Holiday Inn Express Cartagena Manga by IHG — Hotel in Cartagena

I generally give good reviews, but this time I am giving zero stars to Holiday Inn Express Cartagena Manga and I will explain why. I have never seen something like what I am about to tell you. I got to Cartegena on Tuesday May 21st, 2024, and everything was good. The guy at the front desk was nice and cordial, but everything started getting weird when I had a visitor. The guy at the security (Victor) told me whenever I have a visitor I MUST pay eighty doll extra on top of what I had already paid for the hotel; meaning whenever someone else other than me gets in my room, they will charge me. They wouldn’t let my family, or my visitors visit me and get into my room without paying that huge extra fee each. Let’s say, for instance, you have 5 family members in Cartagena that want to visit you while you are in town; they’d require you to pay five times that extra fee more for that day alone.

The situation happened on Tuesday night, so I waited until Wednesday morning to talk about it to the manager. BIG MISTAKE!!!!!!! The manager, BEJERENO, REFUSED to talk to me … Instead, He sent a lady, Maria -- (Very nice lady by the way) talk to me. She reiterated that was their policy to charge that huge extra fee every time someone other than me enters my room. Maria was very polite, but the manager was RUDE, didn’t even want to deal with me and said I could go somewhere else if I wanted to. I would like to mention that I was NEVER told about this policy while booking the room. I will NEVER stay at this hotel again. I wish there was an option for zero stars. That’s how upset I am about this hotel. I have been to many places in the world, and I have always been happy about IHG hotels, but this one was just TRASH. The rooms are also very small, and they don’t have any fridges…

OVERALL, UNLESS YOU WOULD LIKE TO PAY EXTRA FEES FOR EACH OF YOUR VISITORS during your stay, I DO NOT recommend you using Holiday Inn Express Cartagena Manga during your stay...

Three things lowered the grade for this hotel: location, dining, and poor wifi. Be warned, this Holiday Inn on Manga is not near the main spots. Getsemani is about a 30-minute walk and Bocagrande is a car ride away. The hotel is located in a business district within sight of the port and the cruise ship terminal. While it is quiet and very safe, you'll be walking or taking taxis to go anywhere interesting. ||||The hotel's restaurant only serves breakfast. You are on your own for lunch and dinner. There are a few restaurants about 10 to 20 minutes' walk away. They do have a small store where you can buy snacks and drinks, but nothing substantial. I'm not sure if this is the result of Covid, but it can be a problem unless you eat while you are out. |||| I found the wifi was hit and miss especially on the floors below reception. This hotel's reception is on the 10th floor and the rooms are on floors below. I understand the internet in Colombia is barely 10 mb/s, but it would seem more nests might be the solution to help boost the signal.||||The Good||||The staff are very friendly. They are very nice and welcoming. The general manager takes time to chat with guests and introduce himself which is a practice I have rarely seen in hotels. ||||There is a small swimming pool on the 10th floor with views of the city and the flight path to the airport which is on the other side of La Popa. ||||It would not take much for this hotel to be a great hotel. An express lunch or dinner on offer would make things better.||||It is clear that this hotel caters to a business demographic, but it will do in a pinch for tourists, especially if you won't want to stay in the...

Three things lowered the grade for this hotel: location, dining, and poor wifi. Be warned, this Holiday Inn on Manga is not near the main spots. Getsemani is about a 30-minute walk and Bocagrande is a car ride away. The hotel is located in a business district within sight of the port and the cruise ship terminal. While it is quiet and very safe, you'll be walking or taking taxis to go anywhere interesting. ||||The hotel's restaurant only serves breakfast. You are on your own for lunch and dinner. There are a few restaurants about 10 to 20 minutes' walk away. They do have a small store where you can buy snacks and drinks, but nothing substantial. I'm not sure if this is the result of Covid, but it can be a problem unless you eat while you are out. |||| I found the wifi was hit and miss especially on the floors below reception. This hotel's reception is on the 10th floor and the rooms are on floors below. I understand the internet in Colombia is barely 10 mb/s, but it would seem more nests might be the solution to help boost the signal.||||The Good||||The staff are very friendly. They are very nice and welcoming. The general manager takes time to chat with guests and introduce himself which is a practice I have rarely seen in hotels. ||||There is a small swimming pool on the 10th floor with views of the city and the flight path to the airport which is on the other side of La Popa. ||||It would not take much for this hotel to be a great hotel. An express lunch or dinner on offer would make things better.||||It is clear that this hotel caters to a business demographic, but it will do in a pinch for tourists, especially if you won't want to stay in the...