Real Inn Torreón

The hotel was really nice, including the restaurant. After our stay, my brother, mother, sister-in-law, nieces, and I went down for breakfast. When the waiter brought the check, he told us it was the hotel's courtesy, so we didn't have to pay. Maybe it was because four women were eating that day, March 8th, we're not sure, but we were so happy!

We come back to this hotel whenever we're in Torreon Mexico, and we've always had a good stay. The rooms are clean and a comfortable size, with large flat-screen TVs, lots of very hot water, and AC that gets really cold. The front desk staff are helpful. This time they even printed our digital airplane ticket and boarding pass. Getting the elevator to work requires a room key, and it only lets you off on your room's floor. I like that setup because it keeps strangers and fake guests from reaching the floors. We've had no problems with our cars in the parking lot or other security issues, and the hotel feels very safe and clean. As Americans, we've also felt safe in the surrounding area and haven't had any issues. There's a nice pool and exercise room, a business center, a small conference room, and larger event and meeting rooms you can rent. The food is decent, but we like to try other restaurants nearby for variety and to get out. Denny's and several other places to eat are within walking distance. Walmart, Office Depot, a pharmacy, and more are close too, as is Galleria Mall. A couple of blocks from the hotel, across the street from Denny's, there's a Dollar exchange (Casa de Cambio) in the Office Depot Plaza. The exchange rate was decent. You only need ID if you're changing more than $1,000 US Dollars, and it's useful to have Mexican Pesos on hand. WARNING!! We have run into extortion and corruption by the Torreon Transit police. This happened again to us this week on BLVD Revolution, and it has happened every time we visit Torreon. An officer stopped us and threatened to take the driver's license and issue a $2,000 Pesos fine, claiming we had driven through an unmarked crosswalk without stopping for pedestrians we hadn't seen. He was aggressive and rude, and said there would be a lot of hassle unless we paid him 500 pesos cash. We paid to avoid problems. The only criminals we've encountered on our trips to Mexico Torreon have been these traffic cops, so stay alert and budget extra pesos for a situation like this.

The bathtub drain plug was broken, so water wouldn't drain and we couldn't use the tub or shower. The staff put in a temporary plug, but nothing else was fixed. The AC stayed at 27 and wouldn't cool, and the bottom dresser drawer kept sliding open and hitting my ankle whenever I got up to go to the bathroom. My expectations for an airport hotel are already pretty low, and this place still fell short. I might stay again if I need to be near the airport, but I won't expect much.

The price was good, and breakfast was good too. Room 2101, though, felt outdated and had several infrastructure problems. I included a photo. The lamps are awkward to switch on because you have to get lucky with the on/off switch sequence. Dinner wasn't good. They charge more than 210 pesos for a NELLY TORTA with four kinds of meat. At that price, you'd expect a big baguette, but what arrived was a small, thin sandwich on a roll with just one slice of roast beef, pork ham, turkey ham, cheese, and avocado.