Arsenal Hotel

This is a nice hotel in a really great location. The room was spacious and comfortable. The pool area is fantastic but does not cater to vegetarians. The housekeeping service was generally good (but a bath and hand towel were not always given). Breakfast was dissapointing, tables were often left dirty and items not replaced leading us to eat on a dirty table on one occasion. Coffee and food options needs improving.

I stayed at Arsenal Hotel and was very impressed with the overall value. For the price, it’s a fantastic option in Cartagena. The location is hard to beat—right between the Walled City and the pier—so it’s easy to walk to most major attractions, restaurants, and nightlife spots. The room was clean and comfortable, and the staff was always friendly and helpful. The only small issue was the bathroom ventilation, which could be improved, but it didn’t take away from the overall experience. If you’re looking for a well-located hotel that offers good comfort at a fair price, Arsenal Hotel is a solid choice.

I’ve always liked this hotel and have stayed here four times, but my most recent 2-day stay was very disappointing. From the start, check-in was slow and poorly handled. The internet barely worked, and the TV didn’t work for two days straight, which was frustrating. I even asked to be moved to another room, but nothing was done to make me more comfortable or happier with my stay. The worst part, however, was the breakfast service. My wife and I ordered, waited over 30 minutes, and never received our food. When I asked again, I was told the order had never been placed and that the kitchen was already closed. We ended up leaving without breakfast, forced to go elsewhere to get the service and attention we deserved. During all this, the waiter ignored us completely and focused on cleaning tables instead of helping us. For a hotel I’ve been loyal to and returned to multiple times, this was unacceptable. The property itself is good, but the service has declined badly. Unless management makes real changes, guests like myself will continue to walk away frustrated and disappointed.

The good about the hotel: Great helpful staff. Room service is also great. Now the bad: My problem was with the concierge who booked a tour for us. Knowing that I did not speak Spanish, booked us with a Spanish tour who spoke no english. I requested a good boat for the tour, well the boat was overloaded and during rough sea, you or someone may land on you. My friend who was staying at a different hotel also booked and concierge made it like a couple tour and at the island, provided us a single sun bed. After complaining, the issue got resolved. The tour was to multiple islands, but we just went to one. From a 5 star hotel, I expected their concierge to book us a better tour. The cost was $100 each and the next day I had to book another and used Viator. Viator tour was $70 and took us to 4 islands. Also the boat was much better as we had our own seats. The hotel arranged tour messed us up not only the cost but also lost a day that we did not fully enjoy.

I had an amazing time at the GHL Arsenal Hotel, the staff was amazing and the location is a great spot with walking distance to main tourist spots. I would definitely come back in the future and I want to thank the staff for all the help especially Alfonso and Virginia. Along with all the staff they helped me set up an engagement ring proposal in the rooftop with breathtaking views and everything well organized. So it’s a top place to do special events as well, with a beautiful view from the pool and the city of Cartagena. Also, if you need to do tours for certain islands do it at the hotel because it is so much simple and confident.

We had such a wonderful stay in this hotel. The staff was very kind and friendly, the food was amazing, especially the breakfast buffet (you can even order some special things off the menu such as waffles, etc) and the perfect location with everything within walking distance. Old city was about 5 mins walk from the hotel and the fort/castle were a little further (about 20 mins). The pool is the best part of this place with amazing food and drinks served to you right there. We had a wonderful stay and the kids enjoyed the most.

This hotel was a lovely surprise in Cartagena! From the moment I walked in the hotel staff was super helpful! The room is very clean and the whole hotel smells amazing! Breakfast is excellent, a lot of options and everything tastes amazing! The pool area is also good! The location is perfect, you are in one of the best neighborhoods and also super close to the walled city and the marine to get the boat tours, everything is walking distance!

Rooms are clean and hotel is in a good location but overall, the hotel did not feel anywhere close to a 5 star standard and definitely not worth the price paid. Service was mixed - housekeeping were good but food service staff seemed untrained and were standing around chatting a lot. The pool was empty when we arrived yet we still had to go asking for for towels as they were not restocked or provided to us when we got there despite staff members standing there. We ordered drinks at the pool and they were given in old, stained plastic glasses. Food at the pool was very average - tried to order 3 different menu items before eventually being told there were out of all bread so there were very little options (this was in the middle of lunchtime). We did not try the main restaurant for dinner. Breakfast was not good. We went down at 9:15 (45 mins still left) and majority of the buffet items were empty and not replaced, We ordered off the menu instead and both meals were small portions, had no flavor and slow to arrive despite the place being very quiet. We went down at 8:15 the second day and there were still items already empty and not replaced. The “gym” advertised is tiny with only two machines, one of which was out of service while we were there but we were not notified of this - feels wrong to advertise a gym when there is only one working machine. Rooms do not have smart TVs so can’t watch any streaming services - we have stayed in multiple hostels in South America that have smart TVs so it was very surprising to see a 5 star hotel cannot provide such a basic amenity. I would say it is closer to a 3 star hotel so the price does not seem appropriate.