Originally Posted by MIKESILV
I have very high praise for both the concierges after two stays at the San Cristobal.
How could a concierge rip you off? Did you buy something from him?
mike
One example was that we had the concierge arrange for a van and a driver for us for the day. The driver ended up being very friendly and during the course of the day, told us how much of our price he received versus how much the San Cristobal charged us. That wasn't so shocking, but then he told us that if we had booked through the Sheraton, we would have saved some money. I checked with the Sheraton Concierge that night, and he was correct. They could have gotten us the exact same ride for much less. We ended up just getting the driver's cell # and used him on various other occassions on our trip bypassing the hotel's fees.
On another occassion, we tried to book a ski package through the San Cristobal conierge. We had already learned our lesson from the previous day so after being quoted a price, we checked with the Sheraton and again the price difference was fairly substantial.
On yet another occassion, we asked for a recommendation for a casual restaurant within walking distance. The place recommended to us was extremely expensive and empty (not a good sign for a weekend night) so we ended up going to a place nearby. We struck up a conversation with the bartender there and he told us about how the particular individual at our concierge receives personal kickbacks from the restaurant next door. He even guessed the guy's name that sent us there.
But again, the hotel is a great property and I would definitely recommend it to anyone. I would just be wary of dealings with the concierge.