Hampton by Hilton Santa Cruz/Equipetrol, Bolivia — Hotel in Santa Cruz de la Sierra

I'm currently here for my third stay in the past five years. While reading the few negative reviews on this hotel I have to ask myself if their competition is paying someone to say these things. I've been a Hilton Diamond over the years and this Hampton Inn is not only excellent, but its better than any Hampton Inn I've stayed at in the United States (hundreds) as a travelling salesman. This is a full service hotel even though its a Hampton Inn. The roof top restaurant and bar completely dwarf anything back in the USA. While enjoying breathtaking views of the surrounding architecture of Santa Cruz and then the natural beauty of untamed Bolivia for miles and miles beyond, you get complimentary mixed drinks upon check-in at the bar - Singani included. You can have all the US breakfast basics but the majority of items are exotic South American delicacies. Every kind of fresh fruit and juice imaginable is available. My favorite was the fresh squeezed Green Machine that Wegman's charges $7.00 a pint for back in the USA. Not just a few, but a majority of the rooms are floor to ceiling panoramic views of the Equipetrol region of Santa Cruz. Inside many of the rooms are sunken tubs with window wall views of the city's skyscrapers as well as high pressure always available hot water. I've never seen so many electric outlets in a hotel room - many of which have slots for US plugs. The room I'm in currently has at least five USB ports spread around that I've found thus far. The A/C is the bomb - spews ice cycles at a moment's notice. The cable TV system has all the Latin networks plus most US cable networks. The Internet is the fastest I've seen in Bolivia - US quality. Now for the location. Just out the doorstep is everything imaginable. Dozens of restaurants. Just next door is a mall of nothing but exotic full service restaurants. Then next a Hipermaxie - the biggest one I've ever been in. Then right after that is Ventura Mall - the best mall in all of Bolivia. While walking together through this mall my wife commented that it outshined anything in the US. On the top level is a huge cinema complex with countless theaters. There must have been a dozen bank branches with 24 hour ATMs within two block in either direction. Also 24 hour pharmacies. The entire property is surgical suite spotlessly clean and well maintained. When I needed room service it was at my door quickly. The only thing my wife and I could possibly imagine to criticize about this property was that the elevators are not as large as back in the US - although they were clean and fast. This seems to be the case throughout South America. There is also no onsite parking. That being said, there are traffic cones reserving a pull off lane for taxies and its impossible to stand outside for more than one minute without a taxi pulling up - and the taxis are most affordable. So this Hampton Inn must be outrageously expensive? Nope. The price we paid was substantially less than any Hampton Inn I've stayed...

Beware of this location guys …I ordered a room here on Priceline and I paid it , but I was also told to pay again when I got to the counter at this hotel …so I got charged twice …I was told back in March that I’ll get a refund , I’ve been getting the run around since and I still have not gotten a refund ….when I didn’t call for a month they thought I gave up so they told their customer service line that I was refunded on June 15th , but that was a lie …since I kept calling for the refund, they are now admitting that I was not refunded because they are holding my money until they receive their payment from Priceline …so because they have a hard time getting their money from Priceline , they decided to charge me again and keep my money because they think that Priceline won’t want to pay them, and Priceline is refusing to pay them now also, so I am the one who is stuck with two credit card charges when I only stayed one night …I am still trying to get my refund and we are in august now , I am never staying in...

So the rooms are good, spacious and comfortable. The shower is very good in terms of pressure and temperature. ||||It is true what other reviews say about the noise. The walls are thin, and the windows don't insulate well. Make sure you get a quiet room.||||The negative part is food. It is very low quality. Breakfast for instance is very subpar, but the worse are the room service options. They seem to have been prepared by a student and not by a chef. And I don't really understand it. I mean, breakfast is included, you want to offer a cheap breakfast to save on costs, that's ok. But you charge for dinner, just hire a good chef and increase prices a bit, they are not that high anyway. ||||Another thing that I found unacceptable is that they don't provide bottled water in the rooms, beyond...