GHL Collection Armería Real Hotel — Hotel in Cartagena

This hotel is a beautiful historic building with a small but nice bar and pool area on the rooftop. We arrived early prior to check in and the staff were very kind and accommodating, allowing us to store our luggage and use the amenities before official check in. Our junior suite room had great air condition, a large and comfortable bed, and was very spacious — albeit a little dark even with all the lights on. The staff were also quite friendly throughout our stay. However, the check out process was a little off putting and is the main reason this review isn’t 5 stars. I left very early for a flight while the other guest in our room left the same day, but late morning. When I went to leave to get an Uber to the airport out front, I was not let out initially and was pressed about where the other guest was. I was eventually let out when I explained she would do the check out process when she left, as she was the last remaining guest. Further, when our last guest checked out, she was pressured to pay for their transportation option to the airport despite having already ordered an Uber (we were not made aware of airport transportation upon check in). After this, the staff became much less friendly and seemed to work unnecessarily slow given we had already paid for the room upfront. We were also unpleasantly surprised to find that we owed an additional 100,000 COP for two snacks and a few bottles of water from the mini bar. The only listed prices on the placard above the mini bar were for alcohol and as another review has pointed out, the menu QR code also does not have prices listed. When asked for an itemized receipt of the minibar charges, the hotel staff refused so we still do not know the cost of each item.

I would probably stay here again, but the check out process soured the trip and folks looking to book here should know that the hotel and the services are not consistent with a 5-star hotel. Also, this hotel seems to host tourist groups through the common areas fairly frequently which is disruptive and a little weird.

RESPONSE TO MANAGER: A little weird that you say that when there was certainly beer in our...

I would classify the Ameria Real Hotel in Cartagena as a reasonably nice work in progress. It is currently trying to live up to the superb hotels within the walls of old town Cartagena, but it falls short in several ways. ||First, the good: the service of those who work in the hotel is great. There was no tea option for the breakfast buffet the first day we were there and we just casually mentioned it. The next morning they had tea. The room that they first put us in had fleas in the bed (it happens in the region sometimes), and they immediately upgraded our room and laundered our clothes for free. The rooftop pool and sundeck are wonderfully relaxing and a great place to watch the sunset. The location, in the hipster, more local feeling neighborhood of Getsemani, is convenient. ||Second, the mediocre: the first room that they put us in was quite sad (peeling paint, light bulbs falling from the recessed lighting, dark and dank feeling, a bit dirty in places). We are the type to not complain, but we had to move when we were bitten by fleas in the bed. The second room was better, with a balcony. The balcony had a table and no chairs, which was odd, but okay. The room was cleaned each day (we stayed 6 nights), but the body wash was never replaced, the shampoo was replaced sometimes (even when we had used the previous bottle up), and the dirty towels on the ground were just folded up to use again. The hotel also could use an interior designer to help them out with some curtains or at least a picture on the wall. The breakfast buffet is fine, but nothing to write home about. The concierge was helpful, but kept trying to sell us day trips when we just wanted a nice beach that was off the beaten path. ||In the end, it was an okay stay - the staff really did make the difference. The hotel is currently undergoing some minor construction, so maybe they are working on revamping the rooms and it will be much better in...

My two night experience at the Armeria Real Hotel was wonderful! Originally, my friend was supposed be with me, but had a family emergency just hours before checking in. So I will tell you about my solo experience. First off, shout out to Eduardo and Edwin, and the many other staff who I cannot remember the names. They did a great job making sure I was taken care of and had everything I needed. They were friendly, respectful, and helpful with the hotel or any other nearby tourist attractions. When I accidentally broke a glass cup in my room, the front desk staff called someone to help clean without me having to wait very long. The roof deck pool and bar was great, and you can get some beautiful city landscape photos from there. The breakfast option was worth it in my opinion. The fruit was fresh and I really enjoyed the juice of the day such as Cantaloupe Juice - which I had never had before.

The only frustrating thing about my experience was that the internet was spotty and not very strong in my room. I was on the third floor so I don't know if that has anything to do with it. I had my own internet phone plan, so this became a minor thing. I don't have other negatives that I can think of right now. I know that there's people complaining about the dim lighting. However, I realized that the hotel sort of needs to be dim with how hot Cartagena gets and the style of the building.

Overall, this hotel has very great value and location in my opinion. I was looking around, and there were decent amount of families that seem to enjoy the accommodations. I could see this place definitely being great for romantic getaways as well :). I am definitely recommending this to my friends and family when visiting Cartagena, and I would definitely...