InterContinental Real San Pedro Sula by IHG — Hotel in San Pedro Sula

Positive feedback

Joshua was very helpful, and coordinated with InterContinental-Tegucigalpa to ensure I had transportation from the airport to the hotel.

The young woman who checked me in on Friday afternoon (02/11/2022), was very friendly and efficient. She checked me in in no time and offered outstanding customer service. I wish I had her name to provide to you so that you may recognize her for her professionalism, but you can prob find out who checked me in on 02/11/22 from your records.

Issues during stay ~

(1) During my stay, I went to the salon and placed a call to my room because I needed to speak with a family member. I specifically asked the operator to be transferred to room number —-. The operator then asked me: “so you want to speak to ———- “ and she identified me by name. I think this is a security breach and potential threat because anyone (including criminals) can call up and ask to be transferred to any room number without necessarily having a name, and the operator will actually provide the guest’s name and not even ask who is calling. No other hotel I know of would do something so careless. This needs to be corrected immediately for the safety of guests. Your protocols for operators need to change immediately and/or you should have dedicated operators who know what they are doing, instead of having various staff taking turns at answering phones, as I understand that's what's happening.

(2) My room keys failed every day, so I had to spend time in line to get them re-coded. The hotel really needs to employ more people, instead of expecting one person to do the job of 3 in reception. Five months ago (in September), we experienced the same issue, having to spend up to 15 minutes in line. I’m an Ambassador-level member, and we’re supposed to have our own dedicated line, not have to waste our time in line behind others. It’s like our Ambassador-level is worthless in SPS. This is very disappointing and I’ll be complaining to your headquarters in El Salvador, because this is an ongoing issue now for at least 2 years in a row.

(3) Another issue with the SPS location is the failure of employees to answer the phone or email communications when trying to verify confirmation details from overseas. I’ve had to contact the international Ambassador line to have them call the hotel to reach the front desk. I understand this is an issue because the hotel is UNDER-STAFFED because management expects one person to do the job of several. I don’t know why management is cutting corners (not wanting to hire a more realistic number of employees to cover reception).

I am complaining because I am a loyal InterContinental client, and I’ve stayed at this hotel chain in several locations in Europe, North America, and of course Honduras. The SPS location is the only one that’s consistently disappointing in that it fails to meet the high standards to which hotel clientele are accustomed. It seems every time I stay in SPS, there are issues. If you look back on my prior reviews from past years you will note this concerning trend.

(4) Last but not least, I like to eat breakfast in the outdoor space by the pool. The only problem is that the area is generally filthy from the night before, especially on weekends. I’ll usually have breakfast around 8-9 am, and the tables have still not been cleaned at that hour, the chairs are still scattered, and the floors filthy with trash and debris from the prior day. This is really disheartening, because nothing has changed since we were here in September, 2021 and complained about the exact same issues. It’s a matter of basic hygiene, or lack thereof. Please correct this because such substandard practices really damage the reputation of this chain. It makes one wonder: if this is happening in full view, what corners are being cut behind the scenes and out-of-view? Hygiene and order are priorities for any business establishment, but not at SPS. The...

The staff are all very helpful and go out of their way to make your stay a pleasant one. I stayed at this same hotel back in September, 2022, and my only observation is that they may be cutting corners in the general maintenance of the hotel. For example, back in September, I mentioned to the front desk that the curtains in the room had some very ugly stains and maybe they needed to clean them, or replace them. That has not been done, so now 2 months later, I basically had to wash my hands every time I opened or closed the curtains, because they are visibly soiled and disgusting to look at . . . This time around, I also mentioned that the phone does not work in the room, so hopefully they’ll repair that so that next time around it’s not an issue.

The executive level/Club staff are outstanding, and I compliment the hotel for the continuity of service by the same staff. It helps to keep the same staff in those positions because they remember your tastes and preferences. They were very accommodating and helpful. I would request that going forward, the SPS Inter contact the Tegucigalpa Inter and get their recipe for making the green juice that’s served every morning with breakfast. The green juice in Tegucigalpa is AMAZING, as it apparently has several ingredients including: celery, spinach, ginger, pineapple juice, apple juice, even watermelon juice! The green juice in SPS apparently is just celery, spinach and filtered water. It’s basically green-colored water. I request that you please make the juice like the one they serve in Tegucigalpa for the sake of consistency of service. Yes, it may cost more to make, but we pay the same price to stay at your hotel that we pay in Tegucigalpa and should receive similar services.

