SkiAdcock

http://news.marriott.com/2015/09/cou...-colombia.html

Category 3.

"Marriott announced the opening of the new 144-room Courtyard by Marriott Hotel in Bogota, known as Colombia’s largest financial, political, and cultural center, also known as one of the fastest growing metropolitan areas in South America. The hotel is located on the prestigious Avenida El Dorado, making it the closest hotel to the recently inaugurated new terminal at El Dorado International Airport, and is part of a mixed-use complex which includes prime office and retail space.

“The El Dorado Airport recently underwent a multi-million dollar renovation and is considered among the key hubs in Latin America, making the Courtyard by Marriott Bogota on Avenida El Dorado an excellent option for the modern regional business traveler,” said Sergio Ohliger, general manager of the hotel.

Highlights
24 hour shuttle airport service, free internet throughout the hotel, soundproof modern rooms, international food and drinks at CENTRO"

Cheers.

njcommodore

interesting. Not a bad choice if transiting to another city in South America. I'm sure the flight crews appreciate a hotel closer to the airport.

escapefromphl

They don't always, in fact some of their contracts specify the hotel has to be a certain number of miles away from the airport. You will typically see foreign crews staying closer to the airport.

Kacee

For anything except a crack of dawn departure, Chapinero/Rosales (i.e., JW) would certainly be my preference for a BOG overnight. But the airport properties do always seem to be busy.

This will be Marriott's fourth Bogota property, and the third in reasonably close proximity to El Dorado.

Something of a hotel boom going on in Bogota right now, with Grand Hyatt scheduled to open in 2017.

jeanie

I actually just booked a stay there for the end of October. Their website has computer generated pictures. I guess the hotel is so new that they don't have the real pics yet. Also noticed there was no link to tripadvisor for ratings.

Anyone know the e-mail address for this hotel? I'd like to contact them.

Thanks.

njcommodore

I would call reservations and ask them, you'll either get a direct person's name or a generic gm/front desk address for that specific hotel.

jeanie

Thanks for the reply. I have been looking at trip advisor, and there is actually a way to e-mail the hotel on that website. I didn't realize that.

There does seem to be a trip advisor page on this hotel as well. Usually, Marriott will link to the trip advisor page, but I guess that link is not up yet. As I write this there are 18 reviews, mostly in Spanish, that seem to be very positive.

SkiAdcock

jeanie, would appreciate you doing a trip report in this thread after your stay so others will know what it's like. Thx!

Cheers.

jeanie

Well, here is my trip report. Overall, I like the hotel. It is nicer than some full service Marriotts I have stayed at. I am in the room as I write this. This is the 3rd night of a 3 night stay. The room is soundproofed well. I cannot hear the busy street outside, the person in the room above me, or the airport nearby. My room faces a wall. I think it is the other wing of the hotel. There is no view.

I e-mailed the hotel to ask them about the airport shuttle and day tours. Instead of sending the shuttle, they sent a taxi with a name placard waiting for me at customs. Even though it said Miss Jeanie on the reservation, the placard said Sr. Jeanie. That seemed to really embarrass the taxi driver. The hotel did not charge me for the taxi. The customs line was an hour long, so he was probably waiting a while.

As you enter the room, the bathroom is immediately on the right. There is a large walk in shower with a glass divider. The sink is lit well, and there is a vanity mirror on the side wall by the sink.

Walking into the room, there is a small closet by the bath. Then the side tables are built in next to the king bed. There is a sofa by the window, but the window does not open.

Across from the bed, there is a set of shelves near the window. On the bottom, there is a refrigerator that is stocked like a mini bar. But it is not the kind of mini bar that charges you when something is touched. There are also snacks and candy bars. The prices are pretty reasonable when converted to US dollars. Above the fridge, there is a coffee maker. Then on the next shelf is the in room safe.

Beside the shelves, there is a small table that functions as a desk with a mirror above it. There are Ethernet ports, but they don’t work. Then beside the desk, there is a flat screen TV mounted to the wall across from the bed. It pivots a little, but not enough to see the TV from the desk.

In regards to the day tours, the links they sent me were worthless. The hotel does not have a concierge. The links were to tour package sites for airfare and hotel, not day tours. I ended up going on the City Combo Tour from Explora Bogota. Edgar gave me a private 10 hour tour of the city, Monnserrate and the Salt Cathedral for US $200.

It is important to note that they do not exchange US dollars for Colombian Pesos. This is the first international Marriott brand hotel that I have stayed at that refused to convert a small amount of dollars. They usually give a bad rate, but there is the option to get some cash at the hotel.

Finally, the front desk staff speak good English, but they are the only ones I have seen that do. For example, I went to the restaurant, and the waitress handed me a menu in Spanish. I pointed to it and said, “Ingles?” She was clueless. My colleague ended up having to translate just so she would understand that I wanted an English menu. That was odd. That tactic of pointing to the menu and saying "Ingles?" has always worked for me in the past.

Kacee

Yes, Colombia is a Spanish speaking country.

jeanie

Obviously, I am aware of that. But I stay at US branded hotels in foreign countries specifically for the reason that they will have bilingual staff that I can communicate with. Usually, the hotels usually will have front desk and restaurant staff that can communicate in basic English.

The point I was making is that most of the staff at this hotel do not seem to understand even polite English. In this case, I asked her in Spanish for an English menu and she still didn't understand me. That is odd for a Marriott brand.

SkiAdcock

jeanie, thanks for the detailed trip report. Much appreciated!

Cheers.

Brucemcdou

Jeanie - thanks for the trip review! I'm heading to Bogota in February and noticed this hotel as well. A couple of questions you didn't cover in your description but perhaps you may have noticed: Is there a Club Lounge? I don't expect it at a Courtyard but some (Asian) Courtyards actually do have a lounge. If not a Lounge, do you know if there are any benefits for Gold or Platinum MR members? Breakfast? Internet? Room upgrades?

How extensive is the gym? Courtyards in the US are pretty basic in that regard.

Finally, what would you say about the quality of the restaurant? Again, US Courtyards with the Bistro option are pretty basic but don't know if they have more of a full-service restaurant?

Thanks for any additional info!

SkiAdcock

I'm not jeanie, but I doubt there's an exec lounge (website doesn't show one). AFAIK Asia is the only region that offers them. My guess is you'll get what you get w/ the US - free i-net & possible room upgrade & that's it.

Cheers.

Kacee

I would only consider staying at this property for an overnight airport connection. The hotel is literally on the access road leading into El Dorado airport. This is not a desirable or convenient location for a tourist stay. The JW is definitely the Marriott property of choice in Bogota, in between two great neighborhoods (Rosales/Chapinero) and with one of the nicest lounges anywhere.