Hotel Boutique Bovedas de Santa Clara By Accor 4 estrelas

I recently had a reservation at the Hotel Boutique Bovedas de Santa Clara By Accor in Cartagena, Colombia and unfortunately, I have to share my experience to warn other travelers. I booked my stay on Expedia and received a confirmation of my rate. However, upon arriving at the hotel, I was informed that they would not honor the rate and attempted to charge me 90% more than what I had booked. I felt like I was being scammed, and it was a terrible start to my trip. I decided to document my experience and share it with others to prevent them from being caught in a similar situation. I was extremely disappointed in the lack of professionalism and honesty displayed by the hotel staff. You can see my video on YouTube by typing scam and the hotel name. I hope that the hotel takes steps to ensure that this does not happen to other guests in the future. Overall, I would not recommend staying at this hotel due to the risk of being scammed. It's a shame that a hotel chain like Accor would allow such unethical behavior to occur.

We had a beautiful room and they let us check in early which was appreciated. The Hotel shares facilities with the Sofitel Santa Clara and we were able to enjoy all the services that they offer including the breakfast and the swimming pool. The breakfast is served round the fabulous cloister of the old convent in the centre of which is a lush tropical garden with towering palm trees and exotic bird calling to each other. The pool is large and the sunbeds spaced to feel private . The staff are all well trained, smartly dressed and charming. Special mention must go to Cristian who was so helpful and ready to assist us. He arranged transport, booked restaurants and gave general advice on all things local. Nothing was too much trouble. This hotel is well placed to explore and within walking distance of Getsemani . We strolled home at night enjoying the magical city of Cartagena never wanting to leave.

The people were wonderful. Very kind and The staff is so kind and helpful. The room was clean and modern. I wish the air conditioner was stronger to get the room to 67 degrees Fahrenheit. It stayed around 70 which is fine for most people. The open air feel of the hotel is such a change from the US. I loved it! The people made this stay exceptional. I would definitely recommend it.

As a silver member of All Accord hotels I expected a better room and service. The BAD: 1. previously scheduled transportation for airport pick up never showed up and had to take a taxi. 2. The room they gave me was depressing . Looked old and needs an upgrade. Since I had multiple reservations throughout this trip I requested and upgrade and was denied. 3. The hotel in general seems like it needs an upgrade. 4. For the money you pay you may be able to find something better in the old city. The GOOD: 1. Breakfast at the Santa Clara 2. Able to use amenities at the Santa Clara

We had a 2 night stay here and then added a 3rd night due to some flight changes. As someone who stays over 100 nights a year at hotels, I can say I was a bit disappointed with the service level at a boutique hotel that is part of a Sofitel. The first two nights we were given a great suite in the category we booked, wonderful room but not everything functioned as it should. The upstairs bath/shower water temperature dial did not work at all, it was either super hot or cold, no in between. That was not a big deal to me but just a maintenance issue that needed to be addressed. When we tired to re-check in for our third night is when things got a bit off. The front desk told us that they were not sure how we got a reservation since they were overbooked and made me feel like it was my fault for booking it online. We were told we had to move rooms and not given a lot of time to do so. Only when I pushed them on my ALL status did they agree to give us more time and a discount for moving rooms. The front desk seemed much more concerned about their Time Share people than the All Elite Guest. We moved to a much smaller room and then I found out that they had been charging us for coffee and water the entire time. Our first room had no QR code or note that they would charge, but I saw it in the second room. I questioned the Front Desk and they said that "no, it is not complementary". To be honest I was totally shocked. A Sofitel property that is charging guest for bottled water and coffee ... that seems a bit cheep for the brand. The bottled water I can understand when in a place where you are sure the water is safe to drink but I have never been charged for in-room coffee, even at the lowest end hotels I have stayed at. Good news is the front desk did not process the coffee charges when we checked out, but still the idea of being charged for coffee pods that are in your room is unacceptable for a high end hotel. Check-out worked well and I think it was done by one of the managers. I recommend the hotel for its locations but at almost $300 USD a night, it needs some improvement in staff attitude toward guest and amenities given in the rooms. A guest should never be made to feel like a reservation they made that the hotel has a hard time honoring his the guest fault. My recommendation for the Hotel Boutique Bovedas is to fully adopt the Sofitel level of service and not try to be something different.