If you consider that after the devaluation of the argentine Peso, Buenos Aires has become one of the cheapest capitals to stay in on the entire planet, hotels in this city continue to charge very high prices. Luckily, the best western located there is an exception to this and you can get some really low rates on their website.
The hotel is pretty centrally located, just off the avenida Corrientes. There is a subte (subway, metro) stop called Callao on the B line, about a 5 minute walk away.
We were given one of the smaller suites with which was average in size. The room was very quiet and clean. The shower pressure very good.
However we had some issues during our stay that we think other travellers should know about:
1.) Bathroom sink
The bathroom sink and mirror is INSIDE the bedroom, NOT the bathroom !! The bathroom only has the bathtub/shower, toilet and bidet, but no sink in it ! While this was not an issue for us, other guests may find this problematic if the other person with you is using a hairdryer and/or running water in the same room you are sleeping or watching television in. Im not sure if all rooms are like this but its worth asking beforehand if its a concern for you. Also, there were only 2 average size towels in the bathtub(not enough for 2 people to dry themselves after a shower or bath) and none for the floor to avoid slipping.
2.) Window
The room only had one small window in the corner of the room overlooking a tiny enclosed area where you could see the other outside walls of the same hotel. Rooms overlooking avenida Junin will just give you a view of the buildings on the other side of the street.
3.)Minibar
The minibar fridge in the room was turned on, but completely empty. NOTHING in it. While I never consume minibar items because they are horrendously overpriced, I called reception to tell them this so they would not accidentally charge me for the contents of the entire fridge. When I told them the situation the guy at reception said in a very matter of fact voice `Yes, the minibar IS empty.´
4.) Sleeping
Two things made it a bit difficult for me to sleep in one of the beds.
Firstly, only window in the room (mentioned above) was right above the headrest of one of the two single beds and so when sleeping you get sunlight filtering through the bottom of the closed curtains early in the morning.
Secondly, the plastic fixture holding the hairdryer on the wall had a bright orange light (indicating it was on) which could not be turned off. While this was not a problem during the day, at night it reflected in the mirror above the sink so I had two orange lights shining towards me while trying to sleep. I put a dark shirt over the hairdryer to block out this light.
5.) In room safe
One thing I did find problematic was the fact that there was no safe in the room to leave passports, cash, mobile phones, credit cards, etc despite the official hotel website saying otherwise! As I had arrived pretty late in the evening (around 22.00), there was only a single person on duty at reception (speaking only spanish). He told us we couldn't use the general hotel safe behind reception until morning. Im glad we didn't have something in there we needed urgently !!
6.) Breakfast
This hotel offers free breakfast to all guests. In reality its only a taster and nothing else. Some pastries, coffee and tea, toast, marmalade, butter and cereal. If you want anything else (especially cooked) there is a small menu laid out on every table with prices. While the prices are not expensive, its not free either.
7.) Hot tub, swimming pool
A previous tripadvisor reviewer mentioned noise due to construction of a swimming pool on the roof. I decided to have a look for myself. Firstly, it SEEMS that major construction is complete as there was no sign of work being done, but facilities are not ready. Secondly what IS on the roof is a hot tub that fits a AT MOST 4 or 5 people sitting in it closely together. There's no swimming to be done in that thing. Also, the water inside it looked a few days old and Im not sure if it was in use yet. Despite the official best western hotel website mentioning exercise facilites under the amenities section I saw none there, only empty rooms where they MIGHT be put. There is no sign of a swimming pool anywhere or even the space for one !
8.) Lifts/Elevators
The 2 lifts were quite small and dark with only fluorescent blue lighting, such as you find in some nightclubs or discos! Very strange.
9.) Reception
I had forgotten my toothbrush and as there a was a sign in the bedroom stating to ask reception if you needed any forgotten toiletry items, I asked for one, but this was not available. Also, late at night you cant get into the hotel lobby unless the single person behind reception opens the door you. While I understand that this is for security, I just hope he or she is not away for a break or something while you wait outside!
10.) Telephone
Normally, (like the minibar mentioned above) I never use hotel telephones as they are extortionately expensive. However in this case I had an ONE urgent call to make. I got the call rates in writing from reception and timed my call to make sure i would be billed correctly. When it came to check out however it seemed that I was overcharged. The guy at reception explained to me that you are charged EVEN IF the person you are calling DOES NOT PICK UP THE PHONE and EVEN IF IT DOES NOT GO THROUGH TO AN ANSWERING MACHINE OR VOICEMAIL. This means you are charged from the first ring you hear when calling. I found this absurd and dishonest because this is not mentioned anywhere in writing. Make sure you do not make any calls from this hotel ! I managed to get a small discount, canceling one of the unanswered calls, but it is still outrageous to charge for a connection you did not have.
As I found out the next morning, all you need to do is go out of the hotel turn right onto the avenida Corrientes where you will find one payphone after another and also a shop for making phone calls on your way to the metro (subway) station on the right side of the road going towards the centre.
11.) Official hotel website
The official hotel website has a lot of misleading information, some downright errors, and a hotel-room amenities list with numerous items which I found no evidence of, such as:
Coffee/tea maker in the room
Desk/work area in the room
In-room safe
Outdoor pool
Spa
Fitness Center (Exercise facility, Treadmill)
Game room (Table tennis/ping pong)
(I did not check the status of the internet connection, so beware)
The ONLY room photos on the official website are from their most expensive suite !!
Check out time is 11.00 in the morning, NOT at 12.00 as stated on the official hotel website !!!
Conclusion:
The issues we had at this hotel were not major and the prices, location and cleanliness are all very decent. The points mentioned above that we encountered were small nuisances rather than major problems for us, but I can understand that they may upset others a lot more.
Two things to watch out for are making calls, and the fact that the hotel website is not to be trusted and needs updating ASAP.
Double check if your room rate includes taxes or not, as these can add up to 21% ON TOP of your bill !!
The points mentioned above should be known to each traveler before making their reservation. I would recommend this place ONLY if you are aware of these points and they will not make your stay uncomfortable.