Homewood Suites by Hilton Queretaro, Mexico

We come back at least once a year when we visit the dentist, and the staff are wonderful. The breakfast is excellent too. The hotel is perfectly located in Queretaro, on the edge of JURIQUILLA near the HEB.

The room was filthy from the start. The mattress had huge urine stains and no bedding; after an hour, they brought another mattress to put on top and made the bed for my child. The sofa felt sticky, the floors were grimy, and the bathroom still had the previous guests’ trash. Towels were dingy and rough, there were no hangers or kitchen cleaning supplies, and the dirty silverware and sink made the kitchen unpleasant. The dented refrigerator blew hot air and ruined the food we brought, while the dishwasher was corroded and grimy. A thick musty smell hung over the hotel, and the breakfast was just as concerning: dirty dishes, food that seemed close to spoiling, and fruit with hints of onion and cilantro. It looked like produce was cut on shared surfaces without cleaning. The coffee mug rims sat on dusty counters, sticky drawers and fingerprints on doors and elevator buttons added to the mess. The airport transfer was another problem. We booked through Hilton.com and, despite Hilton Diamond status, got no upgrade unless we paid for one and no digital key. The website advertised a complimentary airport shuttle, but that wasn’t what happened. The Hilton Diamond desk said the hotel would cover a taxi from QRO, where fares are fixed by zone. After landing, we were told to contact the shuttle driver, Roberto. He was busy and texted us to wait an hour. During the drive he sped and drove erratically, then used a translator to say he needed gas. We went to three stations before he fueled up, and at the hotel he demanded 1,200 Pesos, four times what an Uber XL or taxi would cost. We felt scammed by the hotel and Roberto and uncomfortable right away. This could be a good place, but it was a letdown for Americans paying full US prices for substandard lodging. I don’t understand how this is a Hilton property rather than a budget motel.

Having a full kitchen made this a practical choice for a family trip longer than a couple of days. There’s a refrigerator with freezer, dishwasher and microwave, and the front desk can provide a burner. Across the street is an HEB, with a restaurant right in front of the hotel, so getting groceries was easy. There’s also a mall down the road. The hotel is in northern Queretaro, though, and reaching the historic downtown takes about 20 to 30 minutes by car. Our first room had a fridge problem, but the staff moved us to another one quickly and without fuss. The rooms are spacious, the beds comfortable, and breakfast has a good range of options. The outdoor pool was closed because of the temperature, so we couldn’t use it; there’s an outdoor barbecue area too. The decor and some doors, paint and carpets look dated, which is why I’d give it four rather than five stars. I’d stay here again with my family.

I’ve had two more excellent stays since the bad visit six months ago. The staff were great and the rooms lovely, as usual. I still feel wary about asking for late checkout, but I enjoy the hotel enough to keep coming back. That earlier visit was the worst experience I’ve had there. At 8am I asked about staying later and was told I could pay 240 pesos to check out at 6pm. I paid, then we held off on swimming while we ran errands. At 11am the pool was closed for cleaning or something and they said it should open around 3pm, which seemed understandable. Then at 2pm we got a call saying we had to leave by 3:30 because the room was occupied, and the pool wouldn’t open at all. If they’d told me that in the morning, fine, but we’d spent the day waiting around for nothing. On another stay, our room was clean and had enough shampoo, but the hotel water was shut off for a few hours for necessary maintenance. I understand there wasn’t much they could do, though something complimentary for the inconvenience would’ve been nice. Once it came back, pressure on the top floor was poor and the hot water was only lukewarm, so I’d choose a lower floor. They don’t put water bottles in the rooms, but offer one at the front desk. The location is beside Buffalo wild wings and a short way down the road from antea shopping mall. Coming back from the mall involves several big U-turns that could be confusing if you don’t know the area. The pool was covered when we saw it and it was too chilly to ask about swimming. We’ve used it before: it isn’t heated, but gets enough summer sun to be bearable. It has nice graduated steps into the water, though there’s no very shallow section for small children, so bring life vests or flotation devices. Despite that one poor late checkout experience, I’ve enjoyed my stays and will probably return.