Originally Posted by ChocolateFactory

We arrived yesterday and I guess we probably would like it if we hadn’t stayed at the St. Regis before.
But as we have stayed at the St. Regis, I’m rather annoyed by the hotel and I’m already considering leaving early. To be fair, cash rates at the St. Regis are 3-6x of the PH rates, but for someone staying on points, this is largely irrelevant.

- The transfer from Malé is ROUGH. It has nothing at all to do with luxury. The St. Regis picks you up in a Bentley and takes you to their private lounge. The PH puts you into a run down lounge where I didn’t even dare to eat or drink anything. There are no alternatives nearby either. Luckily I had some beef jerky in my bag.
The engine of the speed boat died three times during the half-hour transfer in pitch-black darkness. The sea was very calm, so it didn’t feel scary, but I don’t think this should have happened.

- The hotel is definitely showing its age. It’s still well maintained, but they probably should have bought a new mattress a while ago, for example.

- The diving/water sports equipment at the St. Regis is top notch. Our diving instructor was joking about how ridiculous it is that they use top-of-the-line equipment for novice divers. The most expensive brands, all brand new.
By contrast, for example the life jackets at the Park Hyatt are really showing their age. I’m sure it’s only cosmetic, but the colors have faded etc.

- Not to sound snobby (we’re staying on points),, but the clientele is very different. I would expect both hotels to be mostly booked on points, but the St. Regis clientele was a lot more exclusive. It seems like most of the guests at the PH are typical package holiday tourists, probably sharing rooms on a cash rate.

- But what really grinds my gears is the cash grab that is their F&B offerings. Prices are about 2x of what we paid at the St. Regis and the selection at breakfast for example is a fraction of what the St. Regis offers. They also limit a-la-carte orders to two per person for Globalists.
Twice a week, they run a BBQ that runs $300 per person or so, during which they close all restaurants, so the only alternative is in-room dining. This alone is making me consider cutting our stay short.

It seems like they’ve burnt through several GMs over the course of a couple of years.
If I had to guess, I’d say they have severe economic issues.

Edit:
I think it really depends if you’re staying on cash or points. I don’t think I’d be willing to pay the exorbitant cash rates at the St. Regis. The cash rates here aren’t that unreasonable.
It’s still a nice hotel and the service is good.