Note: I have seen some excellently written and beautifully photographed travel reports on FT. This is unfortunately not one of those - forgive me.

I arrived at this hotel on June 5 2016, having looked for a Marriott before in GDL and not found one; I was surprised to see not only this property listed but also the rates really good. So, I booked it about a month before travel. On arrival (the taxi driver had not heard of it but we got there in the end) I checked in and the agent told me the hotel had only opened 5 days before.

If you want to help the taxi driver, tell him it's a large black tower building (22 stories) on the Glorieta Colon, next to the VIPS restaurant. If you're adventurous, say es un gran edificio negro torre (22 pisos) en la Glorieta de Colon, al lado del restaurante VIPS! (thanks Google!).

Main Entrance

Although only a quarter of the building is actually the hotel (the 1st and 2nd and floors 5-12 of one half), and the rest is under construction, the hotel itself is extremely well presented and laid out. Although there is obviously nearby construction, the noise (in my room) was minimal to zero.

The ground floor check in lobby opens out to view the mezzanine which has a bar, restaurant area and an open plan business center. There's a small meeting room there also.

Lobby

I had a basic room. At the price I booked it for ($75) I was tempted to go for a suite, but there were none available. I suspect none finished actually.

The room is not large but it is more than adequate for a few days business trip. It has a hardwood floor (or something looking like that anyway) and is nicely decorated in a neutral grey color (although for some reason the ceiling was bare concrete). I had a king bed, shower (actually a great shower), separate toilet. The sink however is in the main room. There's a desk and Wi-Fi works fine. The nicest bonus was the 55" Samsung TV (with open HDMI inputs so I can connect my laptop and watch a movie in the evening!)

There's a safe, iron and board and a reasonable selection of toiletries. On the desk there is a small Lavazza coffee machine with one regular and one decaf capsule. There's no fridge, which I would have liked. One nice touch is the built in USB sockets next to the power sockets, one at the desk and one each side of the bed, so I can charge my devices without needing to plug in a power supply or use my laptop.

The bar/'restaurant' serves breakfast in the morning (did not try), and snacks (hence it's a 'restaurant') only in the evenings. I tried the snacks, more like tapas really, and they were delicious.. Also one of the best G&Ts I've ever had (made with Hendrick's).

Yummy G&T!

Seating area in bar:

Next: Business area: 2 iMacs!

On the top floor the elevator opens out to a spectacular view, with an infinity pool, seating area and bar. The bar was not open when I took the night photos, but opened today (June 7)

The area is acceptable to sit in but it's not really finished being fitted out yet. More seemes to be added every time I look, so it won't be long. There's an annoying level of muzak on the deck though.

There's also a small gym with about 6 machines and hand weights.

Pool Bar (above) and seating area (below).

Nearby within a short walk there are some good local restaurants, and also a Carl's Jr. and Starbucks for those that cannot let go. Also nearby are a couple of small supermarkets and a pharmacy.

Overall I am happy with this hotel, and will likely use it again. The staff are very friendly and attentive. I'm here for a couple more days and will update if I find anything else of interest. Feel free to ask.