The Wild Oscar

“A lovely boutique hotel with excellent staff”

A lovely boutique hotel with excellent staff service. Breakfast is like a real fine dining experience with v courteous and helpful staff

“Wild Oscar - Large Group”

Charming hotel with exceptional staff and delicious food.

“Charming but with downsides”

This is a charming hotel in a safe, quiet neighborhood. The rooms and public spaces are well appointed. I got great nights' sleep every night, thanks to the blackout curtains, comfortable bed, and excellent sound insulation (no noise from outside or from other rooms). However, there was pretty m… more

This is a charming hotel in a safe, quiet neighborhood. The rooms and public spaces are well appointed. I got great nights' sleep every night, thanks to the blackout curtains, comfortable bed, and excellent sound insulation (no noise from outside or from other rooms). However, there was pretty much zero natural light in the room - even at noon on a sunny day, you needed all the lights on. And the lack of good lighting made it a little tricky for a gal to put on makeup... That said, the biggest downside is the distance from the city center - it looks close to areas like La Condesa on the map, but Mexico City's insane traffic means in the evening it can take you over an hour by Uber to get to La Condesa or Roma Norte. Also, customer service can be very uneven: everyone was super friendly when I actually dealt with staff one-on-one, but it took multiple emails before I got a response to a question I'd sent before my arrival, and they never seem to pick up the phone. Overall, the hotel itself is charming, but the Mexican traffic, dark rooms, and certain inconsistency of service knock a star off my review.

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“A few changes would make this a gem.”

I have never written a review like this one. The Wild Oscar should warrant five stars but for several concerns and irritations. We were guests for six days. Please note that we stay in more than 20 different hotels every year, so have broad experience. In spite of the complaints listed below, we wo… more

I have never written a review like this one. The Wild Oscar should warrant five stars but for several concerns and irritations. We were guests for six days. Please note that we stay in more than 20 different hotels every year, so have broad experience. In spite of the complaints listed below, we would stay again. The Good. The Location. It can’t be beat. Polanco, close to restaurants, shopping, and major museums. Check-in. We were offered two excellent mocktails by bar staff. The Room. We booked a suite (404). It was very nice, spacious, with two large balconies. Spacious bathroom and shower. There was a small kitchen and dining table. Two television sets. A shot of tequila and some nuts were delivered as an amenity, a nice touch. Breakfast. In a pleasant, small area off the lobby. Great choices. Consistently excellent service. The Bad. Or just odd… The Room. Wonderful to have a microwave and kitchenette. But no plates or cutlery? What was the point? There were two coffee capsules for two people, making a small cup each. We asked for more, and they were provided. Bathroom: The bathroom is large but has no towel hooks. (There was one hook, for bathrobes.) Some days, the towels were very thin. There were signs that the hotel was concerned with the environment, but if you had to leave the towels on the floor each day, it made no sense. The hand soap felt watered down. One very small bar of soap was provided and not replaced until we asked. Robes: My partner’s robe was so small it barely closed. He left it on the floor to be replaced. It was not replaced. He had to ask the desk. Housekeeping. One day we came back at 5:30 pm and the room had not been made up. Went to the front desk and someone came right away. We were told 30 minutes. After 45, we went back up from the small lobby (four chairs) and our door was wide open and no one in sight with cleaning supplies in the hall, bedroom and bathroom. Back to the front desk. It was cleared up right away. Security? Security. It was disconcerting to return to our room after dinner the first night and find the balcony doors wide open (we had left them locked) and nothing else touched. The front desk did not know why, as there is no turn-down service. They said they would investigate and report back. We heard nothing. We subsequently bolted the doors at night and checked for irregularities. Weird. Water. We were told not to drink the tap water but were left only one jug and had to request more or go to the bar for a refill each time. We requested and got a second jug. This was the first place we had stayed in Mexico that did not have in-house filtering, so you could choose to drink the tap water. Gym. I always work out at 6:30 in the morning. Sometimes a gym does not up until 7. Many are open 24/7. This small but adequate gym opened at 8 for no apparent reason. Not always fully stocked (towels, etc.). Front Desk. Customer service was very uneven. Every other “team” (bar, food service, housekeeping) had a “uniform,” but the front desk did not. Not always professional-looking. One day we asked for an umbrella for the rain and had to sign a form. Another day we did not. One agent was very pleasant and understood customer service, one did not. Breakfast: I don’t know why people call it complimentary –it is included with your price. It was very good, with good choices and service for a small hotel. It was odd that we had to sign for breakfast (no charge) and the bill asked if we would like to leave a 15-20% gratuity. What, of nothing? We are among the seemingly few who leave a cash gratuity for service at hotel breakfasts and buffets and did the same here. The Ugly. Check-in: We knew we would be tired after a flight from Lisbon to Istanbul and then a 14-hour connecting flight on to CDMX so we requested an early check-in for a 9:30 arrival. (Our flight arrived at 7am.) EVERY hotel replies with a “we will do the best we can,” and typically do try. We arrived and asked if we might check in. We were told 3 pm. We asked whether the room could be prioritized for cleaning. No. We asked if we might shower or change. No. We could use the lobby bathroom. Since checkout is at noon, we used WhatsApp at that time to ask if the room could be cleaned first. No. At 1:30, we asked if 90 minutes had been sufficient to clean the room. No. After venting some frustration, again on WhatsApp from a restaurant, we were told we could check in at 2pm. Although the fees had not been mentioned that morning, we were advised that an exception had been made for us for this ONE hour, and next time we would be charged. The next day we saw a sign on the counter. Early check-in incurs a full night payment. Noon check-in US$ 100. Unbelievable. Breakfast. There was a notice on the menu that you could have one of these, one of that, unlimited of something else. It did not match exactly what was on the blackboard. Whoever heard of people abusing breakfast? Some eat more, some eat less, even from day to day. On our second last day, I ordered avocado toast with poached eggs. Well, avocado was on one menu and poached eggs on another so there would be a charge (how much for two poached eggs? Even if I passed on the cereal and fruit? Jeez.) I explained that that was fine, but we had been in the hotel for five days and were leaving the next day at 4 am, so we would not be having breakfast, so the eggs could count as my next-day breakfast. A wonderful waiter let it go. A few changes would make this a gem.

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