Hotel Novapark — Hotel in Santiago

Broadly speaking the staff seemed friendly, the room was clean, and the wifi worked without issue.

I'd give this hotel a higher rating, however I feel like I got taken advantage of when it came to payment. IVA tax of 19% was applied because I only had a debit card on me - not USD cash or a credit card. This meant that I paid 19% more than was advertised - so I felt misled.

Edit: responding to the hotel’s reply, here are a few suggestions to improve the experience for visitors:

1. I booked with booking.com. At the point of booking send an automated message explaining the payment situation.

2. Offer guests the option to pay (via an online link (Stripe etc) if your card machine doesn’t handle it) in foreign currency with their debit card. Looking at the law (Article 12 E, N°17 of the Sales and Services Tax Law) it is focused on payment in foreign currency and does not explicitly exclude debit cards. The hotel can later convert to pesos if desired, or have the online service auto convert.

3. Clearly explain what is going on with this issue and even show a printout of the law - with translations.

4. Show a map of where the guest can find an ATM that dispenses USD and include the ATM fee so they have...

This Nova Park hotel in Santiago, Chile, is sinister. It admits reservations, but it also functions as a detentioncenter for immigrants, mostly people of color, Colombians, Venezuelans, Peruvians and Argentines. I made a reservation for three nights. Upon entering a cold hello and immediately they say that I must paid for the total stay. I get a card. I go up to the room, the only open door on that floor of the building. Spacious, without a single chair, cheap towels. An hour later I go down to get out. An employee stops me and tells me that I can't go out, that they will call the police. I tell him that I paid for a reservation and he tells me that in that case I can leave. For breakfast, a bag with a cheap sandwich and a watered-down coffee. I ask for milk and he tells me they don't have any. I tell him I paid. He answers that they will bring it to me. They bring it to me. Fifteen minutes later, I get bacterial diarrhea. I was scared, it reminded me of Pinochet's detention and torture centers. The detainees were locked in their rooms and they talked to each other by leaning out of the window. In short, a...

Novapark hotel is rather new! You can simply tell by the lighting, interior design, and the building itself. It has an excellent location! Just 5 minute walk to Metro Santa Lucia station, 8 minute walk to La Moneda or Neptune Fountain, 12-15 minute walk to Plaza de Armas, everything is close by. Near the hotel there are shops, many restaurants, and few super markets. I remember that morning we arrived, there's pouring rain! It was freezing and we were soaking wet. The staff immediately helped us do some arrangement so that we were able to clean ourselves and freshen up, much appreciated! Continental breakfast with quite a number of food selections, not bad for the taste as well! The room's not really spacious, but good enough for two big suitcases to be opened. By the way the room is very ibis style. Over all I'd recommend this hotel, especially for the first-timer like me in Santiago de Chile, who could only rely on...