I’ll start with the positives. Everyone at the front desk was exceptionally helpful and friendly. They were also very responsive when contacted via chat on the Hilton app. Special shoutout to Josmar for helping me out on such short notice!
The pool area was spacious and the breakfast omelet was delicious. There are two ATMs in the lobby, one of which offers Cordoba and USD. The building and the furniture looked quite new and modern. The gym was clean and more than enough for a quick workout on holiday.
What was lacking is the service.
When I went to the pool, I could not find any fresh towel or an employee that I could ask. An hour passed by without a single employee in the pool area and I finally managed to flag down a server from the restaurant that was kind enough to give me a towel. I wasn’t the only one in the pool and it was at about 5PM.
Second of all, the pool was quite dirty with all the nearby plants and dead insects falling into the pool water. Other properties I have stayed in would usually have employees checking the water every now and then and using a pool net to catch the dirt and leaves that have fallen. This wasn’t the case here.
Cleanliness was ok for the most part, but unfortunately I found a huge shopping receipt on the floor of my room. This was dated before I was even in Nicaragua, so it couldn’t have come from myself. It did make me wonder if the room was thoroughly or just superficially cleaned. A small part of the ceiling had some tiny insects, this could’ve been wiped down beforehand.
There was no tea at all at breakfast, which was a bit odd. Everything else at breakfast was great though.
Another thing that struck me odd was one of the hotel drivers. I had a transfer organized by front desk, and I was told that the fee would be added to my hotel room bill and that I could pay by card during check in since I had just arrived in Nicaragua and didn’t have a lot of cash on me. However, the driver wasn’t aware of this and complained loudly and angrily to the front desk in front of me (and other guests), saying that I didn’t pay him enough. In fact, the cash I gave him was me tipping him, and not the airport transfer fee itself. I felt that this was very unprofessional of the driver.
All that being said, I do believe this is the best property to stay in Managua in, since I also have friends staying in several other hotels across the city at the same time. However, manage your expectations accordingly.