Review: NH Collection Mexico City Airport T2 Hotel

In a nutshell: While the convenience of the Hotel NH Collection Mexico City Airport T2 cannot be understated, it doesn’t hold up all that well on other fronts. Things started off on the wrong foot, and although the rooms are comfortable, the service and value aren’t quite there for what should be a nice upscale hotel. 

Arriving into MEX Terminal 2

I was split on whether booking my hotel ahead of time was a good idea on an international trip where you only have one potential daily flight. But I went ahead and settled on the Hotel NH Collection Mexico City Airport T2 for an airport overnight on my way to Merida. I could have booked a couple other options for much less, but I would have had to take a taxi away from the airport. In retrospect, this might have been the better option. But I thought that paying $127 for an on-airport hotel was worth the convenience. NH Collection is a chain with their own points program, but I booked my stay through Expedia.

It was unfortunate that I needed the overnight stay, but it was the only way to make the itinerary work with the single Sunday departure from SFO on Aeromexico. The flight was a nice experience. Arriving into MEX was not.

I guess I’m too used to breezing through immigration. Even on my more recent international trips, immigration into foreign countries seems quick. And returning to the U.S. is always exceptionally fast using Global Entry. So I was dismayed by the giant line in Mexico’s Terminal 2. The bus dropped us outside, where we waited nearly 10 minutes before the line even made it into the building. All said and done, it probably took me an hour to get through immigration and find my way through Terminal 2 to the NH Collection.

That’s a bit of an issue as well. The hotel isn’t well marked. I walked right past the elevator bank and nearly to the parking garage. They would do well to have a clear sign that shows a U-turn from the hallway around to the right to the hotel elevators. The elevators take you from the ground level

First Impressions

The hotel has a wide, expansive lobby, but it honestly looked barren without much furniture. There are a couple couches opposite the front desk, but that’s the majority of what is offered. With the huge area and high ceilings, it’s incredibly uninviting. They could do so much more with this space. 

The front desk area is also bland. Plus, there was a super long line at check in. Well…everyone is spaced out six feet apart. But there were only two front desk staff, and things weren’t moving quickly. When I left, the line was as long as when I’d arrived. Check-in took roughly half an hour, which is completely unacceptable in my book. 

I headed up the stairs to the second floor where my room was. The hotel is arranged in a large circle, with rooms on the interior looking over the courtyard and also facing the exterior.

Standard Room

The standard rooms at the NH Collection Mexico City Airport are very comfortable and have a simple but nice style. I was pleased once I’d finally checked in and made it to my room. Rather than have a couple hours until I wanted to get to sleep, I sat down to check email, read for a bit, and then got to sleep a little after 11:00 PM. The bed was comfortable, and I slept really well, getting about 6.5 hours of sleep on my overnight stay. 

The desk area is nicely lit. I really appreciated the water as well, as it had taken quite a while to get through the airport and I was very thirsty. It’s a small touch, but I’ve noticed that I get annoyed these days when a room at a midscale or higher property does not stock 1 or 2 water bottles for their guests.

I prefer a good chair to a couch of this sort, but these seem to be ‘in’ these days.

The entry closet area is compact, but still offers a lot of space. Unnecessary if you’re in the room for barely nine hours like I was.

The bathroom is nice, and the towels even have the hotel logo embedded in the design. Nice touch.

Breakfast

I thought about just splitting in the morning and heading to the airport for breakfast, but I figured I had enough time to enjoy the “buffet”. That’s in quotes because although all the food was arranged on the buffet tables, you had to walk around and have the staff plate it up for you. I thought I had some photos of the restaurant and buffet, but it appears I didn’t take any. You just get one of my plate.

The breakfast buffet at the NH Collection Mexico City Airport cost 330 pesos (~$17 USD), which is definitely steep by Mexico standards. You can also order from an a la carte menu as well. The service experience was par. I did have a terrible time understanding the staff through their masks, but this was just hours into the trip and the language jump usually gets better after a day or two. 

The lobby bar was operating in the evening when I arrived. I was in no mood to head down and check it out though, with getting to bed high on the agenda. I may have, had immigration and check-in not taken so long.

NH Collection Mexico City Airport: Final Thoughts

Airport hotels generally have one purpose: getting some sleep either before or after a flight. Typically, I hardly use any of the services offered. It’s just sleep and leave, so I’m looking for value more than anything.

The convenience of the NH Collection Mexico City Airport cannot be understand. It is attached to Terminal 2, making it an incredibly easy option if you’re flying Aeromexico or Delta and need to stay overnight. The reduction is hassle not having to leave and return is definitely a selling point.

But I’d not rush to say it is an excellent hotel. There is so much more than they could do with the lobby, and the check-in service was abysmal for an upscale (really, any) hotel. It must be hard as an airport property to gauge the exact number of people you’ll have any given night if people just walk up, but having a line of 7-8 people while you have just two check-in agents (plus airline crews coming in that were given first priority) was frustrating.

The rooms are comfortable, though. In the U.S. this hotel would be a bargain at $127 after taxes. I’m split on the overall value here, though. Given the check-in time, it might have been better, and certainly cheaper, to have booked something else.