Hotel Boutique Karlo — Hotel in Cali

On January 9th My mother and I arrived in Cali Colombia for a 2 week vacation. We stayed at Hotel Karlo located on Calle 4 #27-100 in San Fernando neighborhood of Cali Colombia. Everything was great until the early morning of our checkout on January 27 of 2019 around 125 Am of January 27 we went downstairs I noticed that the doors to enter the reception area were open, I then proceeded to check out from our room since we had a early morning 5 Am flight Cali to Boston. We waited in a sitting area that was across the reception to wait. At about 145 am our ride came to pick up he entered the parking of the hotel ( hotel property) which is gated and they have a so called security hub right out side the small gated hotel with a security guard. The gentleman that picked us up along with my mom placed luggage in the trunk and at the same time my mother was looking out because you never know in these countries with armed robberies. As the luggage was in the trunk a dark skin male in a motor cycle came up the wrong way of the street which the street is a one way parking right in front of the Security hub with a gun on his waist which my mom noticed right away. At no point in time did the male assailant approach the security guard he entered the property since the main gates were left open by the security guard. The assailant then approached our driver with the gun in hand asking for his cell phone, to give it up. As the armed robber had our driver with the gun pointed My mom managed to move away from the driver and tried to warn us as I was sitting in the car with the drivers wife that we were being robbed. The assailant got the drivers cell phone first , at the same time my mother managed to toss her purse under the car and get in the car and sit next to me in the back seat. The assailant continued to pressure the drive driver for everyone's cell phone. I was sitting in the driver side rear where my door was locked and the assailant pressured the driver to unlock my door that he wanted my cell phone which I had a 3 month old Iphone Xmax. The driver had no choice but to unlock the car doors and the assailant pointed a gun to my head as I told him I didn't have a cell phone but he continued to pressure and I finally gave in handed him my cell phone it wasn't me worth loosing my life over a cell phone I was more worried about him getting his hands on my US Passport and my moms. What is crazy to me is that this all happen over 15 minutes the security nor the male receptionist did anything or asked anything. After it all happened my mom went up to the hotel doors to yelled at the receptionist saying " don't you see we just got robbed!!! as she shook the metal doors that were then locked and he just stood there not saying one word. What is crazy to me and I feel like we were set up because the assailant showed up right as we were leaving not threatening the security at all what were the probabilities of this happening at a gated hotel with so called security.||Later that day after arriving in Boston I spoke to hotel Manager Claudia via whatsapp she had been made aware of what happen funny thing she apologized and stated that the employees have a silent alarm which and siren that were never used! I will never stay in this hotel unfortunately this once incident ruined our complete stay. We were left to save ourselves we are just thankful...

In May of 2019 I was visited for 1 week the City of Santiago de Cali in Colombia because Hotel Karlo was too close to my dentist’s office. The hotel is clean and the staff was very friendly - Richard checked me in. The room was clean. Breakfast was good but would have preferred a few more local choices. The location of the hotel is great- walking distance from many restaurants, supermarket and gift shops. $ 20 US dollars will get you from the airport to most destinations. Buses and taxis right out the door at the hotel. For a $50 US dollars you can a city tour for 3 hours with an English speaker guide and a personal car.||The management with the General Manager of the hotel Mrs. Claudia and staff were some of the nicest and accommodating people I've ever met.||Hotel Karlo is a fantastic well priced hotel with a free Wi-Fi. The rooms, are more like an apartment, this is absolutely perfect, and they are clean and tidy and have friendly staff. The Buffet breakfast there is very good, and as mentioned the staff are lovely, and really welcoming. I really do recommend this hotel, it has a lot of positives and these outweigh the minor points i have mentioned. ||Check out was smooth and the desk...

I visited Hotel Karlo mid-February 2017. I'm a 35-year old blond American (very rare in Cali), and I stayed by myself. I never felt unsafe at the hotel. (note - cali is relatively safe for tourists as long as you don't pull out your cell phone or fancy camera, don't flash cash, don't wear flashy jewelry, etc.). Best for people who don't want to spend a lot, but also not interested in hostels. Definitely worth the daily rate.||||I knew very little about Cali or Colombia before my visit and speak VERY little Spanish. The hotel is clean, staff are VERY helpful and friendly. A few are fluent in English, so I never had an issue getting what I needed. Staff also helped me find a place to get my nails done, helped me buy a cell phone after mine got wet and ruined (thank you Tatiana!), make international calls, and more. ||||The best part of the hotel are the staff - especially Tatiana (day) and Freddie (night)! They are truly special people. Hotel is very close to many restaurants and shops. While here, I recommend the neighborhood, San Antonio (10 min taxi ride), with it's hip murals, coffee shops, dance studios, etc. I also recommend checking out the salsa...