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The Riviera Palm Springs, Tribute Portfolio Resort [Master Thread]

Old Oct 22, 2015, 8:59 am
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Resort Fee

A resort fee of 35 USD plus tax per room per night includes the following benefits:

  • Wireless High Speed Internet Access
  • Local phone calls
  • Newspaper
  • One yoga class
  • Fitness center access
  • Bicycle rental
  • Self-parking
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The Riviera Palm Springs, Tribute Portfolio Resort [Master Thread]

Old Dec 12, 2015, 9:06 pm
  #31  
 
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Just checked in and things went way more smoothly this time. Received an email before I arrived that I was upgraded to a junior suite. They finally received the breakfast amenity cards a couple days ago. Will see in the morning as to how that goes at the restaurant. Most importantly each building is getting a new router. I am in building 2 where the router has been replaced and the speed is much faster than before. The hotel is pretty quiet tonight.
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Old Dec 13, 2015, 9:34 am
  #32  
 
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Breakfast is now only the continental with no substitutions allowed. Just cereal, yoghurt, pastries, tea/coffee, and juice.

Resort fee was waived. The staff said they have Starwood trainers on site now and have been getting lots of training. Everything went much more smoothly this time.

Last edited by sfozrhfco; Dec 13, 2015 at 11:14 am
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Old Dec 13, 2015, 3:25 pm
  #33  
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Originally Posted by sfozrhfco
Breakfast is now only the continental with no substitutions allowed. Just cereal, yoghurt, pastries, tea/coffee, and juice.

Resort fee was waived. The staff said they have Starwood trainers on site now and have been getting lots of training. Everything went much more smoothly this time.
No buy-up to the full buffet?
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Old Dec 13, 2015, 4:22 pm
  #34  
 
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Originally Posted by bocastephen
No buy-up to the full buffet?
There is no buffet at this property. Did get 7-8 pastries but only ate 2. For one person was a bit much. Muffin was warm which was nice. Was able to get the granola as the cereal with fruit and yogurt which is what I probably would have ordered anyway so it worked out.
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Old Dec 28, 2015, 2:46 am
  #35  
 
