Cartagena Four Seasons Hotel Opens for Stays May 15

Four Seasons has begun taking reservations for Four Seasons Hotel and Residences Cartagena in the Getsemani neighborhood, adding a high profile new option steps from the Walled City. Leisure travelers, couples, and advisors building premium Colombia itineraries are the most directly affected, especially for late spring and summer dates when Cartagena demand tends to spike around weekends and events. The practical move now is to book flexible rates early, confirm your airport transfer plan, and set expectations that some restaurants and experiences may require advance reservations during the opening window.

The Cartagena Four Seasons hotel opening matters because it adds a major new luxury hotel in Getsemani with limited room inventory, high initial demand, and a dining lineup that can shape where travelers spend their time and money once stays begin.

Four Seasons says the property combines restored historic structures, including buildings dating back to the 16th century, with modern guest room inventory across four settings. The hotel will open with 131 guest rooms and suites, split between 27 Spanish colonial style accommodations and 104 contemporary style rooms, including a three bedroom top tier suite with a rooftop plunge pool. Two rooftop pool decks, a full service spa, and substantial event space position it as both a leisure base and a meetings contender in a compact part of the city where logistics can matter as much as design.

Who Is Affected

Travelers who want to stay inside the Old Town orbit without being in the heart of the Walled City will feel the biggest change. Getsemani is walkable to major sights, and it tends to trade quieter courtyards for a more energetic street scene, which can be a better fit for travelers who want to move between galleries, nightlife, and restaurants without relying on constant vehicle trips. Four Seasons is explicitly leaning into that location advantage, framing the hotel as a gateway to Getsemani and the nearby historic center.

Advisors and planners building milestone trips should also expect early compression. A 131 room opening with global brand pull can produce two immediate effects, opening month sellouts on high demand weekends, and a faster shift in rate tiers once introductory inventory is absorbed. If your trip hinges on a specific suite category, connected rooms, or a terrace, the safest approach is to reserve first and refine later rather than waiting for more photos or reviews.

Groups and business travelers are another key segment because the hotel's ballrooms and meeting space can change Cartagena's citywide compression dynamics. When convention center events overlap with leisure peaks, hotel inventory tightens broadly, and transfer times can become less predictable across the Old Town and waterfront corridors. Even if you are not attending a conference, you can feel the ripple through higher prices, limited dining availability, and longer waits for vetted drivers at peak arrival times.

For destination first timers, the opening also affects how to frame the neighborhood choice. Travelers who are still comparing areas can use Cartagena, Columbia - Travel News and Guides from The Adept Traveler as a baseline on what it is like to stay near the Walled City versus more beach oriented hotel zones, then weigh whether Getsemani's nightlife and street energy is a feature or a drawback for their sleep schedule.

What Travelers Should Do

Reserve now if your dates are fixed, then protect optionality. Use flexible cancellation terms when possible, and confirm whether your rate includes breakfast, resort credits, or opening offers, since opening season packages can look generous but still require planning to actually use the value. If you care about quiet rooms, request courtyard facing or interior oriented inventory early, and make your airport transfer arrangements at the same time you book so arrival is predictable.

Use a clear decision threshold for rebooking or waiting. If you need a specific suite, interconnecting rooms, or you are traveling on a weekend tied to a festival, a wedding, or a conference, booking early is usually the correct move because category sellouts happen before the hotel is fully reviewed. If your dates are flexible and you are simply chasing value, you can wait for the first wave of guest feedback, but only if you are comfortable with the possibility that best located rooms and prime dining times may already be scarce.

Monitor three things in the 24 to 72 hours before arrival once the opening period begins. First, watch for any updates on which dining venues are operating nightly versus limited days, because eight concepts launching at once sometimes phase in. Second, confirm transfer routing and pickup timing, particularly for evening arrivals, since Old Town street access can be affected by congestion and localized closures. Third, if your plans include moving around the historic center at night, keep an eye on event calendars and crowd conditions, using Cartagena Independence Events Tighten Security and Colombia Roadblocks Can Disrupt Airport Transfers as pattern references for how quickly mobility can shift in Colombia's major tourist corridors.

Background

Large hotel openings in historic districts tend to change trip outcomes through a chain of small operational effects, not just through new rooms. The first order impact is inventory and experience, a fresh luxury option with rooftop pools, a spa, and a dining lineup designed to keep guests on property for at least part of each day. When a property adds a strong food and beverage program, it can pull dinner demand away from the broader restaurant market, but it can also concentrate booking pressure inside the hotel, meaning travelers who assume they can decide on meals spontaneously may end up shut out of the most desirable seating times.

The second order ripple shows up in movement patterns. A hotel that sits at the edge of the Walled City often increases short hop trips between Getsemani, the historic center, and waterfront areas, and those trips are the ones most vulnerable to friction from event related closures, police cordons, and simple congestion on narrow streets. That is why transfer planning remains relevant even for a luxury stay, and why arrivals via Rafael Núñez International Airport (CTG) should be treated as a timing problem to solve, not an afterthought. When airport runs stretch, the knock on effects are predictable, missed dining reservations, delayed check in, and compressed evening plans that lead travelers to make rushed, riskier transport choices.

There is also a demand ripple across suppliers. Once a flagship property starts taking reservations, it often lifts interest in the destination overall, which can tighten availability for guides, private drivers, yachts, and day trips to nearby islands. Four Seasons is already marketing concierge led experiences that rely on scarce inputs, boat capacity, studio access, and nature reserve time, which means travelers who want premium versions of those experiences should assume limited slots at peak times. In practical terms, the opening increases the value of planning, locking the hotel first, then stacking transfers, key dinners, and one marquee excursion, while leaving the rest of the itinerary flexible.

Sources

• Now Accepting Reservations: Timeless Heritage Meets Modern Luxury at the New Four Seasons Hotel and Residences Cartagena
• Four Seasons Hotel and Residences Cartagena
• A third Four Seasons is coming to Colombia