Gran Hotel Ciudad de México

Rooms and decor

Picture yourself walking in from the busy Zocalo, pushing open the door, and looking up — what hangs overhead is a Tiffany-style stained-glass ceiling, roughly 750 square meters of it, covering a 5-floor atrium. Mexico City sunlight filters through in yellow, orange, blue and green, spilling across the whole hall. This is the work of French artist Jacques Gruber, installed in 1908, and it remains intact today. The building went up in 1899, first as an upscale department store called Centro Mercantil, before it became a hotel in 1968. Around the lobby sit two early-20th-century wrought-iron elevators, slow but still running, that many reviewers call the prettiest in Latin America. A parrot cage and a peacock in the lobby add a Belle Epoque feel you almost never find anymore. There are about 60 rooms and suites, done in classic deep gold and red tones with high ceilings, many with brass lamps and tall mirrors. Rooms facing the Zocalo have small stone balconies that jut out — open the window and the Metropolitan Cathedral stands right in front of you, a view no other hotel in the city offers.

Food and amenities

If there is a second heart to this place beyond the lobby, it is La Terraza, the 5th-floor rooftop restaurant facing straight across to the National Palace (Palacio Nacional) and the cathedral. Sit with a mezcal at sunset and watch the lights come up one by one on the palace's 400-year-old stone walls — and you start to see why Sam Mendes, director of "Spectre" (2015), chose this spot for the opening of that James Bond film. The scene where Daniel Craig chases a villain through a Dia de Muertos parade used the rooftop and parts of this building. It is still a popular photo stop, and even non-guests often come up for the well-known Sunday brunch. The main lobby restaurant, Restaurante del Centro, serves classic Mexican dishes like chiles en nogada and mole poblano under Gruber's stained glass, an atmosphere you cannot find anywhere else. Other facilities run to a business center, small meeting rooms inside the historic building, and 24-hour concierge — but if you want a spa, a full gym or a pool, this is not the place. It is a historic hotel selling building charm and location, pure and simple.

Location and getting there

On location, Gran Hotel Ciudad de Mexico is number one in Mexico City with no real rival. The building sits right on the Zocalo (Plaza de la Constitucion), one of the largest squares in the world. Walk 1 minute out of the lobby and you reach the Metropolitan Cathedral, the largest Catholic cathedral in the Americas. Across from it is the National Palace, where Diego Rivera's murals are open to view free of charge. Another 5 minutes on foot brings you to the Templo Mayor museum, the Aztec pyramid ruins in the middle of the city. The Zocalo metro station (Linea 2) sits right under the square, a 2-minute walk from the hotel — jump on and you reach the Bellas Artes district, with its grand palace of fine arts, in a few stops, and Chapultepec, home to the National Museum of Anthropology, on a direct line. From Benito Juarez International Airport (MEX) it is about 30-40 minutes by car depending on traffic. By day this zone is packed with tourists, locals shopping, street vendors, and the military flag ceremonies at 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. The short version: if you want to wake up in the full heart of Mexican history, this location has no competition.

Things to know before booking

Straight talk to help you decide — the most common gripe in real reviews is rooms that look "old" next to a contemporary 5-star standard. Many reviews say the furniture, bathrooms and taps look worn, some rooms have tired linens, and a few guests feel they paid a 5-star rate for an old 4-star room. If you expect a contemporary hotel with brand-new rooms like the Four Seasons or St. Regis, this may let you down. The other recurring point is noise — Centro Historico is busy and loud all day, including crowds in the square, military ceremonies, and on some days protests or concerts on the plaza. If you sleep lightly, ask for an interior room that does not face the Zocalo. Wi-Fi is another sore spot, with reviews calling it slow and unreliable. Staff service and the breakfast buffet draw middling reviews — some nights the front desk is great, some nights indifferent, not as consistent as a global chain. Finally, the hotel has no spa and no pool, so anyone hoping to soak after sightseeing may need a new plan.

Our take

After working through several hundred real reviews, Gran Hotel Ciudad de Mexico is a hotel that sells a legendary 1899 Art Nouveau building, its famous Tiffany-style stained-glass ceiling, wrought-iron elevators many call the prettiest in Latin America, and a location on the Zocalo that nothing else can match. If your trip in your head is waking up to the cathedral from your balcony, crossing the street to see Diego Rivera's murals in the National Palace, and closing the evening on the La Terraza rooftop with a mezcal in the same spot as the James Bond scene, this is an experience no contemporary hotel can give you. But if you expect brand-new rooms at a 5-star international chain, with a spa, a pool and flawless service at every turn, this place may feel like a slight overpay for dated rooms. Overall we give it 8.7/10, best for couples and history or architecture lovers who value the charm of a legendary building and a location in the heart of Centro Historico more than the polish of contemporary rooms.