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Bad first impression

Arrived at 4:35 and went to stand in a long line.....Vegas-type of long line; only there were only a couple of agents at the two desks (4 terminals). I actually braved the glances of those waiting and went forward to see if there was an SPG line....there was a sign; but no rug, nor any other tell-tale status line. So I waited; 30 minutes later I called my SPG concierge, which I never do....and it was fruitless. Apologies and then he said they were very busy with many people in line, and rooms not ready.I asked if there were expedited check-ins and he said "not at this time" and so we waited.....another 30 minutes. 5:38 got to the check-in and I tip my hat to Lynette; a PRO who was keeping it all calm. She apologized and I told her I had been in line an hour and while I knew it was not her fault I wanted corporate to know that it is bad form to have a new hotel (2 months now) not ready for SUNDAY night guests; nor any accomodation for elites. She quickly gave me keys, mentioned that my room was a suite and asked about my amenity (points). We parked and schlepped our bags up stairs to the second floor only to find that there were guests already checked in to that suite; who told us "this is our THIRD room and we are not moving" by now it is after 6PM and we are meeting friends for dinner at 7. Back to check-in back past a line of 30 or so angry glares; and I went to Lynette and said "our room is occupied" ......to her credit she said wait there I will be with you in a moment and after she helped the man she was with she did let the unhappy people next in line know that she had to work with me. She spent about 5 minutes looking for something....(I had glimpsed the suite we were to have, and it was nice) and she finally had something to give us that was ready, and better than what we had been upgraded to.....Really I think that Lynette deserves a huge pat on the back for how well she was handling a complete day of grumpy people because the roll-out here is not on target. (I heard in line that some people who had come early had waited 5 hours for a room assignment and many were still not in). That said; we finally got in our building 4 room on floor 2 and rushed to get to our dinner....got back at 9PM and the NOISE above us was heinous until about 10:45; so much so that I went up and stood outside the room directly above to see if there were a rugby match.....but I did not call because I could hear the sound of my own walking as I walked the floor outside and above my room. NOT soundproof; at least not mid-level in Bldg 4. The rooms are pretty, the deco is retro and fun; and I love the location.....the entrance is very glitzy. We have a suite and it is comfortable in all ways, linensand televisions, lighting. Location! and proximity to old Palm Springs for the nightlife and restaurants....plus there is history here I want to review. I will ask for a higher floor/corner unit when we come again or a quieter building (I think our first suite was only a two-level bldg). Pool looked lovely and so did the restaurant.....we will check them out and review.
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Old Dec 28, 2015, 5:15 am
  #36  
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Originally Posted by LISAA
Arrived at 4:35 and went to stand in a long line.....Vegas-type of long line; only there were only a couple of agents at the two desks (4 terminals). I actually braved the glances of those waiting and went forward to see if there was an SPG line....there was a sign; but no rug, nor any other tell-tale status line. So I waited; 30 minutes later I called my SPG concierge, which I never do....and it was fruitless. Apologies and then he said they were very busy with many people in line, and rooms not ready.I asked if there were expedited check-ins and he said "not at this time" and so we waited.....another 30 minutes. 5:38 got to the check-in and I tip my hat to Lynette; a PRO who was keeping it all calm. She apologized and I told her I had been in line an hour and while I knew it was not her fault I wanted corporate to know that it is bad form to have a new hotel (2 months now) not ready for SUNDAY night guests; nor any accomodation for elites. She quickly gave me keys, mentioned that my room was a suite and asked about my amenity (points). We parked and schlepped our bags up stairs to the second floor only to find that there were guests already checked in to that suite; who told us "this is our THIRD room and we are not moving" by now it is after 6PM and we are meeting friends for dinner at 7. Back to check-in back past a line of 30 or so angry glares; and I went to Lynette and said "our room is occupied" ......to her credit she said wait there I will be with you in a moment and after she helped the man she was with she did let the unhappy people next in line know that she had to work with me. She spent about 5 minutes looking for something....(I had glimpsed the suite we were to have, and it was nice) and she finally had something to give us that was ready, and better than what we had been upgraded to.....Really I think that Lynette deserves a huge pat on the back for how well she was handling a complete day of grumpy people because the roll-out here is not on target. (I heard in line that some people who had come early had waited 5 hours for a room assignment and many were still not in). That said; we finally got in our building 4 room on floor 2 and rushed to get to our dinner....got back at 9PM and the NOISE above us was heinous until about 10:45; so much so that I went up and stood outside the room directly above to see if there were a rugby match.....but I did not call because I could hear the sound of my own walking as I walked the floor outside and above my room. NOT soundproof; at least not mid-level in Bldg 4. The rooms are pretty, the deco is retro and fun; and I love the location.....the entrance is very glitzy. We have a suite and it is comfortable in all ways, linensand televisions, lighting. Location! and proximity to old Palm Springs for the nightlife and restaurants....plus there is history here I want to review. I will ask for a higher floor/corner unit when we come again or a quieter building (I think our first suite was only a two-level bldg). Pool looked lovely and so did the restaurant.....we will check them out and review.
Hey, I think I saw you while I was checking in ~6:30 (or a lot of people had the same problem)! They downgraded me from a deluxe queen to superior double . It was fixed after one hour, and I believe they compensated me fairly. If not for the check-in mishaps (those two hours to actually get what I paid for destroyed my dinner plans) and my 6am departure today, I'm sure I'd like this hotel. The pool looks nice, and I've seen more stars than I knew existed in CA!

Re the noise, I was placed on the first and then second floor in building 5, and I didn't have any complaints, though I keep hearing this crackling noise from the general direction of the fridge...
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Old Dec 28, 2015, 10:16 am
  #37  
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Originally Posted by LISAA
Arrived at 4:35 and went to stand in a long line.....Vegas-type of long line; only there were only a couple of agents at the two desks (4 terminals). ...
This is making me VERY nervous about my upcoming stay in a few days, and I am having second thoughts, although we won't be arriving until late evening. I am going to call the hotel today to make sure my suite upgrade is retained for late arrival, and I am assigned to a quiet area, but based on this review, I can only assume my suite will be given away and I will be assigned to a random room, assuming they even hold my room until 11p...and if we arrive that late and there is a long line for check-in and no priority for Platinums, there is going to be a big problem.
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Old Dec 28, 2015, 11:18 am
  #38  
 
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May the rest of your trip go well

Originally Posted by pewpew
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Hey, I think I saw you while I was checking in ~6:30 (or a lot of people had the same problem)! They downgraded me from a deluxe queen to superior double . It was fixed after one hour, and I believe they compensated me fairly. If not for the check-in mishaps (those two hours to actually get what I paid for destroyed my dinner plans) and my 6am departure today, I'm sure I'd like this hotel. The pool looks nice, and I've seen more stars than I knew existed in CA!

