Cali Marriott Hotel — Hotel in Cali

|We had a lot of expectations since we were staying at a Marriott Hotel, but the experience was very disappointing. |Both of my husband and I are Colombians. Cali is my husband’s hometown and we went in a leisure trip for a few days with our 9 month old baby. |Everything went well the first couple of days, then all went downhill. |I called the spa to book a massage and right after providing the available times, she told me the price in USD which I found odd since I’m in Colombia and she could tell by my accent that I’m local. Mind you, $180 usd for a relaxing massage at an exchange rate of $4600 COP (the official exchange rate was $4200 COP that day) I found it extremely expensive and decided not to take it. |The next day I tried to order room service, because my baby was taking his nap and called a few times - no answer - called the lobby to see if they could transfer the call and nada. So at the end had to wake up my baby and go downstairs to have breakfast in one of the restaurants. Went to the lobby and told the front desk (Sebastian) the situation. |By the time we went back to the room it was already time to check out, so we packed and left the room on time. We got into the elevator and - oh surprise - we got stuck! |We were trapped in the elevator with our luggage and a 9 month old baby FOR AN HOUR. After many “please remain calm” when they finally open the elevator the only thing we heard was “let me help you with the stroller” … what? No apologies at all! (I’m not saying it was their fault) but they could’ve opened the elevator way sooner. It was a matter of grabbing the keys and open the doors with the keys, there was no rocket science there. |Finally it was time to check out but little did we know what we were going to find out in that bill. They had the audacity to charge breakfast TWICE for our baby. The baby who only takes a few bites from our own food had to pay $260.000 COP.|Never heard something more ridiculous in my life. |I’m not sure if all this bad service had to do with the fact that we were on the “friends and family” rate. I really hope not. |Good customer service has to be at the same level for all guests. They don’t realize all those things hurt the Marriott brand, or they just don’t care. |Anyway, I just hope management takes all this into consideration and change it for the future because at least for us, this was the first and last time staying...

Cali is one of Colombia’s “forgotten cities” that gets some attention for its medical tourism offer, its salsa dancing… but has also had setbacks in the past few of decades.

And so, it has been a tough process to get the hospitality scene to a high standard. But it’s happening. Cali’s top 20 restaurants could easily out-do top spots in the US and in European countries… and at a fraction of the cost.

The Cali Marriott is a top choice for me. There are other chain properties in the area, but they are not quite at the same level. There are also many boutique hotels to choose from and a couple are special, but you are not always guaranteed a quiet night, for sound sleep.

The Cali Marriott has attractive common areas in the lobby, especially The Market, which offers a very good breakfast, with lot’s of local fare, including typical yucca-based breads (almohabanas, pandebonos, buñuelos), corn arepas, delicious fruit (granadilla, pitaya, papaya), and SO much more. On the 3rd floor there is a spa area with a surprisingly good gym (that actually has windows and natural light… and a Nikken water dispenser, etc). On the eighth floor there is an ample business lounge with attractive outdoor areas.

When choosing room category, know that the standard rooms have a relatively small bathroom with a “tub-shower” that has a curtain. This is not common in modern Marriott (4 or 5-star) properties; it is more typical of Courtyard or Four Points… so this was not at the expected standard. However, the suites have a nice, large tub and a separate shower, with a glass door — in addition to the separate sitting area, that can sleep 1 or 2 more. There is a Jr. Suite that has an additional half-bathroom (toilet and sink).

Sound buffering from the outside is good, thanks to double windows. Sound buffering from the hallway or adjacent rooms is OK, at best. Bathroom / Mirror illumination is low.

There were several issues with regard to personal preference requests for the room and also with AC units that forever cool on the ON setting, turning the room into a fridge. They resolved this for me.

The staff is great… everyone we have met, at any department.

Overall, this is probably the best hotel...

CONS: like most Marriott properties, in need of a makeover, carpet is very old and dirty, my room had a terrible sewer odor, simple things like lights and lamps didn't work and or had poor electrical voltage causing them to flicker. A mixture of cheap old furniture with new nice leather covered chairs. Their responsiveness to the Marriott chat option was virtually non-existent and even though the first day they gave me the Marriott whatsapp, almost an immediate indication that they don't respond to the Marriott chat, their responsiveness to the WhatsApp chat was hit or miss, sometimes 4 hours, sometimes never. Majority of times I called reception there was no answer even when I let the phone ring for several minutes. Several requests went unmet, even despite having texted them before my arrival, after my arrival and simple request during my stay. I can only conclude after this happened multiple times that the staff was not reading the messages carefully. The executive lounge closed halfway through my stay for maintenance. Any direct specific suggestions for restaurants and other things from the staff was virtually non-existent and I don't think they understand the concept of a concierge (none that I saw existed, I don't believe the hotel has a concierge). Very far from the airport. And Uber to the airport is approximately $20. PROS: great location, safe quiet neighborhood with lots of dining options and a Starbucks close by. Good quality food, and actual executive lounge that's open, operating with a good selection, something grossly missing throughout Marriott's chain of hotels as they cut back on services and benefits to guest. Comfortable bed, nice size Suites with good quality television picture and extensive cable television programming. Decent gym but zero view, on the low floor and not staffed. So, an essential product these days with covid-19 was missing in the men's bathroom. No water or water bottles not even a water dispenser in the gym. Very nice employees who want to serve and...