[ARCHIVE 2018 to 2019] Conrad Maldives Rangali Island {MDV}
Jan 26, 2019, 5:39 pm
#2881
Join Date: Aug 2017
Location: SAN
Posts: 1,306
They said because the water villa is no longer available when trying to re-book. I do not know why this would matter when shortening a reservation. Are you booked into a water villa or beach villa on points?
EDIT: Tried chat again and no dice...same story. This is asinine...can agents just not shorten existing stays without having to totally re-book? This is apparently an issue when the existing room type is no longer available for new bookings.
EDIT: Tried chat again and no dice...same story. This is asinine...can agents just not shorten existing stays without having to totally re-book? This is apparently an issue when the existing room type is no longer available for new bookings.
I guess my next step would be to call the 800# and ask for a supervisor. If not progress there go with email direct to the hotel.
All my reservations are OWV
TD
Jan 26, 2019, 5:52 pm
#2882
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: UK
Programs: BA GGL; Virgin Gold; HHonors Lifetime Diamond
Posts: 417
Just to provide another data point: I negotiated an upgrade rate of $194++/night to go from a water villa to a retreat water villa for 21 nights during the Dec 2019 - Jan 2020 festive season. I used the low figure for 2019 upgrade rates in the sticky as a reference point in my negotiations. Not sure if it helped but it is our third visit to Rangali and we are both diamonds.
Reservations on Hilton’s website all say Retreat Water Villa. Looking forward to snorkeling right off our villa and swimming to the drop off / house reef.
Reservations on Hilton’s website all say Retreat Water Villa. Looking forward to snorkeling right off our villa and swimming to the drop off / house reef.
We stayed 10 nights over New Year’s Eve a couple of weeks ago - having spoken to them while we were there earlier in the year in August and agreed a $450++ a night upgrade price to a RWV (and at the time we were told that was a 50% discount special for us having stayed there over a dozen times before + diamond member discount). I then saw a post from someone else on here who was there in a RWV on overlapping days with us - and I think they said it was their first visit to Rangali and they’d secured a rate of $400. Which at the time didn’t make me feel great.
And I’ve just booked a WV for 12 nights over next New Year’s Eve period and contacted them to agree upgrades rates.
Here’s the first email reply I got:
“With regards to the upgrade, glad to extend the following upgrade quote : $ 619.50 per night to Deluxe Beach Villa/ Superior Water Villa , $ 908.00 per night to Retreat Water Villa and $ 1128.00 per night to Deluxe Water villa. This rates are inclusive of taxes.”
I replied, pointing out that even the Hilton site was displaying public rates about 50% cheaper than that, and got this reply (which I haven’t edited, it’s just written strangely) with improved rates:
“$ 494.00 per night to Deluxe Beach Villa , $ 370.00 per night to Superior Water Villa, $ 556.20 and $ 741.60 per night to Deluxe Water Villa . This rates are per Villa per night inclusive of taxes. Please kindly note this rates are from the online rates with a 40% discount and exceptionally included taxes.”
I replied politely pointing out that surely they must be having a giant laugh at my expense as those rates are still hugely above the public rates and definitely don’t contain any discount, let alone 40%.
I finally got them to agree to match the published difference between the rates shown on the Hilton website. But they wouldn’t offer a cent more discount than that (even though they know us well from so many stays). And the upgrade price they’ve charged us and I’ve had to agree to is far higher than (more than twice as much as) numerous other recent posts on here for rates over the next New Year period.
I’m at a total loss to understand this. I get they’re free to charge me whatever they want. But I’m sufficiently hacked off that I think I’m just going to cancel and never go back. There may be nowhere else quite like this place but I feel quite hurt by the experience from people we felt we knew at a personal level.
(Thought the above might be useful info for others negotiating with them, as it would appear there’s a chance they might be inclined to try it on with some people where they’ve got records that indicate a willingness to pay big bills there - e.g. we’ve been perfectly happy in the past to book their PWVs for cash and/or pay bills of 20k+ for short stays.)
Jan 26, 2019, 6:07 pm
#2883
Join Date: Feb 2010
Posts: 1,263
Fascinating and frustrating!!
We stayed 10 nights over New Year’s Eve a couple of weeks ago - having spoken to them while we were there earlier in the year in August and agreed a $450++ a night upgrade price to a RWV (and at the time we were told that was a 50% discount special for us having stayed there over a dozen times before + diamond member discount). I then saw a post from someone else on here who was there in a RWV on overlapping days with us - and I think they said it was their first visit to Rangali and they’d secured a rate of $400. Which at the time didn’t make me feel great.
And I’ve just booked a WV for 12 nights over next New Year’s Eve period and contacted them to agree upgrades rates.
Here’s the first email reply I got:
“With regards to the upgrade, glad to extend the following upgrade quote : $ 619.50 per night to Deluxe Beach Villa/ Superior Water Villa , $ 908.00 per night to Retreat Water Villa and $ 1128.00 per night to Deluxe Water villa. This rates are inclusive of taxes.”
I replied, pointing out that even the Hilton site was displaying public rates about 50% cheaper than that, and got this reply (which I haven’t edited, it’s just written strangely) with improved rates:
“$ 494.00 per night to Deluxe Beach Villa , $ 370.00 per night to Superior Water Villa, $ 556.20 and $ 741.60 per night to Deluxe Water Villa . This rates are per Villa per night inclusive of taxes. Please kindly note this rates are from the online rates with a 40% discount and exceptionally included taxes.”
