Originally Posted by starflyergold

I stayed a week at this supposed luxury hotel and the experience was a far cry from luxury. The Accor ALL loyalty experience was well under par.

Check in

When I checked in (several hours late due to lost luggage) at the Fairmont Gold counter in the lobby (they don't do check in/out in the lounge) nothing was prepared. They had no record of the half board option booked and asked me what rate was offered. Key cards etc. were not ready either. The upgrade was a very basic one (same room style with a "better" view. When queried whether they can do better, they offered a paid upgrade. And so the recurring theme of this hotel started, nickle and dime the guest at every opportunity. To use the old Accor slogan, I did not exactly "feel welcome".

Room

The room was fine, if quite dated and in need of a refresh. The ancient TV was small and the remote had a sticker that you have to call the Gold service for Chromecast. Hilarious. The bed was not the most comfortable one and the bedding felt inferior (including the occasional holes in the linen). The welcome amenity was waiting (chocolate camel with fruit). The bathroom was well equipped but equally dated. On the whole this set up reminded me of a North American Sofitel circa 2000. The turn down service tidied the room, but unlike a luxury hotel did not offer a daily "surprise", say chocolate or macaroons. Not exactly what I expected from a supposed top level Accor hotel as premium guest. While the balcony had decent views, it was marred by constant construction noise (24h) while the hotel rebuilt its beach bar and a constant cacophony of noise from the various other beach clubs. The hallways outside the room were in a desperate need of a deep clean.

Fairmont Gold

The saving grace was the lounge. The staff were excellent and while the breakfast spread was quite limited, as indeed was the evening offer, the cocktails were decent. However that already concluded any Gold privileges. There was no info/sign of the Gold butler or any other services. The price differential is quite considerable between a normal room and a gold room and I failed to see how Fairmont Gold was worth it if all it entailed was a simple lounge.

Food and beverages

The hotel has several restaurants (also (too) popular with locals) which are all ok but not exactly wow. Flow Kitchen is the main buffet restaurant which can get extremely busy, avoid breakfast with long waiting times) and is quite loud. Think canteen. Seagrill Bistro is ok, however when I requested a certain table I was nonchalantly told it was for families only, nobody ever sat there while I was eating.The Asian restaurant was fine (nothing very adventurous and some of the hosts were obnoxious but the mixologist can do good cocktails. The Brazilian churrascaria-style Frevo was very overpriced for what it is in a very dated dining room.

Coming back to the half-board option at this hotel, it is a mirage. At every opportunity the hotel applies surcharges, for certain restaurants, for certain dishes, frequently both. I found this nickle and diming exceedingly off putting. I fail to see the value of this option.

Service

Service, with the exception of the Gold lounge, was very average, sometimes rude, sometimes acceptable. Twice I was screwed by the hotel's own "taxi" service. Not a pleasant experience. Word of advice: use regular taxis. When I requested luggage pick up at checkout nobody came.

The pièce de résistance was the last night: When returning to the room I found a letter under the door, stating that the pre-authorisation had been exceeded and I needed to urgently contact the desk. Never in all my years staying at luxury Accor hotels have I experienced something like this. I was checking out the next day and they request more money the night before? Who do they think I am? In any normal hotel the guest settles the bill at check out. As Accor Platinum (now Diamond) member I am certainly not going to run away with an unpaid bill. Some hotels even forego the authorisation for premium guests. Not here, it is all money grabbing. They claim it is their "normal" procedure but this is certainly not normal. This really left a very bad taste with me a ruined the entire experience.

Summary

Overall the entire experience was very average. The hotel urgently needs a refresh and better service. For me this was not a luxury hotel experience. The constant cash grabbing was awful and for what I paid it was not value for money. When I booked I had a choice of this property, the renovated Sofitel or the new Raffles on the Palm. Do yourself a favour and book the later two but not this one if you want to stay at an Accor hotel. It is dining out on long gone glory (and is only 12 years old).