La Mansión — Hotel in Baja California

I have been staying here for 10 years now, every time I visit Tijuana. I have even stayed here for extended periods of time before.

The last time I will ever stay there was on Thursday, May 7, 2015.

When leaving my room, they went to check the room as usual before handing my ID back. I have always worried about this in the past, but after a while, after coming to know that La Mansion was an honest place of business, I no longer worried about it.

This time was a different story. They came back and told me that there were cigarette burns in the carpet. This is ridiculous, because I do not tend to just put cigarettes out on the carpet of either myself or other people.

There were 3 ashtrays in the room and I use them.

They would not let me see the damage. They would barely talk to me about what was going on, only talk amongst themselves or stare at each other or smile at each other. It was obvious that they were making it up to extort money out of me. And that is what it was -- extortion -- because they would not give my ID back until I paid them.

They wanted 500 pesos. This seems relatively inexpensive for this kind of damage, but OK. I told them I did not have it, that I had to go get it. I needed my ID to do that. I heard them talk amongst themselves and change the price to 200 pesos, though they never told this to me. It is funny that they could consider changing the price for damage like this. Are prices for damage not the kinds of prices that are generally set and cannot be changed? One would think. I guess they thought if they could not steal all they wanted from me, they would try to at least get something.

But I did not have that either. So they still talked amongst themselves, making it clear that I was not allowed to leave, and they were not giving me my ID.

So now they told me that if I wanted to leave and go get their money, they would have to hold onto my ID and my cell phone. I initially said no, but then I realized I was never going to be able to leave, so I just gave it to them. I had dropped it on the ground a couple nights before and broken the screen anyway, though it was still usable and you could still see most of what was on the screen. But I had already ordered a new replacement phone that was a few days away from arriving. So I restored the phone to factory default settings, deleting all of my data, and took out my microSD card which I think cost more than the phone itself -- this was just a $140 Moto E carrier unlocked that I use for traveling. Why? Because of situations like this, though I never imagined this exact one happening.

I am not going back with their 500 pesos, because it is not THEIRS, they just concocted an elaborate plan to get some money for themselves that day. The person that I was with in the hotel agrees and knows that neither of us put cigarettes out on the carpet. I would rather them just keep my phone and my ID, which is thankfully a driver license and not a passport (I give them the less important ID on purpose). I can replace that for $20, the phone has already been replaced and for a reason other than this, and they cannot do much with any of this. Perhaps they can get the 500 pesos by selling my broken phone.

I know one thing, though. I am not going to be the one to give it to them. And obviously neither will I ever be their customer again. Congratulations on ruining a customer relationship that has lasted 10 years over 500 pesos, when I have spent well over $2,000 there, just off the top of my head calculating the number of rooms I have probably rented and the average amount I pay for the ridiculously priced room service every time I stay there.

BEWARE, this could happen to you, too. I have already notified my friend in San Diego, who was the first person to introduce me to La Mansion ten years ago, and he has notified all of his friends who stay there. I thought this Yelp review plus a Google review would be...

I used to love this place but its going downhill fast. Pros: 24 hr food service with pretty decent food Most rooms have been rennovated Good location close to the border and rapida

Cons: Some rooms infested with mosquitos. Some employees will steal your change if you order food and dont ask for your change. The newly rennovated rooms have very large pillows that are very uncomfortable to sleep with. Poor wifi signal Poor cable TV signal in the majority of rooms. -Some rooms need plumbing maintenance.(showers that constantly drip, broken plumbing under faucet, runny toilets)

A year ago most of the "Cons" did not exist. They are not making the proper investments and will run the hotel into the ground.

The only reason I still come here once in a while is because of the good food and 24hr service. But when I dont need that I go to...

Update Sept 8, 2021 Finally started renovating the rooms and it looks nice. (Pics added)

Used to be great when the place was new but now its barely average. Rooms look great until you take a closer look. Theres alot of other places that are better. CONS: rooms are not very clean or sanitized, theres alot of dust, furniture is old dirty and stained, tv remotes are filthy (bring alcohol wipes), no cable tv, wifi only works in the rooms close to the office, towels are looking old, half used toilet paper, infested with mosquitos. PROS: good location, private garage, large jacuzzi, spacious bathroom/shower, beds are comfortable, a/c and heating, 24hr kitchen and the food isnt bad, blackout curtains, Sun after 8pm-Thurs the standard rooms are for the entire night until 2pm...