Banyan Tree Puebla

We were visiting Puebla for the first time with our sons, aged 16 and 11. The hotel staff were friendly and courteous, and quickly found us a better room when the “queen” beds in our booked double suite proved too small for two people. Room 414 had a king bed and a big living area where they set up two very comfortable twin beds for the boys. It worked perfectly. We also enjoyed the breakfast at the second-floor restaurant. The spa staff were pleasant and courteous, though I didn’t find the services as good as at other hotels. I paid for a full-body exfoliation, but the therapist skipped my armpits and elbows, which are key areas for exfoliating. Room 414, though, needed maintenance. The beautiful metal tub leaked from the back onto the floor whenever we turned on the faucet. A tiny hole in the powder-room faucet shot out a thin stream that stained our clothes when we washed our hands. The showerhead was caked with lime and didn’t look recently cleaned, and there were yellow stains around the drains in the metal sink and tub. The iron’s retractable cord kept pulling itself back as I moved it over clothes, which was extremely dangerous. The hairdryer was missing its nozzle, so it looked and worked like a motel hairdryer.

The hotel is beautiful, with comfortable rooms, and surprisingly peaceful despite being right in the city center. The food and service, though, didn’t feel up to five-star standards. Staff were often missing from the entrance to open the door. We also requested hot water and tea bags through room service, but nothing arrived, even after an hour. This was our first hotel stay in Mexico outside the all-inclusive resorts in Cancun, so we weren’t sure what to expect. The food seemed pretty average, though breakfast was good. Checkout was the most disappointing part. We had prepaid, but were charged for the room again. They corrected it after checking with someone else by phone. Having been given too little change at several city restaurants, I’d started checking more carefully. Sure enough, when I paid the remaining balance in cash, the front desk gave me 100 pesos too little in change. Whether it was a mistake or intentional, it shouldn’t happen at a five-star hotel. I hope management gives the staff better training.

Angel looked after us really well. We had dinner at Pasquinel and Saffron, and both meals were delicious. Breakfast was tasty too. The rooms were spacious and clean. We’ll definitely stay here again when we’re back in Puebla!

The location is a serious problem if you plan to walk to the historic center. You have to cross an eight-lane highway plus two bus rapid transit lanes, and the crossing lights are quirky and don’t stay green for long. Trying to time it was frustrating, and getting it wrong could mean serious injury or death. Change your reservation if you expect to walk there, or plan to use ride-share apps. The Thai food at the hotel isn’t worth the risk of going into town for it. We arrived with high expectations because Banyan Tree is a prestige brand and this location has a Michelin key. An AMEX promotion also seemed to promise automatic upgrades, breakfast, and credits, though we were paying AMEX for those anyway. We were impressed with our junior suite: a king bed, immaculate black tiling, large antique furniture, plenty of closet space, a marble shower room, and a big freestanding soaking tub. All nice features, and pretty standard for a hotel like this. The service was very responsive throughout. Staff brought a fan filled with ice water, a type I’ve only seen in Mexico, that blows a cool, ice-cooled breeze. It only helped when pointed straight at us, though, and had to be hauled onto a chair to do that. Maintenance said they’d fixed the AC, but the room stayed above 74F, around 23C, whatever the panel setting. With sealed windows, the room was hot and stuffy, and we had sweaty, broken sleep. At 2AM we called the front desk to beg for a fan. The hotel’s highway-side location was the reason the windows were sealed. There were other problems in room 224. The LED shelf lights didn’t work, the handheld shower had no pressure, and the front door wouldn’t close or lock properly. Luckily, the attentive, smart staff moved us to a larger suite with an opening balcony door and a view of an interior courtyard instead of a dusty speedway. That suite cooled to 19C, but its bedroom windows were sealed too. The so-called technology was quirky. Don’t bother trying to pair an iOS device with the TV. The centrally controlled lights use mildly confusing panels that remain frustrating even once you understand them. In our junior suite, “reading light” made the room so dim that reading was impossible. Brightening the lamp turned on all the room lights at full blast. Hotels are mainly for sleeping, and I wish more of them paid attention to sleep and circadian rhythms. Better blackout shades and reliable temperature control would help. Cooler is always better for sleep, with 65F as the target room temperature. Buttons and appliances shouldn’t glow all night: the electrical panel beside both sides of the bed looked like a Christmas tree, the TV blinked red, and the closet lights didn’t always turn off when the door was shut. Sleep masks are a cheap, easy fix for lighting, but rooms need to be dark, the climate control needs to work flawlessly, and guests should have access to fresh air. This was a design issue, not the staff’s fault.