this may be an old hotel, but nothing about it was outdated. the rooms were very spacious and comfortable. the location was great for walking to restaurants and felt safe walking in the immediate vicinity at night.

It’s all about expectations … not met. My Fiancé booked 3 nights at Casa Medina’s most expensive suite, it seemed overpriced even for a Colombian 5 stars hotel but we wanted to experience “the most exclusive hotel in Bogota” to celebrate our anniversary.

We both work in the travel industry and are very seasoned travelers, we have inspected and stayed at dozens of hotels in Latin America and abroad and have a pretty good idea of what is a 5 stars service like. Would we have been told that Casa Medina was a 3 star + kind of hotel this review would have been rated higher, but we were paying a lot of money per night for a substandard service and a “matrimonial suite” that is not actually better than any other junior suite in any of the many business oriented hotels in Bogota that you can book for less than half the price, and actually quite old fashioned.

Hotel Casa Medina is NOT prepared to receive demanding foreign passengers accustomed to an international standard luxury service, we cancelled our last night and moved to the excellent Art Suits in Usaquen. Here are the main reasons:

- People at reception were really rude, non responsive and half slept , they didn’t find our reservation and kept us waiting for 20 minutes.. And that’s VERY UNUSUAL in Colombia, where the service is usually the highlight in almost every hotel we’ve been to. And this one was a 5 stars one???

- When we finally arrived to the “suite” at around 2 AM there was NOT HOT WATER, when I called reception they told me to “wait a little” but we never got it until next morning.

- There was only one robe …. ( in a MATRIMONIAL suite) …. And when we asked for the second one they said…get prepared for this one …. That the robes were too expensive so they only provided 1 per room !!!!!!!!!

- They mixed up our breakfast and brought someone else’s. We realized this half way through it and when we told them they answered, basically with an “ oops!” and did nothing to correct it.

- They tried to charge us around 15 USD for a few hours of wi fi internet! ... again, in a 500 USD room! Its been years since an hotel tried to charge us to use wifi in the room and I know of no 5 star hotel that dares to do that nowadays.

- After all our complaints, when we got back from a day tour we found a pre-printed apology card ( not even hand signed) and half a bottle of wine as the only official response from the hotel. When my fiancé asked to talk with the manager they said that they were “ too busy” .

The main problem with Casa Medina is that they are resting on their laurels, they are the perfect example of an old fashioned, family ran hotel in Colombia that thinks that having a well known " traditional" name ( in Colombia) is enough to keep considering themselves as the top hotel in the country. They haven’t realized that with the recent explosion of foreign travelers to Colombia if they don’t evolve they’re condemned to die, actually some of the big chains arriving to Colombia like Marriot are already taking business away from them. We would definitely not recommend Casa Medina unless they down grade themselves to 3 stars and improve their service.

I’ve stayed at other hotels in Bogota while I´m traveling for business, and nothing compares to the Charleston Casa Medina. Service is not only good, is absolutely premium. From the concierge, to the waiters, to the event staff, I haven´t experience such attention to detail and to good service anywhere else lately in all of South America. The rooms are incredibly spacious, the property is beautiful and elegant and the amenities are first class. It is also the perfect place to have meetings. The rooms were equipped with the latest technology and service and food just couldn’t be better. In my last visit I decided to try another hotel to have more options, and I can confirm that this is definitely the best hotel of city. I’m never changing again.

Have stayed at Casa Medina hotel many times on business trips to Bogota. It is located in a beautiful historic palatial home that has been tastefully added on to. It is a five star hotel and a wonderful change from a standard business class hotel. It is located within walking distance from calle 72 (Chile) and Rosales neighborhood and right next to an area of restuarants, bars and cafes. The rooms are enormous, and very tastefully decorated with large bathrooms and great showers, there is a a beautiful central garden. For the best rooms, get one in the older wing of the hotel, for quieter rooms, make sure to request rooms that do not face Avendia 7a. Only complaints were on the last visit cleaning staff were shouting back and forth to each other outside room door, rooms on Av. 7a can be noisy with rush hour traffic, and if you have trouble sleeping when sunlight enters room, best bring a sleep mask.