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Hotel Gloriana Review – Montego Bay, Jamaica

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Jamaica
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Hotel Gloriana

I’ve stayed at Hotel Gloriana in Montego Bay, Jamaica on two separate occasions, and overall I really liked it. I actually kind of miss the times I’ve had there. Below is my personal opinion of the good and bad at this hotel, you’ll notice the positives far outweigh the negatives and I would definitely recommend staying there.

POSITIVE

  • Location is EVERYTHING!  I love the location of this place because its on the main drag in Montego Bay, right on Sunset Blvd.  For sensible people it’s a cheap taxi ride to anywhere on the “hip strip”.  For brave people it’s within walking distance of everything, even after dark.
  • The price is right.  Two people can stay for about $60 a night which is totally cheap when splitting the cost.
  • Its a 5-10 minute stroll to Dead End Beach.  I love this beach because it’s right beside the airport and the planes are practically touching the water when they come in to land.
  • It’s a five minute ride to the airport which makes it a super convenient place to stay if you have an early morning departure.
  • I’ve stayed in three different rooms at Hotel Gloriana.  Two of them were fabulous, one of them is in the “negative” section below.
  • Restaurant staff, bar staff and housekeeping staff were all great!  The restaurant and bar are on site in the courtyard.  Decent food at reasonable prices, and they serve both western and Jamaican food.
  • You can reserve a room with no deposit.  You simply call ahead to reserve and pay upon arrival.  I’ve never had any issues with availability either.
  • Even though the pool closes at 11pm, we’ve come back from a night of partying at 4am and still gone for a QUIET dip to cool off before bed.
  • 24 hour security.
Courtyard at Hotel Gloriana - Montego Bay, Jamaica
Courtyard at Hotel Gloriana – Montego Bay, Jamaica

NEGATIVE

  • My first impression of the front desk staff wasn’t great, and that spilled over into my second impression.  They like to make you wait for seemingly no reason or explanation, almost like you’re invisible.  I didn’t find any of them very friendly during both my stays.
  • Don’t ever think anyone can come in and visit you.  This rule is fine for people with no friends in Jamaica, but I have several friends there.  It was VERY inconvenient on a night when me and five Jamaicans drove to Montego Bay from Ocho Rios for a concert.  Because I was the only registered guest my friends weren’t even allowed in for 10 minutes to change clothes for the event.  They had to change in the car.  Not cool.
  • Some of the rooms were the strangest I’ve ever seen.  We ended up in a room that resembled a breezeway….long, narrow and no room to move.  There were no windows to the outside, except one in the bathroom.  When we opened the curtains hanging on the wall there was nothing but wall behind them.  Odd.
Odd room at Hotel Gloriana - Montego Bay, Jamaica
Odd room at Hotel Gloriana – Montego Bay, Jamaica

In spite of any negative points I would recommend staying at Hotel Gloriana in Montego Bay.



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Comments

27 responses to “Hotel Gloriana Review – Montego Bay, Jamaica”

  1. Ashley Avatar
    Ashley

    You know we really had a good time there…I loved the hotel. I agree with the negatives….the staff were three times worse than being on Jamaican time lol….and sometimes they had room mix ups. But in the end it was worth it. If you make sure you get a good room…not the strip dungeon we got as illustrated by the picture….you will LOVE your stay.

    The pool is great, the staff at the resturant and bar are fantastic….and I love how there is a section under cover in the shade with a bunch of couches where you can cuddle up up with a book or your signifigant other to get a break from the heat. There is an public indoor area beside the pool where you can hang and watch tv if your tuckered out!!

    I also think they have the coolest groundskeeping and housekeeping staff in the world. I hung out with them for a while and had a blast…a funny nice group of people!

    Despite the negatives about this hotel..It’s my hotel of choice when in Mobay…I love it!! Its so close to everything to!

    One thing that is great to..is if your traveling with a party…you can get the room we had overnight once…with like seven beds in it!! Jamaicans don’t do the whole ” two beds” to a room only thing we do here. They are prepared for big parties..or someone with ten kids!!