Re the noise, I was placed on the first and then second floor in building 5, and I didn't have any complaints, though I keep hearing this crackling noise from the general direction of the fridge...
Funny! We did check in together, how great that you are FT as well! The kick-boxers in the room above us were quiet from 10:30 till 9:00AM; upon which they moved furniture around and did all manner of stomping and body-slamming. (might be exaggerating a tad) but I called the desk and Karen was very sympathetic; and asked why I did not call last night. She will move us to another room today. IN general I think this building with three floors is much more noisy than the others that are two floors. The fact that I can hear myself walking when in the hallways tells me to step lightly in my room; so the apes who were above us simply have no awareness or they might have hearing problems. The staff has handled things very well though; and I do love the grounds and the views of those marvelous mountains. Comfortable bed and bedding; nice design.

Hope you get to stay here again and have far less tme in lines than you did yesterday!
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Old Dec 28, 2015, 11:25 am
  #39  
 
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get a high floor in a two-floor building

Originally Posted by bocastephen
This is making me VERY nervous about my upcoming stay in a few days, and I am having second thoughts, although we won't be arriving until late evening. I am going to call the hotel today to make sure my suite upgrade is retained for late arrival, and I am assigned to a quiet area, but based on this review, I can only assume my suite will be given away and I will be assigned to a random room, assuming they even hold my room until 11p...and if we arrive that late and there is a long line for check-in and no priority for Platinums, there is going to be a big problem.
The suites are very nice; just get one away from elevators in one of the 6 buildings that are two floors only; and get the top floor. Buildings 1,2,3,6,7,8 are all two-floor buildings and they are all in a pinwheel formation around a gorgeous pool and jacuzzi. There is a second jacuzzi and pool between Bldgs 4 & 5. Loads of self parking by bldgs 1,2,&3.
I think they oversold last night and the computers did not seem to be keeping up with the actions taken to thin that awful line. But I WOULD call ahead and check in as early as possible.

UPDATE: Called for another room at 9:30 this morning; got moved at 3PM to a top floor corner in Bldg 4 - HUGE difference. Blissfully quiet here and very comfortable. Not quite as updated as the other suite but it is nice. We happened to pass the family that was on the floor above us last night; sheer happenstance that as we were moving we shared an elevator with them and the three kids ran to the room that was directly above us......as the parents followed. We sensed that mom and dad went to dinner and let the three kids ages apx 12, 9 and 6 have fun in the room. WE are at least ten doors away from them and in another realm of quiet. The only bad thing on the ends is the horribly slow internet, I cannot work in the room. Any way get a high room in any building and you'll beat the noise factor.

Last edited by LISAA; Dec 28, 2015 at 8:58 pm Reason: Update
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Old Dec 28, 2015, 9:47 pm
  #40  
 
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It is sad that after all these years this hotel has not gotten the customer service thing figured out. Starwood should have done more local training before going live as an SPG property. It is a beautiful property but always a real s**t show.
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Old Jan 6, 2016, 9:42 pm
  #41  
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So in the end, I had a good experience at the Riviera and in the highly unlikely chance I return to Palm Springs, I would stay here again. I've shared my good experience with a couple other friends who were aware of the hotel's bad reputation for some of the issues raised in this thread and they will give the hotel another try.

Pre-arrival: My suite night awards cleared and I was assigned to a Jr Suite. I was planning on calling the day of arrival to make sure I was in Bldg 1-3 as suggested, but then I found myself re-assigned to a Deluxe Suite. The call was a little awkward as the receptionist could not figure out how or why I was in a Deluxe Suite, but we sorted it out and she assured me I would be in a quiet area, although it would be Building 5.

Arrival: I arrived late evening and was the only person in check-in, but I immediately saw the problem - the chance that staffing and desks are not sufficiently manned at peak times leading to a chaotic scene in the rather tight lobby. Check-in was simple, status recognized, but no discussion of resort fee (and I didn't bring it up). Asked about breakfast and was told either points OR a continental breakfast...took the points.

Room: A big suite with dining area, entry foyer and large bathroom - the room was absolutely gorgeous for those into mid-century modern design, and probably a dark, dingy hell for anyone who doesn't know mid century modern from a cheese puff. I just loved the room and how it was updated without actually looking updated - the original styling was maintained with period accurate furnishings, colors and accent pieces, and I was instantly transported to the 1960s and heyday of desert modern design.

Amenities and Ambiance: Wifi was free for Platinums and performed reasonably well. The fitness center was updated and well appointed. The hotel was very quiet...no trace of parties, screaming, drunks, etc...but we checked out Dec 31, so things probably changed the night we left. Oddly, we were on the top floor, but heard foot steps from above on both nights...which left us wondering......The hotel design and decor is absolute design porn for anyone with even a slight interest in vintage architecture.

