City Express Plus by Marriott Tijuana

My stay passed without any problems. The hotel felt safe and modern, it was clean, and food and shopping were close by. The staff were pleasant and accommodating. Given how much the TJ hotel market varies between luxury and squalor, I thought the price was very reasonable. City Express, good job.

The rooms look modern, but the bathroom setup was inconvenient for me. The toilet and shower doors are see-through, and there’s no main bathroom door, so I couldn’t close it while getting dressed with my husband and two boys in the room. Housekeeping also came by at 8:30 in the morning to check whether the room was empty.

I was in TJ for a dental consultation and needed only a basic room, which did the job. The bed was hard, and there wasn’t much shower privacy. As a woman traveling alone, I was uncomfortable with the room facing the office building and wish they’d given me a street view. Close the shades if you’re in one of those rooms. I barely interacted with employees beyond a basic hello, maybe because of the language barrier. There are a few cafes and an OXO convenience store in the courtyard behind the hotel.

The rooms were clean, the beds comfortable, and the staff friendly. Housekeeping kept up with things, and there was plenty of parking with a guard on duty. One odd detail: the lobby entrance is upstairs from the front desk. I had two room concerns. A bright parking security light came straight through the window, so we had to shut the blackout curtain completely. I prefer leaving the blinds partly open to wake with the daylight. Also, the room mirror reflects the bathroom, so from my twin bed I could see what was happening inside. That might be fine for a solo guest or a couple, but I was sharing with a friend and wanted more privacy. The bathroom doors are frosted glass, though clear strips show through. We stayed three nights.