Review: Hilton Mexico City Reforma

I’ve accumulated around $1000 worth of United TravelBank credit thanks to multiple years of owning the Amex Platinum Card, and I decided to go on an impromptu trip to Mexico City. It’s strange that I’ve never been to Mexico before until now since it’s close to my home in California, and that I went to places like Central Asia and the Caucasus beforehand.

Hilton Mexico City Reforma- Booking

I booked a 3-night stay for a total of 120,000 Hilton Honors points. Standard rooms are capped at 40,000 points per night, and the cash price they were charging at the time of my visit was ~$260 per night, so this was a good case to use Hilton Honors points.

Hilton Mexico City Reforma- Location

The Hilton in Mexico City is located within the Historic Center of Mexico City (Centro). Nearby attractions include Palacio de Bellas Artes, Chinatown, and Constitution Plaza. CDMX is a huge city, so getting to other places is very reasonably priced and convenient with Uber, though traffic can get really bad during the evening.

Hilton Mexico City Reforma- Check-in

I got from the MEX airport to the hotel in the evening. Check-in itself was smooth, and they asked me if I would like to be checked in at the Executive Lounge at the 25th floor or the front desk. So I agreed to do it in the lounge for the novelty aspect.

The lobby is grand, and includes a nice bar with a large screen in the middle.

Hilton Mexico City Reforma- Master Suite

I was upgraded to the Master Suite as a Hilton Diamond. The Master Suite in Hilton CDMX Reforma is just one level below the Presidential Suite, but there’s plenty of them in the hotel. Hilton Diamond members would surely get a nice chance to be upgraded to it.

Every room that ends in 01 is the Master Suite, and is located in an end of the rooms’ hallway. My room 1001 is on the lowest floor (10th) for guest rooms.

The Master Suite is massive with a separate living room. It’s not the most modern, but the space is well-utilized.

The Master Suite comes with a clear view of the Alameda Park, Palacio de Bellas Artes, and Latino Tower.

Behind the dining table is the sliding door to the master bedroom.

Adjacent to the living room and the master bedroom is where the bathroom is. It comes with separate shower and toilet rooms.

The most defining aspect of the Master Suite is the whirlpool that can easily fit 2 people inside. Though it does not come with bath salts.

Though being on the 10th floor, you might need to be mindful since the hotel’s outdoor pool can be seen from inside.

Hilton Mexico City Reforma- Executive Lounge

The Executive Lounge is on the 24th floor of the hotel. This is where breakfast takes place, and unfortunately, Hilton elite members do not get to have breakfast in one of their restaurants.

Outside of breakfast hours, 7AM-11AM, there’s happy hour in the evenings starting from 5pm. Outside of that, the lounge only offers soft drinks.

Breakfast is mostly western buffet-style with pastries, cold cuts, cereal, hot items like pancakes, waffles, bacon, and scrambled eggs. You may also order egg dishes and quesadillas.

Though I was hoping there would be more Mexican options in the buffet other than just tortilla chips and salsa.

Overall, I didn’t find the breakfast to be that good. The sausages were too greasy for my liking, and there just weren’t that much variety. They were comparable to breakfast you’d find at limited service hotels.

Hilton Mexico City Reforma- Pools

The hotel has an indoor and outdoor pool on the 6th floor. The floor also shares a gym and spa facility. The indoor pool is separated into two subsections, and has couple lounge chairs in.

The outdoor pool is shaped in a very long strip with the lounge chairs on the farther side that’s not blocked by a wall.

While I was taking pictures, a wedded couple were trying to take a picture with the Palacio de Bellas Artes in the background.

Behind the outdoor pool is the rooftop terrace that also comes with a tennis court.

Hilton Mexico City Reforma- Spa

I took advantage of the spa service (90 minute deep tissue massage) that felt reasonable for the price it charges, as far as hotel prices go for. The cost was 2500 MXN. I used the hotel credit from Hilton Honors Business Card and Hilton gift cards to help offset the cost.

There’s definitely places outside the hotel that would give much better value, but the hotel option is more convenient.

Hilton Mexico City Reforma- El Cardenal Restaurant

One of the hotel’s prominent restaurants is El Cardenal Restaurant that appears highly rated and serves traditional Mexican cuisine, so I gave it a try on my first night after landing. The restaurant is located on the lobby floor just by the hotel’s main entrance.

The restaurant’s interior has a homey feel with ornaments styled in Mexico’s flag.

I ordered 2 dishes with chicken covered in mole which had a chocolate-y banana taste, which was interesting when combined with the salty flavor of the rice. It was decent, but I might call it an acquired taste for me.

Then, I tried the escamoles, which are ant larvae. They’re sizzling and sauteed in butter, and are accompanied by fresh tortillas. Since part of traveling for me is about trying new food, I was feeling a bit adventurous.

Little did I know that I was actually allergic to escamoles! Shortly after dining, I head back to my room and my body became all itchy. This was when I was concerned, and I called the hotel’s concierge to send me a doctor for an allergy shot.

Thankfully the doctor arrived as quick as she could and administered a shot in my room. The doctor suspected I was allergic to escamoles as apparently many people are allergic to them as well.

Around one hour later, I felt a lot better and I had to thank the concierge for the swift response to my request as well. They both were lifesavers!

The restaurant’s also not at fault since I was also clueless about my reaction to escamoles anyway. One thing’s clear though, I’m no longer interested in putting bugs in my system! Still, I don’t think I’m qualified to give a recommendation to this restaurant after my experience.

Conclusion

Hilton Mexico City Reforma is a decent hotel to stay at in CDMX. The location is good, though is not as vibrant as other neighborhoods. There are tons of room types in this hotel, so getting upgraded yields a good chance.

The executive lounge is pretty lackluster, and I also found the breakfast to be very mediocre. The rooms also feel outdated, but it’s not bad for 40k Hilton points a night.

Would I return? I think I’d like to try out other properties in this huge city before doing so.