Restaurant: we tried the restaurant one morning for breakfast after trying one of the local breakfast hotspots nearby the hotel and finding a wait of almost 2hrs, as if Jesus himself was making blueberry pancakes - is breakfast something special in Palm Springs? The restaurant is slow....painfully slow. We ordered fairly simple dishes, but they took forever to come out and the food was just average quality. We did not receive any F+B discount for breakfast.

Check-out: This was our first experience during a busy period. Inadequate desk staffing, no obvious line-up area and the SPG priority desk was un-manned until a few more people joined the line. I asked one agent if we could just go to that line as SPG Platinum and she said no...but we ended up at that desk anyway and asked why and the agent apologized and said management was not using it at that point because the signage was not ready...which to me is a lame excuse for not offering priority service. The carpet was down and all the agent needs to do at that desk is call out to SPG Plat or Gold guests to come forward.

Anyway, our resort fee was comped at that point, the agent was very friendly and promised priority service was coming soon.

After we stepped away, two other people cut the line and came in behind us, apparently SPG Plat or Gold and were served next - which is not really the right way to handle guest traffic...hopefully they have this process cleaned up quickly as it shouldn't require more than 10 minutes of training and a decent amount of common sense for an experienced hotel manager to figure out how to do this properly and have the process in place within 24hrs not within weeks or months.

So overall I see great potential for the property once they sort out some process issues and ensure the environment is comfortable for everyone regardless of room location - meaning enforcement of noise curfews and party behavior.
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Old Jan 9, 2016, 1:50 am
  #42  
 
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Question rates?

Can any FT comment on rates from a recent stay? $89 (earlier in this thread) sounds attractive - but - the latest "deals" on spghotescapes are $200 + i.e. quite the difference! Also, any Plats get confirmation the resort fee ($35) is automatically waived - or - is it like HNL (waived if I ask?)
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Old Jan 14, 2016, 1:45 am
  #43  
 
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I stayed here over the NYE weekend on points as a Plat and figured I would offer some new data points.


1. The line was probably 40+ people when I went to check-in around 6:30pm. They DO have a SPG Gold/Plat desk now and it is clearly labeled with the rug. Our line was 3 people long but it did still take 15 minutes to get keys.

2. I was upgraded to a Junior Suite and placed in Building 3. They were sold out according to the guy checking me in for that night and tomorrow so not sure if that helped in getting me upgraded.

3. I took points for my check-in gift as we had already made meal reservations so I cannot speak about the food comp deal they have been offering people. I was charged the resort fee upon check-in.

4. The room is big and I love the mid-century design but our room had some wear. A kid had colored on our white bed frame with crayons and a pen and we found used gum under one of our lampshades. Just in general the place is not gross but you can tell it has some life in it.

5. The main pool area between most of the buildings was open and pool is heated. We made great use of the hot tub over the weekend. A++ in these categories. I went to investigate the other pool/hot tub for the sake of this review in-between the other buildings and it was closed for maintenance.

6. I opted to "Make A Green Choice" and noticed in the morning that I had no card placed under the door. I approached the desk in the AM and mentioned this to them and they informed me they had no cards yet but I was noted in the system. As of 1/14 no points have posted to the account so a call is going have to happen to earn those it looks like.

7. The self parking lot was easy and close to our building and even at full capacity I found plenty of spaces. I have an oversized luxury coupe that couldn't fit into the spots so they are a little on the small side.

8. I think this location is great - not sure about the negative comments on this. Short of the Hyatt I don't think you can get much better. You are just a minute from the heart of downtown/main drag. An Albertsons (grocery store) is even close by going the other way from DT for any last minute needs.

9. As far as SPG hotels in Palm Springs - I would come back. The two Westin's are just way too far from actual PS area. If Le Parker is in your budget stay there - if not - this is a great alternative. It seems they are slowly getting into the groove of being a SPG hotel so I imagine soon it will be smooth.

Last edited by jredmond02; Jan 15, 2016 at 2:39 am Reason: added info
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Old Jan 14, 2016, 2:11 am
  #44  
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Originally Posted by jredmond02
I stayed here over the NYE weekend on points as a Plat and figured I would offer some new data points.
did they charge you the resort fee????
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Old Jan 15, 2016, 2:39 am
  #45  
 
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Originally Posted by Keyser
did they charge you the resort fee????
Yes, I will edit my post to reflect.
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