Now my family is against me going to Monterrey for sugery

Is this where Dr Sauceda is located & is this the area or hotel?  I hope the ones there right now are okay.  I had my family convinced it was safe there but now they say no way.  Anyone else worried about going now?  JP Reporting from Mexico CityIn a bold predawn attack, gunmen stormed a hotel Wednesday in the heart of the northern city of Monterrey and kidnapped at least three people, officials said.

Mexican media said up to 50 hooded gunmen arrived in a convoy and burst into the downtown Holiday Inn, seizing guests and employees.

Law enforcement officials, offering only scant details by late afternoon, said it was not immediately clear whether a fourth person was seized or how many gunmen took part in the 3 a.m. attack. Authorities offered no motive for the kidnappings, but the attack bore the hallmarks of Mexico's drug gang violence.

Monterrey's mayor, Fernando Larrazabal, said police had trouble reaching the scene because the attackers commandeered cars and used them to block surrounding streets. Larrazabal told a radio interviewer that the kidnappers had disappeared in less than 20 minutes.

Authorities dismissed news reports that the kidnappers had seized another person from a hotel across the street. Initial news accounts here said seven people had been kidnapped.

Violence related to drug gangs has spiked in recent months in northeastern Mexico, including around Monterrey, a business hub that is Mexico's third-largest metropolitan area. Hit men have slain police officers and members of rival groups.

A shootout in Monterrey between gunmen and Mexican soldiers last month killed two university students outside their school, Monterrey Tech.

Much of the recent mayhem across the state of Nuevo Leon, of which Monterrey is the capital, and the nearby state of Tamaulipas stems from fighting between the Gulf cartel and former allies, known as the Zetas. That feud has drawn in other trafficking groups, spreading chaos along the U.S. border near the Gulf of Mexico.

The Holiday Inn, with 390 rooms, sits in a downtown zone with numerous high-rise hotels.

The website of the daily Reforma newspaper quoted an unidentified witness as saying the hotel erupted in shouts and the sound of people being beaten. It said gunmen fired when a captive tried to escape, but that it was not clear if the person wa****

A security guard was reportedly pistol-whipped.

Calls to the hotel were not answered.

[email protected]

Cecilia Sanchez of The Times' Mexico City Bureau contributed to this report

Dr. S uses the Hampton Inn, which is next to all the hospitals and is not downtown. I had my Fobi there the last time the consulate office was attacked in Monterrey in 08 but I never heard or experienced anything. I
don't recall seeing a Holiday Inn. I didn't know there was one there, actually. The Hampton and the hospital are on the other side of the mountain next to gallerias mall. It's a fair drive from the airport in an area that feels more like a regular American town. You can walk to the Applebees, Starbucks, Mcdonalds, etc. from your hotel and it doesn't seem very touristy so I can't see any drug cartels targeting it. Oh, which reminds me ... the movie theater next door showed some films in English and more people spoke English there that what you will find in Miami. I felt very safe and at home.

UPDATE: http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/Mexico-Gunmen-Ki dnap-Six-People-After-Storming-Holiday-Inn-Hotel-In-Monterre y---Drug-Gang-Dispute/Article/201004415612800?lpos=World_New s_First_Home_Article_Teaser_Region_1&lid=ARTICLE_15612800_Me xico_Gunmen_Kidnap_Six_People_After_Storming_Holiday_Inn_Hot el_In_Monterrey_-_Drug_Gang_Dispute

They were looking for specific people. They had a guy in handcuffs who was leading them to specific people. In one case, they broke into a room and left because they saw the person was not their target. In another instance, they went to the hotel next door to get their target.  They were not just randomly attacking people. Their targets probably had some connection to the gang cartel.

Thanks for the message... Was a bit worried after reading it... Maybe Jaime will chime in.

That's good, I thought the hospital and hotel that Dr. Sauceda used was in the downtown area.  I think I will goggle both hotels and print out a map to show the family.  Thanks.

 JP... My Dad was terrified of these situations... So terrified that he offered to help pay for my surgery if I stayed here in the states... Needless to say... I am staying here.

I would have gone though if my dad hadn't made his offer! 

I live in South Florida.

I think I will be safer going to Monterrey than some of the neighborhoods here.

There is crime everywhere you just got to be careful.

Kevin

So true. I live just outside of Atlanta and there are neighborhoods I would not go in to if someone paid me.

I am in Monterrey now and had surgery last wed.  Things here are fine.  It was a lil scarey as I came alone and the attack was the day before I arrived.  There is security all over the hotel.   I was at the hospital  when I actually heard about all that had occurred.  I let my imagination run a lil bit.  I am not used to the sounds of a big city.  Everything is fine here and just use common sense like everyone stated when venturing out.