Hotel Casablanca

We've stayed at hotel Casablanca for several years. The cleanliness has been great, and both the restaurants' food and service have been awesome. But the administration, from the manager to the front desk, has been horrible, and my family and I won't go back. On our last two reservations, we paid in advance for three suites, but when we arrived, the receptionist said they weren't available. The receptionists seemed unable to solve anything and lied that the manager wasn't available. This year we booked three suites and a room. When we called, we got a confirmation code, but on arrival they again couldn't give us the suites we had booked. They offered us a room for one night as a courtesy for the mistake and said the suites would be ready the next night. The next day, my family and I were left without rooms again. It was unbelievable. The sales manager seemed completely lost and couldn't resolve it, leaving the front desk staff to take the heat for poor management.

They don't speak English, so communicating when there's a problem is hard. A multimillionaire company had reserved the room for eight days, but the hotel manager locked us out twice, on the second and fourth days, over payment and without warning. Normally payment is charged at checkout, not on day two or day four. When I asked why they did it this way, they couldn't explain. The way they treated me was unprofessional and disrespectful. Hotel management needs training in how to manage and treat people.

I really appreciated Hotel de Casablanca as a foreign tourist in a strange place, and it's a great spot to spend a little and enjoy yourself in Lázaro Cárdenas. The central location has vendors, restaurants, and convenience stores nearby, and nobody robbed us. Some staff spoke English. The lobby and hallways were pleasant and smelled good. There's a gym, laundry service, a computer office, and lots of banquet space. We also got to visit Kundrah by Casablanca, a lovely beachfront restaurant with a pool and outdoor tables and beds to lounge on, about a 15-minute cab ride away. The surroundings took me a little time to get used to, but I know I'll miss them when we leave. We came for a family vacation with our two kids. We had a two-queen room on the second floor for two nights, then upgraded for an extra 200 pesos per night to a suite for the rest of the stay. The suite was clearly better, and the internet was more reliable on the top floor, though still spotty. It had a balcony, which was a nice touch if you want to step outside. There's a pool and two restaurants. Blue Parrot has excellent food and is right by the pool, but service is slow. I only had breakfast there. Parilla is the fancier steakhouse, with excellent food and service better than anything I can afford back in the USA. A special shout-out to Jose, one of the restaurant servers, who took great care of us. He's a legend and really knows hospitality; he deserves all the raises. Room service was on point, and so were the drinks. I'd give it five stars for the service and because it was by far the cleanest, most comfortable place I stayed during my first trip to Mexico, though it's not perfect. Some things may disappoint if you're comparing it with hotels in America, especially four-star ones. There were maintenance issues, mostly cosmetic. The smaller room had no mini fridge or even an ice bucket, though the suite had a nice fridge. The beds were okay, with spring mattresses, but still comfortable. The furniture was pretty worn, and that wouldn't fly back in the USA. The prices worked for my modest US salary. Felíz Cinco De Mayo y Viva México.

We only came for dinner, not an overnight stay. The food was great, the drinks were amazing, and the service was decent.