José Ramón Venero Matanzas
Google
I stayed at this supposed 4 star property for 12 nights. At best it is a 2.5 star hotel and lacking in many areas. Let me preface my remarks by saying that I am 40 year veteran of commercial property management and had the opportunity to train other property managers on 4 continents towards an internationally recognized credential.
To begin with, this is the first 4* property in a major international city where the reception desk people did not speak decent English. Did not ever have this issue in the PRC or 10 other countries countries in which I have worked. Personally, I am a U.S. national and speak 5 languages.
The room itself (710) was long overdue for a hard turnover as its furniture was badly worn and upholstery in one chair was badly soiled. The desk chair had a noticeable tear in the seat pan. The bed was comfortable and the bottom sheet replaced each day. The top was a duvet which was not.
The bathroom was also dated and the tub was several centimeters higher than the finished floor making it awkward (and potentially dangerous) in getting into and out of the tub/shower. There was a drain water backup for several days until, I assume, housekeeping and engineering resolved the issue.
Towels were sufficient, soft, and changed daily. There was a broken garment hook on the back of the bathroom door which was never replaced. Coat hangers were in short supply but were resolved promptly
The hotel offers a buffet breakfast for 30 USD. You have to first go to the lobby to pay for it and staff provides a chit. All of the food was cold...very cold which in some countries because of health reasons, would have been removed from the serving line. The Chef was kind enough to prepare steamed milk for my latte as the coffee machine did not. I asked the attendant who said there was no milk to be had. I asked that person to ask the chef and the matter was resolved.
Given this experience, I ate off-property thereafter with the exception of Starbucks for breakfast each morning running between 15 and 20 USD each day. Everyone at this massive Starbucks were delightful except one associate whose name badge identified themselves as "Snoopy". I would remand this person to more training especially since all associates are customer facing.
So all in all, an A- for Location, a C for Service, and a D for Accommodations and Comfort.
Safe travels everyone!