This hotel cancelled our reservation because we were "10 minutes late" and by the time we showed up had already given it to some one else. I would understand their point of view except they never informed me that I had to be there by a certain time. Had they given me a copy of their policies or a warning I would take the blame but I stated in my reservation that I would be there "approximately around 5pm" I showed up at 5:10pm and the 3 rooms i reserved were already full... I didn't believe this story, how could they find 3 guests so quickly??? and when I asked to speak to the manager (because the front clerk was unprofessional and rude to us, she gave him the whole story in front of me and then replied... "he says he is busy, you can come back later" .... I couldn't believe the manager would not even show his face! Need I say more?? Most hotels have certain cancelation policies stated ahead of time, they did not.! also most hotels would understand if your plane was delayed? they did not! I am believe in courtesy and treating people with respect, and they did not return the courtesy with which i treated them. there are many other reasonably priced hotels in the area, we ended up staying on the beach in a slightly better quality hotel with FAR GREATER customer service for only $15 more per night! I guess the incident worked out for the best!

This was our fourth visit to Manzanillo. We were on a ship just for the day. We like the heart of the city rather than going out to see the hotels. This was our first lunch at the Hotel Colonial.. The location is great on the main drag downtown. The restaurant is quite pretty. The music is outstanding!! The drinks are fine. But the food is really not good. My partner had a club sandwich (American), good choice. I had the fish tacos and just left them in the foil in which they were presented. Not great! Looked around at other Gringos, and everyone,it appeared, left the food.

Go for the music. Outstanding. Have a beer, or a hard or soft drink just don't go if you are really hungry.

The restaurant is very clean.

THE GOOD:
This is an inexpensive hotel, about $33 USD per night.
Located in heart of "downtown" area, a block from the main zocolo and close to lots of shopping and several restaurants. Taxi station directly across street, local buses go everywhere (cheaper by far). This is an old hotel. It has lots of charm, a few drawbacks. There is tile everywhere and some stained glass. We were in room 313. Nice view (shared) balcony can see main zocolo and street views. The cleaning staff is very thorough, and they do a great job i.e. the place is old, but it was clean. Hotel restaurant was reasonable priced and the food was good. Nice clean, shaded (it's open sided) so there is a breeze (Manzanillo is very hot, VERY humid).
The furniture is really cool - carved wood (matching) wiped clean everyday.
Air conditioner was GREAT and absolutely necessary! (see hot&humid above). It cooled room immediately and made enough noise to drown out any sounds that might be on the street at night. I don't know if there were any, the AC took care of that!
Folks at desk were real nice (solo habla espanol)
THE BAD:
Don't get discouraged by what I list here because I still recommend the hotel despite the drawbacks. But you do need to know about them so no surprises.
Bed was TERRIBLE in this room 313.
Bathroom smelled AWFUL when first entered room, I almost puked. BUT smell mostly gone after ventilated (window both sides of room) and used a scented candle. (?no P traps for drains?). The water here is part of the terrible smell.
You are quite a distance from the very nice beaches, so a long cab (or bus) ride required.
Taxis overcharge! at 100 pesos (equiv of $10 USD). Local bus is about 50cents (5pesos), but stop often. Buses are a true emersion into the Mexican experience. Do it once for the experience if not for the $savings. Manzanillo is very spread out. A car would have been useful here (if I knew where to go or where to park it).
We were lucky to visit when there was no cruise ship here. I can't imagine what that huge number of arrivals would do to the town ambiance. The shear number would totally change the town experience.
No elevator
Lax (non-existent) security
PS I hope to get a few photos posted in the near future.

My Boyfriend & I were at "La Posada" for 3 nights, aside from not being as impressed as all the other reviewers....we were simply tired of being so far away from restaurants, stores, good coffee, etc....

So we checked out & checked into the Hotel Colonial. We smiled all day! Great location. Quiet, clean, friendly staff, good pillows, beautiful woodwork, hand painted spanish tiles.

Charming......and priced right--almost half the price of La Posada.