I booked a night at the Holiday Inn SCL Airport. Top floor
room facing South (606) in the direction of the International Terminal allowed
all departures from both 17L&R to be seen and read off as they climbed out
above the terminal buildings. You aren’t high enough to see anything landing or
moving on the ground. Presumably if arrivals are on the 35s, you’d see the
arrivals on short finals above the terminal. Rooms on the 5/6th floors facing
south are ideal, anything lower then there is another block to the hotel that
could impede views. Outside the hotel there are plenty of places to sit outside
either terminal, and an open walkway between the international and domestic
terminals with lots of benches to sit and monitor departures.
Credit Mitchell Stone