Preface So... I should start by saying that this isn't really a comprehensive review. I booked this for a much needed 1 week off in January 2023 (peak high season in Phuket) a few months back and was just hoping to get a relaxed few days before going back to the craze that work is. From pickup at the airport to check-in and then the room everything was — by my own perspective — a bit of a disaster and a disappointment. This means I ended up checking out the day after checking-in. I understand sh*t happens — so I'm sure there's people out there that had good experiences at the property. And maybe my expectations are/were just too high, with these being "first world problems" for sure, but I can't help but to not recommend this property just because I know there's better out there.So why did I choose this property? A loyalty trap I guess 😅 I was deciding between the Banyan Tree, after my recent good experience, which was slightly more expensive or the Pullman (at same price) and ended up picking the MGallery because of a 4x Reward Point Promo.Here's your lesson I guess... don't let points alone dictate your decisions Before Arriving Before arriving my impression was already not-so-positive. I reached out a few weeks in advance inquiring about transfer from the airport and making two simple requests:1. I was given some way to provide a new credit card number where they could get a deposit for the stay if they wished so.2. Asking that as a Diamond member, since I was booking the highest category room and thus were not expecting (nor was it really possible) an upgrade, I'd get at least the room where the pool would have the highest level of sun exposure. It required nearly 10 emails to get this sorted with incredibly poor english on the other end and overall ignoring of my questions/requests. Finally: For (1) they wanted me to provide credit card details via email — which I refused.For (2) they eventually said "ok". You'll see how that turned out I guess..That said, I was still open minded. Location Hideaway indeed — this was not a problem for me (actually, it was an allure to choosing this property) — but you should be aware this is secluded and you'll need ~10min of driving to get anywhere near the more lively parts of town where you can get more variety of food, activities etc.The hotel is also on a bunch of hills. So going back and forth between areas isn't easy and in most cases you'll want to call the buggy! Airport Pickup As mentioned, I booked an airport pickup. The goal of booking airport pickup and paying that premium is to have a hassle-free experience. This is not what I had.When arriving (and I had been to Phuket) - I searched up and down the exit area for someone with the Avista sign. No one to be found. Required 4 calls to the hotel for them to tell me where exactly was the person (like closer to the door? closer to the taxi stand? etc) since they insisted he/she was there and would just ask repeatedly where I was without telling me where the person was.After ~20-30minutes I eventually was told she was near the taxi stand and ... just like magic... There was the (freshly hung) sign !I've no big problem with these issues. But not once — not on the phone, not when meeting that said person, not on arrival at the hotel did I hear a single "we're sorry". Everyone just behaved as if this was normal.Again, first world problems, sure, but that defeats the purpose of booking transportation via the hotel. Check In I was welcomed at the vehicle on arrival and hushed to the reception (beautiful!) area where they started handling my passport, payment and all formalities. A bit longer than expected but alright.I was taken by buggy to the room and here another inconvenient issue encountered... the door wouldn't open. The check-in staff had to travel back to the reception, get some equipment and (I imagine) rewire or reprogram the door so I could come in.No tour of the villa, no explanation, nada. They just went about their lives. Alright... Room As I started exploring the room I started... feeling disgusted and disappointed.Now... let me repeat: I know these are first-world problems, and maybe 90% of people would be happy with the room/suite. But having been to far superior properties and having paid a whopping $500/night for this I was not happy. At all. From huge gaps on the windows from where mosquitoes did come in to stains and dirtiness everywhere, I'll let the photos do the talking... Service Recovery & GM Interaction I called reception and asked for someone to come to the room. After a second 'reminder' call someone came (the front office manager from what I could gather). She saw the multiple issues with the room, apologised and went to "check for solutions". There were none as the hotel was fully booked. She suggested I could see two other rooms that would be available next day (from 2pm) but she couldn't promise these would be in better maintenance condition although she would ensure these were "deep cleaned". She couldn't re-locate me to other ALL properties at same-price. It was 10pm and I had just done a 14h flight. I wasn't really in the mood to deal with this and frankly I didn't want to spend another day of 'vacation' dealing with this hassle. I wanted to figure out a solution right away. I searched for alternatives and ended up finding another (non Accor) property for a pretty hefty sum (high season, 'next day' booking). But I preferred that over the uncertainty.Now, we can all argue I could have waited, and the other room could have been better. But I wasn't up to the hassle. I told her I'd want to move the next day.I was charged for transportation and my dinner that night but not for the room. The GM never showed up, didn't phone or email me apologising. I did send him an email a few days later relaying the issues. The response was... well... disappointing. I got a typical Tripadvisor-comment response which was more of a shrug than anything else. He concluded that "I have looked into details to understand why this happened and the truth is the room was overbooked hence instead of offering you alternative surprised that the team offered you a defective room.".I asked in advance for the best-of-category room. This was a surprise indeed, just not the good kind. This makes you question chain-loyalty when (a) I was not given a better room or treatment despite being a Diamond; (b) when sh*t hit the fan everyone just shrugged off and I was the one that had to fix it the same way I would in an independent hotel. "Once again please accept our apologies for the inconvenience" > It wasn't an inconvenience, it was a hassle. And the thing that bugs me the most is that the response wasn't a : "Yup, sh*t we messed up. This room was not in a good state. I'll remove it from sale immediately and make sure this doesn't happen again by doing maintenance to fix x, y, z and make sure the protocols for cleaning are updated" — it was more like a "yeah the next one will get it and hopefully not complain". I guess a GM sets the stage for what a hotel is/isn't. Overall Overall, I'll admit I didn't have enough time to properly evaluate this property.The property itself is nice, some good views and I wish I had the chance to fully explore it. If you find it cheap and maybe get lucky on the room you get assigned you might end up having a great holiday. However, when such maintenance and cleaning oversights happen, when there's complete lack of loyalty-recognition (a staple of Accor) and when the service recovery is mediocre I can't recommend this hotel.