    Reply
  2. Kelly Smith Avatar
    Kelly Smith

    I’ve stayed there . . . twice. I wasn’t impressed with either room and the front desk staff had “no change” when I went to pay on the first night . . . so he kept the change!!! The second night, he didn’t give me the discount from the money he kept the first night! I was staying with a friend (local), and he left a ring in the room by accident… Read More. It was a “family” ring, handed down by his grandmother . . . probably worth some money as it was gold with diamonds. We weren’t 5 miles down the road when he discovered that he forgot it. We went back to the Gloriana to check the room (mind you, it was only 5:00 a.m.) — but the room had been “cleaned” and nobody knew anything about the ring! Amazing!

    Reply
  3. Jamaica Avatar
    Jamaica

    UGHHH Kelly that’s unbelievable! Funny that I’ve read a lot of hotel reviews online and all the ones I love seem to have similar stories to yours!!

    Sorry that happened girl.

    Reply
  4. Helen Avatar
    Helen

    which are the good rooms?
    thanks!

    Reply
  5. WinnieP Avatar
    WinnieP

    Stayed there twice – same room on both occasions. I find this h ome away from home. Front desk employees are ok the food is great I love my Jamaican food – I am Jamaican.
    Location couldnt be better and feel safe as there is a police station across the street.
    Glorianna is a place to relax if you like limelight forget this place. I love it cause I eat my b/fast, walk the gorunds, watch t and then take a nap. Also talking with Ms Gand the staff really is good

    Reply
  6. daggamaasta Avatar
    daggamaasta

    ive been their a few time

    Reply
    1. JC Avatar
      JC

      Hey wha gwaan Dagga!! Thanks for visiting my blog!

      Reply
  7. kim Avatar
    kim

    i have
    stayed there and for the most part it was very good. the front desks staff was pretty friendly with my boyfriend. the rooms on the ground floor are not so good but the others are great. this hotel is unbelievably CHEAP!

    Reply
  8. katherine Avatar
    katherine

    I have stayed at the Gloriana twice now. I stayed for location and price. I did not get a chance to eat there. (although I would like to)
    What I can say is…. The first room was just fine. Everything worked and the bed was SO comfortable. The second time… well… The first room’s AC didnt work. The second room’s hot water faucet didnt even have water return. The thrid room we just settled for. The bed wasnt as comfortable and I swear the room was haunted! lol We kept waking up in the middle of the night saying “what the F$%K was that?” Some strange noises let me tell ya. I was just glad I wasnt alone. But Im not a fussy person in Jamaica. I love the everyday life and the local stuff. So I plan to stay there again when I go. Got to take the good with the bad. I have stayed at lots of resorts in Jamaica. They are great.. but expensive. And if you go as much as I do well, its best to just stay somewhere cheap.
    I have a friend I go there to see, so I feel perfectly comfortable staying there. If I was going for a first time I wouldnt. But all in all, its not a bad place.

    Reply
  9. lorna Avatar
    lorna

    stayed there a couple of years ago bought the book watched the video all i have to say gloria deserves the utmost respect had a hard working time with children and various other jobs well donehopefully your time has come that you can put your feet up and take some well deserved rest .

    Reply
  10. pus ey5o Avatar
    pus ey5o

    Hotel Gloriana is not a hotel it is a Motel no refund for cash or credit card , the government need to regulate . need supervision by the tourist board.

    Reply
  11. Tanya Avatar
    Tanya

    I saw this place when I came into MoBay last year. It appeared to be run down. I passed on it and stayed at Polkerris in MoBay. So glad I did. 5 star stay at a 3 star price

    Reply
    1. JC Avatar
      JC

      It’s been a couple years since I paid any attention to Mobay. That’s disappointing that it’s getting run down. However the outside street view is nothing compared to the inside of the place, the courtyard is really nice and the rooms are decent.

      Reply
  12. michelle Avatar
    michelle

    i have stayed there the staff were friendly the room was up stairs with abalconey was very comfortable

    Reply
    1. Kristi Avatar
      Kristi

      Good to know you had a good experience Michelle!

      Reply
  13. Emily* Avatar
    Emily*

    I have stayed there twice as well. First time was a quick in and out while staying in town for the night to party, didn’t really check anything out but saw the pool and wanted to jump in! The second time was when I missed my flight (boo hoo…lol) and was looking for a “cheaper” place to crash as I had to buy a whole new plane ticket back home. The room was clean, hot water worked, and the sheets smelled clean! I glanced at the menu in the room and remember laughing at some of the prices they had for their Jamaican cuisine. I would stay there again, probably not for more than a couple nights though.

