Review: Four Points by Sheraton — Medellin, Colombia

I’ve been spending some time in Colombia recently and took a short trip to Medellin for a friend’s birthday party. For the first few nights, I booked the Four Points by Sheraton given its location close to my friend’s apartment.

I’m usually a World of Hyatt loyalist but there are no Hyatts in Medellin so I looked at other hotels. This was my first stay at a Marriott property in several months. I have Bonvoy gold status from my American Express Platinum Card.

Four Points Medellin Booking

The hotel was ~$75 for a basic room booked directly with Marriott. It offered a better value than booking with points so I went that route.

There were lower rates available on other sites. I booked with Marriott and filed a best rate guarantee claim but honestly didn’t expect it to succeed. Marriott is notorious for finding fine-print reasons to deny what should be valid best rate guarantee claims. Unsurprisingly, over 24 hours after submission, Marriott responded saying the rate could not be verified and denying my claim.

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Four Points Medellin Checking In

I arrived at the hotel shortly after noon directly from the airport. Luckily, the friendly receptionist quickly checked me in and informed me that my room was available for early check-in.

Thanks to my Marriott Gold status, I was upgraded from my “classic” room to an “executive” room. The room was on the third floor facing the street in front of the hotel.

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Four Points Medellin The Room

The room was quite spacious and included a futon-like couch and desk. Unfortunately, the furnishings in the room and throughout the hotel was quite dated. Lots of wear was visible on the desk and other furniture.

That said, the bed was comfortable with updated Four Points bedding and there were no bed bugs in this hotel.

The desk was comfortable and the hotel had solid 40mbps internet speed for both upload and download.

The fridge was stocked with very reasonable minibar prices. There was no in-room coffee machine.

An underrated hotel amenity: shoehorns. Unfortunately, this one broke the first time I used it. It’s the thought that counts?

And true to Marriott’s LDS roots, a Book of Mormon was in the bedside table alongside a bible.

The closet was spacious. Strangely, the suitcase stand was located at the opposite end of the room next to the couch rather than in or adjacent to the closet.

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Four Points Medellin Bathroom and Bath Amenities

The room had a compact bathroom with a standing shower. The shower pressure was excellent. Be careful — the max water temperature was warmer than I expected once it heated up.

The hotel provided standard Four Points by Sheraton amenities. Strangely, no washcloth was provided. I requested some through the Marriott App but they were never delivered.

Four Points Medellin Gym and Pool

The hotel had a limited gym and an outdoor pool. The gym is located in a kind of outdoor sunroom area overlooking the pool. Keep in mind that it’s not air-conditioned and there were also no towels in the gym. I got quite sweaty during cardio.

The pool looked quite peaceful and is located in the back of the building. I never got a chance to use it but I frequently saw people lounging or chatting at the tables.

Four Points Medellin Service

The Four Points by Sheraton is classified as a four-star hotel but service seemed inconsistent.

Breakfast is included but I neglected to take photos of the spread when I made it. The seating was fairly chaotic while the table service was attentive. The buffet was not regularly replenished but they would deliver items that ran out to tables promptly. Like most properties, they had a custom egg stand with a very friendly and helpful chef. Overall, I didn’t think breakfast was anything special and ate out the other days.

I ordered some drinks and food through room service one night. While the items arrived promptly, they required me to pay immediately using a credit card rather than charging it to my room. Apparently, they don’t have the capability to add food and beverage orders to a room folio which is… strange.

All of the team members were well-intentioned and friendly. However, the hotel could definitely benefit from more training and upgrading of its systems.

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The Upshot

The Four Points by Sheraton Medellin is located centrally in the Poblado neighborhood of Medellin. It’s a 2-minute walk from the Santafe Mall. It’s easy to access key points in the town. The hotel could certainly use some upgrades both in terms of facilities and service. But at only ~$75 a night it’s not a bad deal.