Howard Johnson Centro Cardiovascular San Juan

The check-in and checkout staff were the one good part. Otherwise, this hardly feels like a hotel. It’s on the hospital’s fourth floor, there are no food services beyond the hospital cafeteria, and the lobby looks worse than a hospital waiting room. Parking at check-in is in the ambulance area, and the hospital employee who first answers questions makes sure you don’t stay parked because an ambulance might need to get through. Patients are sent out through the same entrance guests use to reach the hotel.

With so many tourists around, every other hotel was booked and this was the only room I could find. It did the job, but a few advertised amenities weren’t there: no gym, fridge, or microwave. The front desk staff were accommodating, and one young woman was especially helpful both before and during my stay when I had problems with the bill. It’s pretty clear this place isn’t set up for a long stay.

There isn’t a parking lot, so you have to pay separately at one beside the building. Inside, the room was filthy and the AC had a musty smell. The furniture had water stains, and the place felt neglected, almost like it had been abandoned before someone put in a few beds and called it a hotel. It was unsettling too, since the hospital is directly below and the rooms seem like they used to be part of it.

This hotel is handy if you’re visiting the hospital, but not much else makes it a place I’d choose. It’s on the fourth floor of the hospital and the rooms are converted hospital rooms. Mine was clean, with a queen bed and flat-screen TV, and the AC worked fine. The front desk was very friendly and arranged a wake-up call. I stayed one night courtesy of the VA. I’d call it a three-star hotel, but gave it four stars for the cleanliness and staff.