Accommodation Scams in Cartagena

Walled City Guesthouse Bait-and-Switch

Boutique guesthouses and rental apartments within the Walled City (Ciudad Amurallada) advertise rooms on booking platforms with photos of beautifully restored colonial interiors and rooftop terraces that belong to neighboring upscale properties. On arrival, guests are shown a significantly inferior room and told the advertised room is unavailable. The operator then offers a paid upgrade back to the standard they originally booked. Refund demands are complicated by the late-night arrival culture and difficulty finding alternatives in this high-demand area.