Hotel Maria Rico

The one bright spot was the room attendant, who was gracious and accommodating. The hotel is also in an area with shops and restaurants within walking distance. Aside from that, this was one of our worst hotel stays, and I won’t come back. We booked five nights because of the ratings and a local family member’s recommendation. Right away the night clerk was unreceptive. We had to prepay, and were made to feel like a nuisance on arrival. For three people they issued one key card and flatly refused a second. When the card is out of the slot, the lights and outlets shut off, so you can’t separate without locking someone out, and whoever stays in the room can’t watch TV, charge devices, or shower. The dining area was poorly run. Paola was extremely rude, and the way she spoke made me feel unappreciated as a paying guest. I bought three coffees and breakfast snacks, but each morning she refused to let me use a tray to carry them to my room. She also charged 10 pesos for a handful of ice we needed to try to bring down my daughter’s fever. The room service menus said service was available 24 hours, but on the night of a famous soccer game we were told it wasn’t available because the cook “didn’t present himself to work”; the next cook wasn’t due until 7 am. I figure he took the night off to watch the game, and management left the shift unattended. The room was in poor condition too. The sheer curtains were dirty, the darkening curtains had holes and cracked vinyl, the floor covering seams bulged, and the shower door let water out because the vinyl seal was missing. The toilet backed up, and the receptionist sent a room attendant with a flimsy plunger for us to unclog it ourselves. It didn’t work, so after I reported it, she brought a second one. I asked to speak with the manager. The receptionist said his name was Ivan, that he wasn’t on site, and that I could expect him when he returned. He never came. I tried to resolve things through the usual channels, but no one made even the slightest effort to provide good customer service.

My only complaint is that there’s just one outlet for a phone and computer, and it isn’t near the table. Otherwise, it’s a great, inexpensive hotel in a nice part of cdmx. The restaurant is good, tastes nice, and has reasonable prices. I’d definitely recommend it.

10/10

The rooms’ architectural details bring the golden ratio to mind.