Candlewood Suites Guadalajara Galerias by IHG

The beds were comfortable, and the room was quiet, with a window looking onto a conference room. The hotel is a newer business property, but there’s no breakfast, and the front desk service was unimpressive, even pretty rude. They’re supposed to welcome dogs, but a couple of hours after check-in we were unexpectedly charged extra. Our dog is clean and quiet, and had been outside the hotel between check-in and the fee, so it wasn’t connected to anything she’d done.

Getting in and checking in was a struggle. There’s no entrance sign, and the double doors beside the hotel sign were locked. A speaker box went unanswered. No luggage carts were available on the entry level or by the elevators, and with only one person at reception and nobody to help with bags, hauling everything up to the second floor was difficult. The hallways were dark, and the towels were very old and in poor shape. The room was dirty, the air conditioner didn’t cool it enough, and its filter was filthy. My socks picked up women’s hair from what seemed like an uncleaned floor, and there was pubic hair on the bed and nightstands. It was disgusting. There’s no breakfast service either. The hotel looked at least ten years old, but the general manager told me it was only three. I’ve stayed in at least six Guadalajara hotels over the past five years, and this one would be closer to two stars if you cut its 2.5-star rating in half.

We stay at Candlewood every time we visit Guadalajara, but this time we’d booked and paid for a four-night suite with a bedroom. After our long flight, the front desk employee took ten minutes to check us in because he couldn’t find a suite. He didn’t speak English, and never explained that none were available. He just sent us to the room to discover it wasn’t what we’d booked. It was only a single bed, even though we needed the paid-for room for medical treatment. When I called the desk, he couldn’t understand what I was saying, told me to hold, and hung up. The manager later said they had no king bedroom suite and offered a breakfast voucher. I was tired and angry. They kept the extra money and didn’t resolve the issue or even acknowledge I’d paid more. I wouldn’t recommend this place.

The room was comfortable and very clean, and we got great service from the front desk.