Senses Boutique Hotel Equipetrol — Hotel in Santa Cruz de la Sierra

On arrival, everything seemed great. This was probably as it was 40 degrees outside and we arrived in a taxi with no air conditioning so the cool air in the hotel lobby was greeted with some relief. Unfortunately the two minutes it took to check in and cool down were the best of the horrible experience at Senses Equipetrol. We were offered a beer and coca cola at check in which was very nice and the receptionist was obviously a very nice man, although when we asked what there was to do in santa cruz, he replied with a nose wrinkle and a long silence 'umm you like to party' we said 'yes' and then he just nodded. A poor first impression and gave us no guide of what to do, especially considering that the hotel is poorly located with literally no amenities within a walking distance, unless you want to buy a big car. ||||We had booked a double room, but where put in a twin (409). It was clean and on first impressions quite nice. However as we settled in, it was clear that the room was damp and unkept. One of the walls is made entirely out of glass (with 3cm gaps between each panel and we did not feel secure within the room).||||As we had been travelling all of that morning, and the hotel advertises room service, we decided to order some room service and as the phone to call reception didn't work unless they call you, had to walk through an empty and eerie hotel down to reception. When asking about room service, he seemed reluctant to serve us, and then informed us that the kitchen was actually in the other hotel which was a 15 minuite drive away and that we would have to pay a taxi driver to bring it over. We were hungry and so agreed and order a pizza and a pasta. It took about half an hour to come, and came on a hand cut polisterine platter with no cutlery and was practically cold. The pizza was not a pizza but merely cheese on soggy bread and the pasta, which was not the pasta we ordered, it was completely inedible. During this time, completely to our surprise it had got dark outside although we did not realise as our room was infiltrated by fluorescent light coming from the filthy pool in the middle of the hotel. We wanted to sleep but couldn't due to the mosquitos that had flew in through the gaps in the room and the light so we asked to have them switched off which they did. However our sleep did not last long, as at 2am, a neighbouring house decided to have a bonfire, not a problem if the room is enclosed, but obviously the thick smell of smoke filtered in through the room and woke up my partner who then alarmed and scared woke me up. I went and checked round the hotel but couldn't find anything. After a poor nights sleep, we woke and went down to breakfast which for what claims to be a 5* hotel, was appalling. There where merely three pieces of fatty bacon and some brown milk with cereal and we where the only people in the hotel, no-one served us and the manager walked past a few times but looked unhappy that we where staying. ||||We where really starving at this point and so decided to have a look in the mini fridge but all there was in there was a lonely snickers bar and a bottle of water. At this point we where very unhappy with the whole experience, the service was poor and we didn't know what to do as no-one would tell us anything and the wifi was poor. To make matters worse our loo then broke which they said they would fix in around 20 minutes because their maintenance man was sweeping the floor. We decided to go for a walk and when we returned an hour later, our loo had not been fixed and our tap was broken, our room was not clean and considering we where the only people in the hotel, this seemed strange, but there was just no-one working there. We checked out. The one young man who runs the hotel is very nice and wants to help but is clueless and obviously doesn't have any experience of running a hotel, which is a shame as this hotel, with different management and proper cleaning staff does have potential.||||But if I where you DO NOT STAY HERE. It was the worst experience i have ever...

We were there for 2 days. One issue was about the taxi driver that did not show up to pick us at airport, like we had agreed in advance. They appologized for the mistake and repaired it offering us a free taxi when we left the hotel. The hotel is very new and I like the decoration in total clean style. They offered us a welcome drink. The room is nice. We stayed at room 409 if my memory is good! I just missed a window at bathroom, that was also nice and very clear, because there was a kind of glass ceiling letting pass all the clarity. But I still think a escape for air should exist in a bathroom. The only serious thing that I do want to alert them (for the safety of guests in general) is about the bathtub. It was extremely danger and we both almost fell by slipping. Actually there was a nice plastic bath mat but it did not solve the problem, on the opposite the stuff slipped more than the ceramic floor itself ! Also the glass “wall” over the bathtub I considered bit danger because it is not totally fixed (it moves inside) and can cause some accident if you do not realize it moves (it looks like fixed, but it is not!). The air conditioner worked ok, no matter I´d prefer something less noisy. It was my first time in a boutique hotel and I enjoyed the style, offering also a big new kitchen and making the stay very individual. Also de breakfast was good. Only issue happened (once) with the coffee machine, that in our turn was almost empty and we had to wait bit much for more coffee. Just an eventual lack of attention of the attendant, but I must say all of them were kind enough to solve everything as fast as possible. For example, I needed to iron some few clothes and they provided an iron and a table, in minutes, inside the room. The swimming pool was not that clean the day we arrived but I saw them taking care of it the next morning, so I think it was just an eventual issue, nothing serious to complain. As a last suggestion they should have the name of the hotel settled above the front door. I did not understand the...

The hotel is a two-storey house located in a residential neighbourhood of apartments. There are limited amenities within walking distance. ||The room is nicely furnished but some elements are not practical or guest-friendly. The main light in the bathroom is activated by motion sensing only. So the light would turn off while you are showering, leaving a dim down light at the sink. The floor tiles of the bathroom are glossy and slippery when wet. There is no main light in the bedroom too, only dim downlighting and a bedside lamp. It may be alright during the day but too dim at night. The shower cubicle is small and no fixture to hold any toiletries or soap.||Being a low building, the traffic noise could be quite loud and anyway, the room is not well sound proof. I could even hear the beep of door when the guest next door opened his room using a card key.||We decided to move to another hotel...