The Bamboo restaurant is very good, and their buffet is well-worth the price. A la carte is also a great option and I recommend the caracol soup which is one of their specialties. Kudos to the kitchen staff for their hard work! Don Feliciano, Sabas, Roberto, and Oscar offer outstanding service at Bamboo, as do the other staff. (Apologies as I don’t remember everyone’s names). At the reception desk, the staff there were very attentive and polite. They work fast, efficiently and are always professional and supportive of guest needs.

Lastly, I will just mention that had to go to a nearby beauty salon that’s less than 5 minutes away. The reception desk informed me that the drivers should charge only L120 (approximately $4.88). I got into the cab driven by “Adonai” and he informed me the charge was L200 (about $8 – I have the receipt if you need to see it). On the ride back “Juan” charged me L170 (about $7), so this type of inconsistency reeks of the drivers trying to extract every last cent out of visitors from other countries. It felt discriminatory and abusive to me, so I reported these exorbitant prices to the front desk of the hotel so they can talk to these drivers that feel they can exploit people just because we come visit the country from overseas.

If the hotel is going to give business to these drivers, then some sort of PRICE UNIFORMITY needs to be put in place. I honestly have to wonder whether I was fleeced by these drivers because I’m a female? Because I’m visiting from overseas, or both? It’s not right and this needs to be addressed immediately. These drivers need to charge the same prices as other local drivers who only charge between L90-L120. They think they can charge whatever they want with no justification whatsoever and that needs to be regulated. Prices need to be fixed and the hotel should develop a price chart for reference for all visitors so we know what is a reasonable fee to pay for the varying zones in the city. Thank you for your time...

Compliments ~

We take an opportunity to commend you on four outstanding employees who deserve every opportunity for recognition: Karen in housekeeping who cleaned our room did a spectacular job. She was pleasant, courteous and professional. She worked quickly, but efficiently and left everything sparkling.

Your employee Karen in the Club has a great personality for the job. She is a hard worker, courteous and professional; she’s also highly motivated which is very important for someone in this position. Please keep her working in the Club, as that is a perfect fit for her. This is a very important position at the hotel, and can only be performed by someone who is highly capable, professional, respectful and diplomatic. I’m happy to say that Karen meets and exceeds those requirements.

Likewise, I was very impressed with Edgar in your main restaurant downstairs. He is efficient, professional, service-oriented, and motivated, which is the most important part in this job. He’s very respectful and we appreciated his approach to the job. I’m glad to hear he’s the Team Leader at the restaurant as he certainly is quite capable. I only wish the rest of the employees in the main restaurant were as efficient and professional as he is.

Last but not least, Oscar was very helpful in getting our luggage out to the car upon check out. He’s a very courteous employee and we were glad that he was working on the day we checked out, because it would have posed a huge inconvenience to have to take all our luggage down ourselves.

Issues ~

(1) I could hear footsteps upstairs above Room 705, presumably from the uncarpeted Presidential Suite. Someone wearing heels and dragging furniture around 11.00 pm on Friday, Sept. 24. Please don’t ever assign us again to the 7th floor, especially a room under the Presidential Suite which is uncarpeted so you hear the noise upstairs.

(2) The bathroom sliding door was unhinged on the bottom, so it does not open or close properly; please fix it.

(3) The large, main mirror in the bathroom doesn’t illuminate, as it appears to be burned out. It should be repaired because I couldn’t do my makeup with improper lighting;

(4) The closet door makes a creaking noise that can wake anyone up. Please apply some oil to it.

(5) Upon check in on Thursday, there wasn’t anyone available to assist me with my luggage and take it to my room; I had to make two trips to get my luggage. What would happen to an elderly or disabled guest unable to manage their own luggage?

(6) Internet access was spotty at best, as WiFi continually disconnected me. I had better WiFi at a local salon (Yolanda’s) and restaurant (Lindamar) than at the SPS InterCon, which was a huge disappointment. I never experienced any such problem at the Tegucigalpa InterCon.

(7) I specifically requested Room 807 to be assigned to me one month prior to my arrival, but this request was not met despite my being an Ambassador member for several years, who has loyally stayed at the InterCon in 2 continents. Every other hotel meets my requests except SPS, and I have to wonder WHY is it so hard to assign me to the room I request?

Thank you for taking the time...