Hotel & Rooftop King Experience by David

The rooftop bar has an amazing view, and the hotel's location is excellent for exploring central Quito. The staff were very nice, and the hotel and rooms have been refurbished and decorated nicely. The price was very good, and they didn't ask us to pay in cash or pay twice. I was unsure after reading some confusing reviews right before we arrived, but everything went smoothly. We enjoyed our stay enough to come back two weeks later.

Just a couple of blocks from the historic center, the location was hard to beat, and apparently some of Quito's best restaurants are only a block away. The hotel was quiet despite being so close. This was one of my favorite hotel stays across all my travels. The staff did everything they could to make us comfortable, even keeping our bags after checkout. Our room was gorgeous, with a comfortable bed, lovely bathroom, and seating area. Breakfast was nice every morning, and the rooftop bar had phenomenal views. We stayed several days and had a great time each day. The complimentary welcome drink at the rooftop bar was a lovely extra.

It was very cold in the room, and we had to bundle up in several layers and jackets. When we asked for a heater, reception said in the afternoon that they'd bring one that evening, but later told us all the heaters were broken. Cleanliness was also unacceptable: there were stains on the bed, hair in the bedding, no bath towels when we arrived, and an empty soap dispenser in the shower. Reception said the towels were still in the dryer, which seemed strange. At checkout we tried to pay $4 for two small bottles of water, $2 each. We offered a $20 bill, but the receptionist had no change. When we offered to pay by card, he said that wasn't possible, then suggested the water would be free if we wrote a good Booking review. We were willing to pay and found the situation very inappropriate. Reviews should reflect what really happened, so I'm sharing our experience. Our stay at Hotel King Experience in Quito was unfortunately very disappointing.

I wanted to like this place, but the stay left us uneasy and only a few dozen dollars out of pocket. On our way from the airport, we read the negative Google Maps reviews and started to worry. We had booked through booking.com more than a week earlier, then messaged there to change the booking from one night to two after our plans shifted. It all seemed settled, but on arrival we were told only one night was booked and the hotel was full the next night. Instead of acknowledging a mistake, David said there was water damage in our assigned room, so he'd put us in another room for free and see what he could do the next day. He also asked us to pay cash, with a price 25% higher than booking.com listed, calling the difference “City tax.” We both felt we were being lied to. The place was a strange, lavish manor, with a balustrade, chandelier, and a diamond horse in the middle. It felt deserted apart from David, who greeted us affably. We went looking for the “rooftop experience,” wandering through the empty house until we found an elevator to the third floor. It was dark up there, though the room was furnished with tables and chairs. A wide window looked over the city hills, streetlights glowing like yellow stars under cloudy skies, with a church looming on a hill. My girlfriend stopped me from going further because it felt too much like trespassing. The elevator beeped urgently, and we left. Later, an employee said the restaurant was also “in reparation.” We enjoyed a sumptuous bath in our room, after checking every corner for hidden cameras. The bed was hard, and the chandelier changed color whenever we switched it on or off. Honestly, that part was kind of worth it. The next morning there was no update about the room, and we were expected to leave and find somewhere else. We also tried to cancel the booking for our return through Quito the following week. David said it was possible, then said no, and told us to contact booking.com to sort it out, which he promised would be trivial even though the reservation was listed as non-cancellable. We left feeling he might try to keep the booking.com money and rent the room to someone else. Strange experience, but we got out unharmed.