Holiday Inn Express San Jose Costa Rica Airport by IHG — Hotel in Río Segundo

BIG RED FLAG!!!||STAY AWAY FROM THIS PLACE. THEY TAKE ADVANTAGE OF GUESTS WHEN THEY SEE AN OPPORTUNITY.||||Staff is completely USELESS AND UNPROFESSIONAL, too many reviews with apologies from mistakes they made. BIG RED FLAG.||In our case, I prepaid in advance (1 month before) for a family member who needed a night close to the airport. Location can't be more convenient. These people are very proactive when it comes to charge your card. Transaction seemed flawless, they send a link to pay via PayPal and received an email confirmation from their business address informing the reservation was FULLY PAID, in Spanish language.||My family member arrived, NO RECORD OF PAYMENT, even with PROOF OF PAYMENT AND PRINTED CONFIRMATION, they guy at the front desk literally didn't know how handle it, other than "PAY AGAIN OR YOU CAN'T STAY". Not many options left for a guest that's alone, does not know the area or the language, and didn't do anything wrong. A SECOND CHARGE WAS FORCED BY THESE INCOMPETENTS.||||My nightmare began when I tried contacting these hotel from Canada (international calling), no one picks up the phone, voice mail was not working, central office at IHG USA can't do anything, Booking.com directed me back to the same phone number I was using. 3 hours later, someone's finally picks up but as usual, don't know sh**t, I requested a MANAGER immediately. Their new approach: left me on the phone ON HOLD FOR 40 MIN, coming back every 5 or 10 min to see if I was still there, no talk, just pick up and back to music. Frustrating, expensive and useless.||WE FELT ROBBED, IGNORED, SPAT IN THE FACE, TAKEN ADVANTAGE AND NO ONE CARED.||Several emails were sent demanding a full Reimbursement, I was not going to let this go and happen to other guests in the same/similar situation. Demanded to have minimum decency to reverse these charges.||||A response via email was received more than 10 hours later apologizing for their "system error" and explaining their staff (those that forced the second charge) took the case to a manager once the office was opened. The response came with a copy of an interact receipt showing the amount charged was finally credited.||We are yet to see this credit in the transaction list from the card (it's the weekend).||Nothing else was addressed, no other part of this nightmare was acknowledged.||||This is NOT ONLY a system error, it's malicious acts, full incompetence, voluntary actions from SEVERAL idiots in their staff negatively impacting vulnerable guests and taking their money without authorization. AND THEY ARE OK WITH IT until someone pushes back and hard.||||THERE IS NO SECOND CHANCE FOR SUCH A TERRIBLE PLACE WITH HORRIBLE PEOPLE.||||NEVER...

We can't heap enough praise on the staff at the Holiday Inn Express in Alajuela: from the drivers of the free shuttle buses, to the staff in the dining area, to the support staff who helped us with various things, to the housekeeping staff, to the representative of the tour company that had a desk at the hotel, they were all excellent.

Situated incredibly close to the airport, this hotel provides free and frequent shuttles to and from Juan Santamaria International Airport (these buses depart roughly every 15 minutes). If you need to withdraw cash, there's an ATM at the nearby casino. The front desk staff are also able to exchange foreign currency into Costa Rican colon.

Breakfast is included and there is a large selection of items to choose from every morning, even for those who don't eat meat. Particular thanks go to Raul in the dining area, who went above and beyond to make our breakfasts memorable and delicious. Thank you, Raul, for your kindness and hospitality -- we are very grateful. Thanks, too, to Minor, who always provided us with fresh coconuts at breakfast, which was the perfect way to start our days. We didn't see Chef Sandra often (she was too busy working hard behind-the-scenes), but her food was consistently great and we appreciated that there was a variation to the menu from one day to the next.

The lady who was assigned to our room from Housekeeping was called Geline and she was really lovely. My Spanish is very basic, but we were still able to understand one another!

Broken a shoe? No problem! We'll take care of it. Your safe isn't unlocking? Fear not, we'll get it working again. No job was too big or too small for the staff to handle.

The WiFi in the hotel is great and each room has air-conditioning. Even though I didn't use it, the pool looked really inviting, and the surrounding area is a good place to relax -- I liked sitting there and watching the planes fly overhead! If you're hungry at any time, in addition to room service, there are also multiple restaurants within walking distance of the hotel, one of which is open 24 hours.

I must also mention Jolene, who represented Alsama Tours at the Holiday Inn Express. She helped us put together a number of day trips and no job was too difficult for her. She was very friendly, chatty and bubbly, and she even treated us to a Costa Rican classic: a Churchill cocodrilo!

We would happily stay here again and we'd highly recommend this Holiday Inn Express to anyone going...

December 2024 update - third visit: My wife and I have been fortunate to visit Costa Rica three times during the past six years: For each of those visits, we have arrived at the San Jose airport in the evening and gone directly to this Holiday Inn Express, where our lodging experience has been excellent. The staff has been friendly and helpful, our room has been comfortable and clean, and we have enjoyed the breakfast immensely. I recommend this hotel highly to others. We have been grateful to ride the free shuttle offered by the hotel from the airport. This visit, a kind stranger helped us find where to board it: its location was apart from the other shuttle pick-up spots, which we had not expected; I recommend that you call the hotel staff and ask them to explain to you where to find it.

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March 2023 update - second visit: Excellent first night in Costa Rica! Our room was comfortable and well-furnished; it and the hotel overall were in splendid condition. The breakfast was delicious: so many wonderful options. We appreciated especially the friendliness and helpfulness of the staff - the man who works in the breakfast area, in particular: Thank you, all.

++++++++++++ 2018 My wife and I were fortunate to lodge here twice in April - the night that we arrived in Costa Rica for our first visit and, ten days later, the night prior to our departure: so convenient in relation to the airport, and such an easy trip via the shuttle provided by the hotel. Every staff member who assisted us was friendly, professional, and capable; our room was comfortable, and it and the entire interior of the building were attractive. The complimentary breakfast was...