfast buffet was perhaps better than ‘okay’, but not by much. Since our room was pre-paid by our travel agent, we didn’t have to check in or out, which is good because the morning check-out looked pretty hectic. This hotel services a lot of bus tours, and they all seem to leave at the same time, so there was a big crowd trying to check out and few staff at the counter. So you’re probably better off to settle your bill the night before, if you can. The location is isolated – the Marriott next door is the only thing you can walk to. Petra and its modern townsite are not close by. So we do not recommend a long stay here. The view is sort of nice, but it’s a relatively barren desert that you’re looking at. It is a nice vista, but it wears thin quickly. The pool is huge (much bigger than the Marriott next door), and in the right weather and with good service, it could well be enjoyable. We were there in April which is still a bit cool – we jumped in the pool to refresh from a long drive, but we were out pretty quickly. We didn’t try the restaurant for dinner – it did not look promising. The restaurant at the Marriott did look better, so we ate at the Marriott and had a very enjoyable meal. It’s only a few minute walk between the two. Summary: this was probably once a very nice hotel, indeed may have been ‘grand’. It has truly ‘grand’ public spaces and tons of potential, but it is somewhat run down and in need of renovation. It easily has 5-star potential, but except for its size it now compares with a 2- or 3-star. So, for one or two nights at the right price, it may offer value. But if you’re staying longer or seek 4 or 5-star accommodation, you should consider other options. However, unless you really enjoy scrutinizing every nook and cranny, I wouldn’t advise more than one day to explore Petra. Granted, my wife and I are indeed “20 minute tourists”, so you may take our opinion with a grain of salt, but we advise that one day is more than enough time to see and appreciate Petra. We spent only a half day in Petra, and we’re confident that we saw it all.
- Grand View Hotel Petra
