Paul T.
Yelp
Don't be a victim.
While we were eating lunch in the hotel restaurant, the front desk manager requested permission to enter our room to calibrate the heater. Having left valuables in the room, we declined permission, asking them to wait until our return. But when we returned, we discovered he had entered without permission. I went to the office and spoke to the owner, who accused me of smoking marijuana in the room. He told me we would be allowed to rent the room for a second day, but would be charged a two-day penalty for smoking in a nonsmoking room. He claimed the room would not be habitable for two days because of the indelible smell. The charge for a two-day stay is 1,350 pesos.
The current bank rate of exchange is over 20 pesos per dollar, and few businesses in Tijuana give less than 19 per dollar, but Villa de Zaragoza's rate is just 18 per dollar, a 10% surchange.
My companion had reserved the room on a credit card. The next morning, I told the office manager we would not pay such a substantial penalty, a whopping $150US, as there was no smell at all in the room and therefore no damages. He did not dispute the lack of smell or the presence of actual damages, but insisted we would be charged $150 regardless for having violated the rental contract.
He threatened to call the police, and said I had committed an illicit act. I said I was not afraid, as an officer could verify there was no smell or other damages to the room. My companion called the credit card company, but was not able to contact a rep before having to leave for work, already quite late. No police arrived.
I waited an hour before paying the bill. The manager appeared to relent on the penalty charge, but said the hotel would have us blackballed at all other hotels in Baja California. I paid the bill in cash dollars (costing me an extra 300 pesos, or $15, a 10% gouge) due to the unfavorable exchange rate, and was given a receipt showing "deposit or partial payment". I objected, and requested an invoice showing full payment. I requested paperwork confirming inspection showed no damages or loss. I also requested assurance that my companion's credit card would not be charged. The managed refused, and would not even give me his name.
Later in the day, my companion's bank confirmed Villa de Zaragoza had charged a two-day stay in the room to the credit card about 15 minutes prior to accepting my cash payment.
