Medellin Marriott Hotel — Hotel in Medellín

I stayed here with my fiance during a trip that spanned a 30th birthday and had high expectations of this property, but unfortunately, many items were extremely disappointing. My fiance and I are both Lifetime Platinum Premier Marriott Rewards members to give context. I am shocked this is currently ranked the #3 hotel in Medellin to be honest.

The good: The food in the lounge at night beat out the JW Marriott in Bogota by a long shot when it came to food quality The bed in the room was very comfortable

The bad: Almost every dish there was dirty. From the sushi restaurant to the lounge, we spent a lot of time our stay either asking for a new dish or just wiping them down ourselves. Often when having white wine when the glass defrosted a bit we'd be picking out random food left over on the glass. It was disgusting and unparalleled in my and my fiance's almost 3000 nights at a Marriott/SPG properties (and many more at other brands). The concierge on Sept 2nd around 10 am was embarrassing to Marriott as a brand. We asked a simple question about getting to Salento which she was able to provide zero information on aside from saying we had to go to the north terminal. No phone call to inquire about the schedule, no interest in helping us, nothing. Upon a quick google search, as our taxi was on its way, we noticed that online sites consistently said the buses leave from the south terminal. I asked her about this and she said "I don't know, if that's what it says then go there, I have other things to do." Luckily we followed our insticts and went to south terminal which was also much closer/cheaper to get to and it was the correct one. I don't expect a concierge to know everything off the top of their head, but her lack of effort and indifference was frankly insulting and unprofessional. Check-in/room assignment - We were guaranteed a king bed. We got an upgrade (aka high floor) but were initially given two double beds, which is not supposed to happen with our status. When we said something about it we were told there was nothing y'all could do, but after arguing a bit we waited and got a king bed on a high floor as well. 30 minutes after the app told us the new room was ready we finally went downstairs and got the keys ourselves despite them telling us they'd come to get us. We also mentioned it was my birthday, the response was simply "OK". Upgrades were available all weekend as well according to the website. No love from Marriott at all here, which is particularly upsetting after a disastrous merger of SPG/Marriott that forced us to pay for several nights at other hotels in Medellin due to issues due to the merger and a complete lack of availability to reach Marriott. The lounge staff greeted all of the older people that came in and asked if they wanted a drink, they never once acknowledged my or my fiance's presence. We had to flag them down continuously. And then the drinks came in dirty glasses as mentioned above. Plates, silverware, etc, all dirty. Also took forever to replace food that was eaten. Breakfast - same as above with food replacement. Often when we arrived at breakfast the downstairs restaurant was out of many items, and when we left 45 minutes later they still had not been replenished. We watched the stations the entire time, and it wasn't replaced and out again, it was just left finished. This was during even during hours, it's not like we were there as breakfast was shutting down. The pool - dirty towels were left out and no one ever came by to clean it up. In a small space like y'all have, it's disgusting to leave towels out all day with no one tidying things up a bit. There is only space for maybe 10 people in chairs in a 120+ room hotel so this was especially frustrating...

This hotel really needs to shape up, between hygiene issues, horrendous staff quality, and an out of the way location I...

Our stay at the Medellín Marriott Hotel was disappointing in several ways, particularly when it came to basic functionality and service. While the property itself is nice, the experience didn’t meet the expectations I have for a Marriott of this level.

Serious Room Issues & Poor Response from Staff

From the moment we checked into Room 417, there were problems. The shower never got hot, though the sink had hot water, proving it wasn’t a hotel-wide issue. On top of that, the toilet didn’t flush well, which added to the frustration. For the price of this hotel, hot water and a functioning bathroom should be a given. Instead, we had to deal with cold or lukewarm showers for two nights.

When I brought this up to the front desk, I was assured via the Marriott app that we’d be moved to a different room the next day. But when I went to the front desk in the morning to switch, the associate, Leandro, didn’t even pull up my reservation or look into my concerns before immediately dismissing the request. I had to push back and explain the conversation I had via the app the night before, at which point he finally agreed to move us—after initially saying it wasn’t possible. The whole process felt unnecessarily difficult. I don’t expect special treatment, but I do expect basic follow-through on service promises and an effort to resolve clear issues.

