City Express Plus by Marriott Monterrey Nuevo Sur

The location is great, but the rooms are too small and the service wasn’t great. Check-in took 30 minutes even though there was no crowd, and the process was painfully slow. There’s a coffee machine, but no paper cups, creamer, or sugar. It could work for a one-night business stay, like a Holiday Inn Express, but I wouldn’t choose it for a family trip.

The bed was very good and the AC worked well, but the linens had stains, and the shower curtain and towels were old. I changed rooms because of a strong bathroom smell, and the same smell was in the new room, just a bit weaker. I think it may be a plumbing issue. The building itself is good, but the main draw is its spot in a shopping mall with a cinema, supermarkets, shops, and plenty of restaurants. I wouldn’t recommend it.

The rooms are tiny and there are no refrigerators, which was a problem for my wife, who is pumping breast milk. We ended up using a bucket of ice. Check-in was a mess: we arrived at 2:40 to ask about checking in, were told it was only at 3, then came back at 3 to find around ten people in line. One woman was working, and it took an hour and 45 minutes for us to get through. It was awful. Read the other reviews about check-in and stay at a local Airbnb in one of the many apartments attached to this place.

At checkout I was told I had to pay because my AMEX had returned my payment, though the merchant was the one who made the return. Earlier, I booked through the Marriott app and came before check-in, but was told to return after 3. At 5:30, Graciela said the rooms weren’t ready and had a poor attitude. I pointed out it was nearly 6 and check-in had opened three hours earlier; she only repeated that check-in was after 3. I waited until close to 7 for a room. When I got there, the housekeeper was barely finishing, the room smelled of a man’s perfume, and the bed wasn’t made well. They clearly couldn’t handle an event. I was there for a concert, the hotel was overbooked, and people were still waiting for rooms after 7 pm. Not a good experience.