HotelChatter - Guadalajara

This Little Piggy Doesn't Care About Swine Flu

juliana — 2009-11-05T16:29:22-05:00

Last month we spent a few nights at the Intercontinental Guadalajara and we couldn't get over how every time we got off the elevator in the lobby, this little piggy was ready to greet us. The pig actually was a part of the hotel's lobby restaurant Frutas y Flores which serves breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Diners did not seem to be deterred by this figurine and we never asked whether the pig had always been there or if it was an "Eff Swine Flu" sort of display. Still, we got a kick out it. Until we returned home from Mexico with a stomach virus. But that's another story.

The Intercontinental Guadalajara: A Tale of Two Hotel Rooms

juliana — 2009-10-16T09:28:38-05:00

<![CDATA[<embed src="http://c.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f8/1321361467" bgcolor="#FFFFFF" flashVars="videoId=44964459001&playerId=1321361467&viewerSecureGatewayURL=https://console.brightcove.com/services/amfgateway&servicesURL=http://services.brightcove.com/services&cdnURL=http://admin.brightcove.com&domain=embed&autoStart=false&" base="http://admin.brightcove.com" name="flashObj" width="486" height="412" seamlesstabbing="false" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" swLiveConnect="true" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download/index.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash"></embed>So remember that hotel keycard we showed you the other day with the um, <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/story/2009/10/12/101610/33/hotels/What_Is_Going_On_With_This_Hotel_Room_Key_">interesting ad</a> on it? Yeah. Well, that belonged to the <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/hotel-reviews/Presidente+Intercontinental+Guadalajara/ian/111601">Presidente Intercontinental Guadalajara</a> where we stayed for four days during the Society of American Travel Writers conference. Before we go any further, we must tell you the most crucial bit of information: Request a room above the 16th floor. Do not settle for a room on the 14th, 15th or 16th floors. The reason being is that the hotel has recently completed a massive renovation of its lobby and floors 17-23. However, the renovation has not yet extended to the other floors. These

What Is Going On With This Hotel Room Key?

juliana — 2009-10-12T16:28:36-05:00

<![CDATA[ <img src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/1425/dysfuctionalkeycard.jpg" class="top"> We spent the past four days in Guadalajara, Mexico and we'll have more on the hotel scene there tomorrow but we just had to post this snapshot for ya of our hotel room keycard. It says, "Taller de sexualidad. Desmitificando las disfunciones sexuales en Mexico." And it's accompanied by a picture of a man and woman in a bed that's being carried away (or rescued?) by a parachute. We're pretty sure you don't need a Spanish to English dictionary to understand what this advertisement is for (a doctor's name is also listed on the card) but we thought it was something you'd get a kick out of. Seen any other hotel keycards with sexual dysfunction ads

The Real 'Anytime, Anywhere' Service at Villa Ganz

Tim L. — 2006-10-25T09:15:01-05:00

<![CDATA[<img src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/admin/villa_ganz.jpg">[Ed. Note: All good things must come to an end as Hotel Maven <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/user/tim%20leffel">Tim Leffel</a> learned when he had to pack up his things and say goodbye to supreme service at the Villa Ganz in Guadalajara. Enjoy.]No matter how much a luxury chain hotel touts its pampering it's hard for the big boxes to compete on personal service with a small boutique hotel.Witness <a href="http://www.villaganz.com/menu%20ingles.html">Villa Ganz</a> in Guadalajara, Mexico. "We don't really have breakfast hours," the front desk clerk says. "When you wake up, when you're hungry, you just tell us what you want. Seven in the morning? Noon? It's okay with us." It doesn't stop there though. That breakfast can be in a breakfast nook, on

A Cathedral View May Also Mean Dirty Rooftop View

Tim L. — 2006-10-23T12:33:03-05:00

<![CDATA[<img align="right" src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/admin/antiview_feniz.jpg">[Ed. Note: Hotel Maven <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/user/tim%20leffel">Tim Leffel</a> skipped on down to Guadalajara for a bit and continues to fill us in on the hotel scene. Unfortunately, sometimes an anti-view cannot be avoided.] When a hotel brochure or web site says "sea view" or "view of the square" they often neglect to include what else you'll see out the window. At least <a href="http://www.fenixguadalajara.com.mx/bin/main_inicio.php?IDIOMA=ING">Hotel Fenix</a> in Guadalajara doesn't advertise this view from room 624 as "cathedral view," leaving you disappointed when you find that the historic church is actually behind a lot of really ugly rooftops. There is some other strange false advertising going on here though as they say the hotel hails from 1912 and has hosted