York Medellin, Curio Collection by Hilton

The rooftop bar is gorgeous, and I was lucky to get a room upgrade at check-in. The rooms are good, though I’d hoped the hotel would be more central since it’s a little out of the way. A few logistics need attention: the elevators take forever and are always full. Breakfast costs less if you request it at the front desk when checking in, but make sure they actually charge you then. They forgot to pre-charge me and tried to bill me double, which I wasn’t going to accept.

Room service was really good, and breakfast had plenty of food, fruit, and juice. The egg dishes were included in the buffet, though you had to ask the staff about them. We paid 99k pesos for breakfast for two, which felt like a good deal, but the arepa with cheese came with an extra 10k charge and couldn’t be added to the room bill. Room service couldn’t be charged to the room either. We stayed two nights and could park for free. The hotel was quiet when we arrived around 9pm, though the couple next door was noisy when they came back the following night. We had to ask for a hair dryer, and the shower glass door didn’t close properly because there was a gap beside the panel. There was also mold on the ceiling in room 1202. For the price and location, it seemed like a better choice than Marriott, Hilton, and other American chain hotels. We’d come back.

The rooftop pool and bar have lovely views, though the prices are steep and our waiter was unusually surly. Breakfast was broad in choice, with items made to order, but those options weren’t advertised anywhere. The hotel sits in a leafy, pleasant part of Medellin. Check-in was excellent, and they recognized my Hilton status with an upgrade. My room was spacious, well kept, and had everything I might need for either a short or longer stay. It was noisy, though they did provide earplugs.

The room and the restaurant and bar design were the highlights for me. The room was spacious, comfortable, and practical, with a kitchenette that could work well for a longer stay, though it was missing some basic utensils. I enjoyed the pool, and breakfast was good both in service and food quality. Staff across the hotel were polite and kept trying to help. The day-to-day service still needs work. At check-in, I waited around 5-7 minutes while 7-8 staff members chatted at reception. I was the only guest there, but no one acknowledged me until I awkwardly interrupted to say I was checking in. During the first four hours, it took 6-7 tries to get simple things sorted: extra pillows, water, coffee, and the right towels. Wi-Fi kept dropping, which was frustrating for work or streaming, and the elevator could take up to ten minutes to reach the 23rd floor. As a Diamond member, I didn’t feel very recognized compared with other hotels in the brand family. There was no clear welcome drink or notable welcome amenity beyond a small plate of profiteroles, and I felt I had to beg for basics like water. I also had to choose between extra points and breakfast, whereas I’m used to getting both. I did appreciate getting a late checkout, but it was presented as subject to availability even though the hotel markets it as guaranteed. At checkout, three young, friendly team members asked if the stay had met my expectations. It hadn’t, but they were so sweet and eager to please that I held back some of what I could have said. That, along with the quality of the property itself, leaves me open to giving York Medellín, Curio Collection by Hilton another chance. It feels like a well-designed new hotel with strong fundamentals, but its operations, responsiveness, and elite treatment need to catch up with the Curio name.