GHL Hotel Montería — Hotel in Montería

We stayed here for 8 nights, first impressions on arrival at check in with the staff were good with the usual local drink handed to us.||We were shown to our room, the room looked like your average hotel room and we thought the curtains were closed to keep the room cool, but after opening them we realised there was no view at all, the windows were poor fitting so didn’t keep all the heat out, there was a wall directly in front of the window and the shopping mall below, as soon as the mall opens there is the noise of smoothie machines grinding away below, kids screaming from a play park in the mall and music blaring, thankfully we don’t spend all day in the room.||There was the usual notice about fire regulations on the door, except the smoke alarm was missing from our room, with just the base and bare wires left.||Several spotlights in the ceiling didn’t work and nor did one of the bedside lights the entire time we were there.||The room was kept clean though I’m not sure how often we had the sheets changed, I know this because on a couple of occasions the same marks were on the sheets for a few days.||There was often a problem with acquiring clean towels, on a couple of occasions we managed to catch the maid before she finished her rounds and ask for the towels that were missing, one day we didn’t receive any by the evening so had to ask at reception, really not sure of the reason why they’re not replaced when the room is cleaned, the same goes for the complimentary water, most days there wasn’t any, so we gave up and bought some from a local supermarket.|| Breakfast was ok and the staff were polite, although you have to chase them for coffee refills.||We had dinner one evening which was good, but as we were the only people in the restaurant then maybe there was no reason for it not to be.||The rooftop pool and the surrounding area is great with an amazing view across Monteria, although a couple of parasols would be useful to shade from the sun.||You need to be aware that the hotel rents the rooftop area out for private parties, so on at least 3 days the pool closed early for hotel guests and one day there was a noisy party during the day.||Pool towels are scarce, you have to chase for them and most days there we weren’t offered any we no facility to get them yourself.||One of the maids knocked on our door one afternoon under the pretext of asking if everything was ok then told us she wouldn’t be there for the rest of our stay, she then just stood there with a smile, so my husband presumed she was waiting for tip, this was after she’d been given a gift earlier...

This is a superior hotel for sure. This hotel goes the extra mile when it comes to service. When I first entered the hotel coming from the airport, I found refreshing cold water with different flavours waiting for me. The check in was delayed little bit as they were trying to find my reservation. The whole hotel is decorated to reflect the culture of Colombia … I was assigned a room on the “Diversidad” floor. When you enter the elevator, a very nice smell greets you. Every happy helper smiles and greets you. Buffet was diversified and tasty … as always my favorite part of the breakfast buffet is sliced fresh fruits for my fruit salad. I loved the color and shape of plates and coffee cups …continuation of this magical experience. The room was just awesome … comfy beds/pillows, mini bar (expensive like other hotels, I suggest not using it and buying your water, juice and snacks from Exito in the adjacent Mall), mini fridge, safe , coffee/tea making machine. My room had window overseeing the Mall … very cool. The hotel has a door that leads to the Alamedas Shopping Mall … the Mall has everything that you need: Gym, Cafe , Ice Cream, Food, Exito , money exchange , …. Special recognition for happy helper Omar as he was super kind and helpful to me… and he knew little English. Though, happy helper Angel is the only one who speaks...

I will also be writing a review for Orbitz and Expedia.

This was my first trip to Colombia. Check-in was easy but only one staff member could speak English. This was a challenge. The room was okay. There was a lot of noise so difficult to sleep due to live music running past midnight. One evening this ran until 2:00 am. I did not have hot water in my shower. I did tell the front desk personal and somebody did come up and look into the issue. They fixed the hot water in the seek but not the shower. There was a Kleenex box in the bathroom but not Kleenex. One evening some friends walked me home and wanted to come up to my room for 15 minutes to say good night and make sure all was well. The front desk clerk was very rude and told them they could not come up to the room. This was very strange for me. This was a friend who is a professional teacher that I have known for 8 years. I did mention it the next day and was told that I can have a guest spend the night if I pay extra? Very strange. In general I would say the visit was average. I am planning to go back to Monteria in April for a week but will most likely seek...