    Reply
    1. Kristi Avatar
      Kristi

      Thanks for the comments Em!! This is the perfect place to stay if (God forbid) you should miss a flight home LOL.

      Reply
  14. Me Avatar
    Me

    I was very disappointed in the last of services this Gloriana hotel provides I will going on to explain using bullet points. . (Damp) when it rain it leaks into the bathroom. .NO hot water + poor pressure from the shower. .Poor customer service .Blocked toliet . Ants in the bathroom .Rats droppings .Cockroache. .And to get any staff off the staff to deal problem I had to fone reception 5times and when I didn’t get no quick response I went to reception personally myself. Only to find the porter was sitting down doing shit all. I’m very disappointed and just Wat to let others no that it’s was a very nasty accommodation.

    Reply
  15. Deb Avatar
    Deb

    Can you really not have anyone in your room Im going there in June and meeting a friend there and he plans to stay with me in there with one other of my girlfriends is there no chance on there website it says $25 US an extra person a night which is fine if I can actually bring someone there.

    Reply
    1. Kristi Avatar
      Kristi

      Deb if they are a registered guest when you make your reservation I’m sure they can go in if you pay for the extra person. Most hotels do this because there are a lot of hustlers in Jamaica and they see foreign ladies all the time trying to bring in Jamaican boyfriends.

      Reply
  16. Deb Avatar
    Deb

    So I already called and made reservations so should I call and change them so it is 3 people???? Like they cant even just come and visit and have a drink with us ????

    Reply
    1. Kristi Avatar
      Kristi

      I’m sure they can come in for drinks at the restaurant/bar on the property….that’s more revenue for the hotel. You just might have a problem getting them in otherwise. It’s been years since I’ve stayed there so honestly I can’t advise on how it is currently operated. I just know that I was pretty mad that my group of friends couldn’t come in and change clothes for the big concert we were heading to. It made no sense to me since we would have only been in there for less than 30 minutes.

      Reply
  17. Vaelencia Avatar
    Vaelencia

    I stayed and this hotel for two nights. The food was good and I even enjoyed the rooms and the atmosphere. It was close to the beach and that I like. very much. I enjoyed my stay there and would love to go back on my next vacation, but will not. They stole our clothes! Both me and my fiancé, clothing were gone missing after a day out. They stole small items such as my beautiful tops, shirts, belts etc. You do not miss these items until you getting ready to wear them. We complained at the front desk to no avail. we were told the manager was in a meeting. To make a long story short, they showed no understanding or care. Whenever I am going out I couldn’t find the right tops to match my bottoms. This was very irritating. I was even more upset at the response I got when I complained. They simple did not care!

    Reply
    1. Kristi Avatar
      Kristi

      Thank you for the comments Vaelencia. You’re not the first person that has said they had items stolen here. And they had no luck with management either. It’s a shame that they don’t treat guests better because we are the reason they stay in business!

      Reply
  18. Faith Avatar
    Faith

    I stayed at ths hotel in dec 2016.
    It was my second time staying there….This time I hope was my last. My room wasn’t ready when I arrived and it was an opportunity to see the true condition of the place ( I was taken to four room before I could finally choose one) horrible .
    The mattress has to be around since it was opened. No replacement since… Hard as a
    rock. They don’t wash the top covers on the beds…you’re warned. I meant those colored to comforters. The sink was dirty around the beds were dirty . The restaurant staff is rude. The house keeper is depressing she chases you to the office on checking out to see if you’re going to tip her. They will tell you when is their days so you will tip them before they leave….. Not nice. Everywhere around you is the owners picture/s, You would think you’re in north Korea. The only good thing about this place is the location . All else gets an F.

    Reply
    1. Kristi Avatar
      Kristi

      Hi Faith, it’s unfortunate you’ve had bad experiences here. Mine haven’t been great either except that it’s a good spot when you’re in a pinch. You can usually walk in and get a room without a reservation. That’s the plus. Also the restaurant and pool area is decent. I only stay here when I have a late flight into Mobay and need a place to crash before driving elsewhere. Thanks for your comments!

      Reply

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