there were good and bad things about our recent stay at the st regis punta mita. we’ve stayed three times before. scroll up if you want to read my earlier, glowing reviews. there's a new gm at the hotel, he has more of an executive style of management, rather than interacting frequently with guests. we stayed eight nights.
the good news:
hotel still treats platinums very well, upgrades to suites are likely and the rooms remain lovely, although the thing with the connecting doors remains annoying, or downright awful if your neighbors have a screaming kid at 11pm.
the plat buffet breakfast—or ordering off the menu, or both—remains a HUGE highlight. breakfast is amazing, and well described upthread. as a plat amenity it’s terrific. the space is nice and the food options are just marvelous. fresh juices daily are delicious, try the green juice. awesome.
hotel still doesn’t really feel full, even when it’s at 100%, which it was several nights while we were there. they’ve done a very nice job with the public spaces.
staff remains a highlight, warm and friendly service. butlers are wonderful.
BUT.
the hotel now seems to be courting groups, not just weddings, and there were two large ‘president’s club’ groups of tech companies in house while we stayed. this changes the character of the resort, and the feel…not in a good way for solo travelers. seeing a tour bus in the front circle and a bunch of young folks in beachwear with towels being passed out made me feel like i was in cancun or puerto vallarta, not punta mita. the large groups at breakfast—not at the same table, but stopping by one another’s tables to glad-hand also shifted the feel…wearing their company t-shirts, etc. they’re with work colleagues so i get it, but it’s not the vibe i was expecting first thing in the morning on my holiday. the bar was closed several hours for a couple days for some kind of private event for one of the groups--i didn't care, but someone else might.
service was pleasant, but inconsistent across the board. this is a HUGE change. at turn-down, we got chocolate covered raisins twice, but not other nights. our slippers were next to the bed a few nights, and left in the closet for others. sometimes there was music playing, sometimes not. they decorated for our anniversary on the wrong day (lol). we got a morning paper in a little cloth bag a couple of times, and just rolled up next to the doorknob other days. i don’t really care which way it is, but the inconsistency was troubling, because in the past, consistency of service was something this hotel did very, very well.
there was a dirty glass on a pedestal next to the art gallery in the public area for two full days. guess it wasn’t anyone’s job to move it.
we didn’t go to the pool, and we were far enough away that we didn’t hear the dj, (yes, there’s a dj now. at the st regis. the groups love it!) but i’m guessing it had the same character as breakfast, which is to say NOT really what i’d expect at this hotel…more like something i’d expect at the westin in cabo. fine, but not special.
there was supposed to be a ‘stretching’ class one day and a yoga class the next. i showed up for the stretch class and was told ‘no, the yoga class is tomorrow,’ despite the schedule reflecting something different.
the yoga class the following day went off without a hitch, but two days later, same class was on the schedule but didn’t take place. after double checking the schedule they’d put out THAT MORNING, i showed up and was told—by a fellow guest—that the class had been cancelled; they’d moved it to a different day. no one from the hotel ever showed up to notify the five or so people who showed up for the class—but i walked up to the front desk to confirm (nearby pool guy said he couldn’t get anyone on the phone…another service failure). i was promised a free class to make up for the no-show, but had to push for it at checkout as the guy who said he’d take care of it didn’t.
none of these are a big deal, but in the aggregate it speaks to a different level of service than we’ve experienced here in the past.
tl;dr our stay overall was fine, we enjoyed the buffet breakfast, spent the day reading on our patio and had dinner in town—but the hotel seems to be about the groups now and i don’t think we’ll go back.
i'd be curious to know if anyone else has this experience or if we just hit it at a bad time for solo travelers.