Hotel Escala Puebla Centro

We loved the setup, especially the rooftop garden of our own. There was plenty of space, with closets and cabinets, two rooms set away from the shared area so we could watch a show without waking anyone, a kitchen with some condiments, two and a half bathrooms, an exercise area, and blackout blinds. The staff were kind and helpful, and eating breakfast on the private rooftop was lovely. The location was great too. A few things were missing: no spoons or microwave, and the rooftop could use a small table, chairs, and softer lighting. We brought out a desk and a couple of chairs to eat outside together. The main issue was hot water. It lasted about two minutes at a time for our family of four. After the first day we tried to plan showers carefully, but only one person could sort of get clean before the water went cold. I’d have given five stars if there’d been enough hot water.

We booked three nights and left after just one. The room was poorly cleaned, the bathroom smelled awful, and the Wi-Fi was almost unusable. The area felt unsafe, and even stepping outside the gates or walking toward the center was uncomfortable. We’d booked four weeks ahead, but on check-in day the hotel messaged that they’d only hold our room until 4 PM, though check-in began at 3 and our booking allowed arrival until 11:59 PM. They insisted they couldn’t keep it past an hour because of “high demand” and asked for early payment as a guarantee, which only made sense once we arrived. They also expect guests to leave the key at reception and hand over valuables and cash to staff, supposedly because they can’t control who enters. When we came back, they returned the key without having registered the guests in our room. It felt very sketchy. We later saw several reviews about guests being robbed and staff failing to respond properly. Spend a bit more for a decent hotel in the city center. This one isn’t worth it.

We really enjoyed our stay and would return. The rooms were clean and well equipped for what we paid. The location is convenient, about ten minutes from the cathedral rather than right in the Center, and the price for the quality was great.

The neighborhood felt a little odd, but the hotel itself was great value. Everything was very clean, the hot water kept going, and the staff were wonderful and held our bags for a while. It’s about ten minutes from Zócalo. Highly recommend!