City Express Plus By Marriott Monterrey Centro

Renovation work was happening outside my room door, so I changed rooms. Housekeeping had also missed my room, and I had to ask at 6 p.m. to get it cleaned. The next time it happened, they said they could ask someone to come then. I’m a Marriott Titanium member, and this hotel is an embarrassment to Marriott. An absolute disaster.

The walls are so thin that you can hear everything from the room next door. The rooms are really noisy, with no privacy.

The gym was locked while several guests waited to get in, since none of our room keys worked there. The bathrooms by the gym were locked too. Breakfast was meager, though the fruit was good. The coffee was nearly clear and undrinkable. For the location, service, and cleanliness, this was overpriced. It felt like the place wasn’t ready to open, and Carlos and Ana offered no solution. They could only shrug and agree the property was substandard and poorly designed. This is nowhere near Marriott standards, more like a hostel than an econo-lodge. There were four of us on a three-day business trip. As soon as we entered the room, we saw a roach on the wall, squashed it with a tissue, and handed it to the cleaner in the hallway. The counters had sticky residue, and a pillow had a red stain. The beds were rock hard, and sharing a double bed on a work trip leaves no privacy. The sink and shower area had no doors, while the shower and toilet were behind semitransparent glass. The shower glass wasn’t caulked, so water leaked onto the floor outside. The flat sink splashed water everywhere, making it impossible to rinse a face towel hygienically. There was also a wall mirror facing the open sink and shower area.

The room and breakfast area both seemed poorly kept. Towels and sheets didn’t look properly washed, and the napkins had old stains. Reception was painfully slow, and the staff couldn’t understand English or put the address on my invoice. For a new hotel, that was a pretty bad experience. I expect better from Marriott.