blueheronNC

- FS Hualalai on what was to be the day of Cisco arrival. 24 hours before my check-in date, they emailed me saying they would not honor my guaranteed AMEX FHR late checkout that I had confirmed with them upon booking because that was the day that Cisco was arriving. It took a half dozen calls to straighten it out (they initially insisted I forfeit the security deposit for short-notice cancellation when I said I would not be staying because it did not align with my flights).

-Montage Palmetto Bluff - The incident where my toilet needed plunging at 1am because dead roaches were backing up out of the toilet, but housekeeping didn't have a plunger anywhere on property. I had to drive two hours roundtrip to the nearest 24-hour Walmart (!) getting back to the hotel at 3am to plunge the toilet. I complained to the manager, and they offered a perfunctory apology but no service recovery.
I've also stayed there about a dozen times under the same profile, and the check-in desk always asks me whether it's my first time. I suppose this passes for being proactive and being attending to any questions guests might have, but they should know me by now.

Incidentally, these are still my two favorite resorts in the United States, which goes to show the level of service that one can expect in this country.

-Park Hyatt Maldives - Trying to upsell us at every turn. Interrupting a breakfast with my wife to push us to make spa reservations. Not so subtle insisting that we check out the gift shop.

-Amansara - Was sublime when Sally was there, felt a bit more like a sales pitch our last visit. Staff members listening in on private conversations I was having with my party and then approaching us in the dining room (including the GM and assistant GM at different meals) to see if that meant we were interested in purchasing some dime-and-dozen marked up Buddha figurines that you see in all the tourist traps around Siem Reap. I understand Aman is supposed to be like you're staying over with family, but two things I don't like about family visits are (1) eavesdropping; and (2) relatives pushing their own agenda, and it felt like both.