InterContinental Costa Rica at Multiplaza Mall

We dressed up and made a special trip on Thursday, April 17, to dine at Pimento, a restaurant we had genuinely enjoyed during our extended two-week stay at the hotel in the past. We enjoy the restaurant and the food there and were excited to come back, we could have gone to Andiamo La instead - at least there, they know how to treat their guests. We started with a drink at the bar and then we headed to the restaurant and there at the host stand was Jose, who introduced himself as the sommelier and also the manager. When we arrived at the restaurant around 7:15 PM, there were at least five open tables and only two reservations on the books. We didn’t have a reservation, but it was clear that space was not an issue. So, it truly caught us off guard when we were told, “Sorry, tonight is reservation-only.” No didnt even try. No suggestion to wait or see. Just a flat "No." - he told us that we can dine at the other 2 restaurants which frankly irritated me more the way how it was delivered because we are not there just to eat, we are there to intentionally dine at this particular restaurant. The body language was such in a hurry and ready to walk away and go back to the floor. From a hospitality standpoint, this was deeply disappointing. We were already on property, dressed for dinner, and clearly ready to dine. As returning guests who had previously supported the hotel and its dining venues including events, it felt incredibly dismissive to be turned away despite the availability of multiple open tables. To make matters worse, as we walked back to our car, confused and disappointed, we checked OpenTable and easily found a reservation for 7:30 PM, with plenty of availability showing. We made the reservation, turned around, and walked right back in. It was frustrating and honestly a bit embarrassing. Jose came back and was surprised that we were able to make a reservation. Instead of apologizing and just rectifying the issue right away, he made more excuses and it just made us more upset. Embarrassing that we had to argue with him while the guest was arriving. We couldn't understand why the manager would choose to let us walk away instead of simply seating us. His explanation was that the tables were being held in case hotel guests decided to come down but even he wasn't certain those guests had any intention to dine. So essentially, we were turned away for guests who hadn’t shown up or committed. At that point, we decided why will give this restaurant our business? they clearly don't want us, so we walked away instead and we will never come back and not just that, we will share to our friends our experience. This experience didn’t reflect any hospitality — it reflected someone who was following policy over guest experience. Hospitality is about reading the moment, not just the rules. We were there. We were ready. The tables were available. The message we received, instead, was “You’re not important enough to seat unless you’re on a list.” That isn’t what hospitality should ever feel like.

Good hotel in a strange location - this IC is no-where near downtown, and whilst there is a big mall next door it's not a particularly interesting area, and still about a 20 minute drive from the airport (if traffic is good!). The hotel itself is pleasant, if a bit tired in places. I had a nice corner room with a very soft bed. The shower had good pressure and temperature and otherwise the room was fine if uninispiring. Breakfast was provided in the lounge area and was OK. Not the biggest selection but most of the basics are covered. Staff thoughout were friendly and helpful. The pool area was pleasant and there were plenty of sun loungers at 9am!

My husband and I visited this hotel for three nights as part of a Tauck tour. We enjoyed our stay. Diego at the front desk was kind enough to Xerox a required health form for me when our tour company did not give us enough forms. The room was attractive and comfortable. We had glass glasses in the bathroom, a perk that I appreciated. There was a coffee maker that we did not use. I liked having 3 waste baskets: one each for the toilet room, sink, and bedroom. Our room on the sixth floor overlooked the pool and some nice landscaping and had a good view of mountains. Every meal we ate at the restaurant was very good or excellent. The dinners were especially good. The first night we ate at Pimento Italian. The second night we ate at the Market Cafe. The lobby and first floor common spaces were spacious and pleasant. We enjoyed sitting in the first floor bar which blended into the lobby. The service was very good. I enjoyed trying local beer. We never sat outside on the veranda but it looked nice due to the pretty landscaping. Some people who ate at Pimentos sat outside. A Costa Rican-American businessman I met in the plane said his San Jose (tech?) company holds special events at Pimentos. The bed in our room was either too soft or worn out, although I did not feel any springs. We prefer a firmer bed. For some reason our room smelled. Maybe that is a consequence of a tropical climate. On the whole the hotel and our room were quite clean. Fellow travelers visited a shopping mall several blocks away for dinner. As I recall they were not impressed with the mall restaurants. I am glad we are at the hotel. I would stay at this hotel again when visiting San Jose. It is out in the suburbs. We arrived in San Jose a day before our tour began. During our free day my husband and I Ubered to the wonderful Jade Museum and the very good National Museum of Costa Rica. We also Ubered to the small collection at the National Museum of Costa Rican Art, housed in a very attractive former airport terminal. (The local businessman I met on the plane told me Uber is officially illegal so one passenger should sit in the front seat to make the vehicle look like an ordinary car.) As part of our Tauck tour we visited the very good Gold Museum and the interesting National Theatre.

We arrived for the hotel as an overnight layover for our early morning flight back to the states. We had asked the bell captain if we should arrange a taxi for the morning as we had a lot of bags and an early flight. He assured us that they have plenty of taxis 24 hours a day to accommodate us. No need for pre-arrangement. The hotel is very tired, food options were limited to the Market and the Japanese restaurant. The service at the Market was great but the food was for sure past its prime. The beds were comfortable. I’m the morning. We rang down to order a taxi just to be sure. 10 mins later when we came to start loading our bags it seems there were no taxis. When we asked the night manager at the front desk she barely registered a concern that the taxi situation was limited., even though the airport is 30 mins away. For sure not your usual experience when staying at an intercontinental hotel traveler be ware.

This hotel suited our purpose as a two night stay upon arriving in SanJose and a one stay prior to leaving. It is a large hotel with no character. Front desk staff were by far the least friendly of anywhere else we stayed (4 other hotels) during our two week stay in Costa Rica. The lounge chairs by the pool were torn and unclean looking. The hotel room was large but the hotel desperately needs a renovation .