Real Intercontinental Tegucigalpa

The one hotel feature I was especially glad to find was a wired Ethernet connection. I plugged in my computer and mini router to make a private access point, used most of my usual network settings, and connected my devices without a WiFi login page. That let me keep my internet use as private as I like while traveling. Speeds were good too, so I could quickly upload an online photo gallery from an event I shot, with 33MP RAW and JPG images. The double room was roomy enough for two taller, larger people, with beds I slept very well in and pillows of different softness to switch between. The AC got us to the cooler sleeping temperature we prefer. The bathroom was decent, with a shower and bathtub combo, and the soap and conditioner worked well for my hair and body. The tub wall was higher than I'm used to, but being tall helped me manage it. Breakfast is free and has plenty of choices, including hot local favorites and international staples. The restaurants had lots of options, and the pool was great. The nearby bar was good for drinks and food. The hotel also has a lot to enjoy, with places to do things or shop just a short walk away, in a relatively decent area. One small annoyance was that the elevator key only allowed access to the floor for our room. It made it harder for my group to pass things between people on different floors. We had to go down to the lobby or ask someone on the same floor to collect things, which seemed odd for a hotel of this caliber. The room felt fantastic from the moment I arrived. I could rest well at the end of each day and get ready for the next morning, and the hotel supported that throughout my stay. Very good hotel.

The way Miguel, who works the night reception at the Intercontinental, treated us was shocking. He showed no empathy and spoke to us with real disrespect. The security guard backed him up and was no better. My 75 year old mother and I had traveled overnight from Nicaragua to Honduras. We planned to spend the day in Tegucigalpa, then catch our last bus to El Salvador. TICA bus check in takes place at the Intercontinental, so the morning before we traveled I called the hotel to ask if we could leave our bags and wait in the lobby after midnight. Tegucigalpa's streets don't feel safe at night. An employee on the morning shift said that would be fine and no problem. We took a taxi to leave our bags in storage, got a label from the man there, then took another taxi to explore Tegucigalpa and have dinner in Santa Lucia until midnight. When we returned, the security guard aggressively interrogated us as if we were beggars trying to get into the hotel. Miguel opened the storage room after we handed him the label, and we collected our bags. I explained that we had a TICA reservation and had been told to check in at the Intercontinental. He said check in wasn't until 4am. I said we'd wait on a sofa in the lounge for four hours, since the bar and restaurant were closed and there was nowhere to buy anything. He rudely ordered us out because we weren't guests. He wouldn't even let my exhausted mother sit down. When I asked if he was really putting us out on the street, he said we had to book a room, even for less than four hours, or leave. I told him again that I'd spent nearly ten minutes on the phone that morning speaking to two employees who said it was okay. I showed him the record of my international call from my French mobile to the hotel's number. He didn't care and told us to wait outside near the bank until 4am with our bags and my mother. I'd never encountered such a rude person at the Intercontinental, and as an IHG member I was even more shocked. People we'd met had been warm and welcoming, so Miguel seemed like an exception. We called another nearby IHG hotel, Holiday Inn Express Tegucigalpa, explained what had happened, and they happily let us wait in their lobby until our bus. They also thanked us for being IHG members. Everything was closed then, so we couldn't have waited in a restaurant or bar by ordering something. Thanks, Miguel, for leaving such a bad impression and ruining our first and last day in Tegucigalpa. Hotel policy or not, you should be ashamed. Separately, the hotel didn't meet my expectations for IHG. Its lobby seemed mediocre compared with Intercontinental hotels in other countries, and there was a strong sewage smell that made the whole encounter even more unpleasant.

The atmosphere at the bar was nice when I went yesterday, but parking was a real hassle since there was literally nowhere to park. I stood up and paid for what I'd had partway through, then ordered more. When I left, I was surprised to be charged again for the part I'd already paid for.

I arrived and found a cockroach, the bed sheet was stained, and the room service I requested never came. There were mosquitos in the breakfast area all the time. It's all been horrible. I'm staying for two weeks, and honestly this feels more like a two or three star hotel. The price is far too high for the service and accommodations. If you're looking for a good hotel, make this one your last choice. It's the worst five star hotel I've ever seen.