Once we were finally moved to Room 1111, everything worked fine—proving that we shouldn’t have had to suffer through two nights in a broken room in the first place.

Concierge Lounge – Strange Drink Policy

The concierge lounge had a great food selection in the evenings, which was a nice touch. However, I found it odd that they limit guests to just two beers or two glasses of wine per night. We had a packed itinerary in Medellín, so drinking more wasn’t really a priority—it’s the principle of it that felt off. Most international Marriott lounges offer drinks freely during evening service, and it’s rare to see restrictions like this outside of the U.S. It just came across as unnecessarily cheap for a hotel of this standard.

Slow Service & Lack of Attention to Requests

Another issue was how long it took to get anything done. Requests made through the Marriott app were frequently ignored until I followed up multiple times, and even then, they often took hours to be addressed. At a high-end Marriott property, I expect a certain level of responsiveness, and this was far below standard.

Staff – Mixed Experiences

While my experience with the front desk was frustrating, Juan David was a standout. He personally delivered our new room keys, helped move our luggage, and was one of the friendliest, most professional employees we interacted with. The breakfast staff was also great—attentive, welcoming, and happy to make eggs to order while keeping fresh coffee flowing.

Final Thoughts

The biggest problem with this hotel is consistency. Some staff members were fantastic, while others seemed disinterested in helping guests. The room issues, slow service, and unnecessary hurdles at the front desk overshadowed what could have been a great stay.

For comparison, we stayed at the Santa Marta Marriott right after this, and the service was night and day—efficient, proactive, and much more in line with what I expect from the brand. Medellín Marriott needs to improve its responsiveness, staff training, and basic guest experience before I would consider...

Have you ever bought a new car and loved that "new car smell?" When you enter this hotel, you can feel how new and pristine it is. The decor is modern, contemporary and minimalist. Earth tones are throughout the building which gives it a warm feeling. The staff are exceptional and personalable. Thank you to Juan Carlos at check-in; Luisana, Diego and Juan Fernando in The Market; Kevin in Nau. All went out of there way to make us feel welcomed. I would also like to mention the great work Housekeeping did in our room to keep our room clean.

We had a number of meals in The Market and Nau. The breakfast buffet in The Market had alot of options. The omelettes and freshly cut fruit were fantastic. There are many American and Latin foods to choose from. If you have lunch or dinner in The Market, there are a variety of foods to choose from; salads, pasta, burgers, sandwiches, pizza, steak, fish, etc. Be sure to try their lunch-time salad bar buffet. Nau is an Asian restaurant serving great sushi as well.

We had a standard room, which was compact. For us, that was fine. The view overlooking the city and mountains could not have been better. The storage and closet space was great. Thermostat was easy to use, unlike some other hotels.

If you are a work-out nut like me, you will love the gym! Very large with modern equipment; cardiovascular, free weights, machines, and mats. The cardiovascular equipment have video screens, but these are different. It is like having your own tablet in front of you. You can access TV, YouTube, Tune-In Radio, Facebook and search the web. I may be forgetting a few options. What is also nice about this gym are the large windows. Water and fresh fruit are available as well.

Adjacent to the gym is the Spa. This is where I got a bit frusturated. My partner and I were interested in a massage. The receptionist at the Spa gave us the brochure/price list but wrote-in a higher rate than what was printed. When we questioned this, she called a gentleman on the telephone who could translate for us. He had an attitude of "take it or leave it." Well, at that moment, the hotel lost Spa business from us because of two issues; the price on the brochure was not correct and the attitude of the person on the telephone was pretty bad. Obviously, I am not going to let this effect the overall rating of the hotel.

As far as its location, simply perfect. You are within minutes of restaurants, shops, grocery, etc. There is a mega size mall about 10 minutes by foot. The hotel is located on a residential street, away from city noise. I would like to return to Medellin in the future and will definitley stay here again!

I almost forgot to mention Diana at the Front Desk. After we departed, we left an item in our room. I spoke to her a few times on the telephone to coordinate the shipment of my item. Very helpful and...