I replied politely pointing out that surely they must be having a giant laugh at my expense as those rates are still hugely above the public rates and definitely don’t contain any discount, let alone 40%.
I finally got them to agree to match the published difference between the rates shown on the Hilton website. But they wouldn’t offer a cent more discount than that (even though they know us well from so many stays). And the upgrade price they’ve charged us and I’ve had to agree to is far higher than (more than twice as much as) numerous other recent posts on here for rates over the next New Year period.
I’m at a total loss to understand this. I get they’re free to charge me whatever they want. But I’m sufficiently hacked off that I think I’m just going to cancel and never go back. There may be nowhere else quite like this place but I feel quite hurt by the experience from people we felt we knew at a personal level.
(Thought the above might be useful info for others negotiating with them, as it would appear there’s a chance they might be inclined to try it on with some people where they’ve got records that indicate a willingness to pay big bills there - e.g. we’ve been perfectly happy in the past to book their PWVs for cash and/or pay bills of 20k+ for short stays.)
Jan 26, 2019, 6:11 pm
#2884
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: UK
Programs: BA GGL; Virgin Gold; HHonors Lifetime Diamond
Posts: 417
Those rates seem incredibly high to what is in the wiki...are the wiki upgrade rates from 2019 high season wrong? I currently have a WV booked and it looked like the upgrade rates to a DBV from WV were listed as ~$110/nt in the wiki. If they are $500+, I need to re-consider some things.
Jan 26, 2019, 6:56 pm
#2885
Join Date: Aug 2017
Location: SAN
Posts: 1,306
TD
Jan 27, 2019, 12:03 am
#2886
Join Date: Jun 2016
Posts: 2,257
No luck with the 800# or chat just now...said they are unable to shorten the reservation (even though I am well within the modification period). I will just call the property directly once it is later in the day there and the reservation office opens. This is becoming an exercise in futility.
Jan 27, 2019, 9:45 am
#2887
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Back in Hell
Posts: 4,178
1. Is there an easy way to combine the third and fourth night to my existing reservation of two nights or will that cause issues? I don't want to cancel my two nights now and wait for all the points and free nights to be deposited because I'm afraid the room will not be available in three months
No. I'm not an expert but I have read in a few places that for any given day, reservations teams assign inventory a day or two before as the guest list is everchanging (new bookings, cancellations and upgrades) and so is the room matrix. Rangali might be different however, as I guess most people book months ahead and they don't have people coming in off the street. That said, you will still have some guests booking at relatively short notice, i.e; a few days or a week or two in advance, so I guess somewhere in between is a good time frame to be putting your room request forward. I always email them 2 weeks out if I have a request such as that. If there's anyone reading who knows the intracacies of how far in advance rooms get assigned at properties like this, please let us know.
Jan 27, 2019, 12:12 pm
#2888
Join Date: Feb 2010
Posts: 1,263
i was in a similar situation before - all i did was call up Hilton Honors, and then they called up the Conrad Maldives rep (dont know who is it that answer), but what happened is that there was a 3-way call amongst all of us, in which the Conrad Maldives rep promised me that if i cancel and rebook a BV (bc standard WV is no longer available), i would still pay the same upgrade $ to go from BV -> Upgraded villa as i would for standard WV -> Upgraded villa
Jan 27, 2019, 12:50 pm
#2889
Join Date: Jan 2019
Posts: 52
Any updates on when construction is supposed to begin?
Jan 27, 2019, 1:01 pm
#2890
Join Date: Aug 2013
Programs: HH Lifetime Diamond, DL PM, Hertz President's Circle
Posts: 920
Notes from our 7 night stay
Spouse and I recently returned from a fantastic 7 night stay. The first 4 nights were in a DWV and the last 3 nights were in a SunWV. The 1st of the 3 nights in the SunWV was a complimentary upgrade which was very much appreciated. There's a lot of discussion on here about the DWV vs. SWV, and if the DWV is worth the extra cost. My opinion now after staying in both is a resounding YES. We loved the DWV. DWVs have all the benefits of the SWV without any of its downsides (too close to neighbors and small deck). We had unit 348, which was spectacular with panoramic views due to no privacy fending on the left side of the villa. You can watch both the sunrise and sunset from the whirlpool. We think it is the best unit on property with the exception of the SunWV's. As others have mentioned, the villas on the small island are starting to look worn and are ready for renovation. We heard the rumors from the staff that the small island will close in the near future for a complete rebuild.
The SunWV was a fantastic treat. We spent so much time enjoying the villa and the amazing deck and pool. The massive round bed in the master is fantastically comfortable, and the master bathroom shower is out of this world. We had 349 because 350 was down for maintenance. We didn't have a neighbor for any of the nights which was great. The water is shallow around both of these villas. During low tide, water is ankle length just barely covering your feet at the bottom of the stairs and knee length during high tide. It's nice to go out further into deeper water and go for a relaxing swim because it is quiet and no one is around. Just grab water shoes. There are some fish to look at not far from the villa but nothing like the house reef. A few items about the villa that we enjoyed - unlimited bottled water included (sorry, I can't remember which brand it was) and we drank a ton, nice treats like fresh flowers, champagne, and daily fruit provided in the villa accompanied by absolutely fantastic service from our host. He accompanied us and drove us everywhere on the islands including making sure were situated at all meals at a good table.
The beaches and pools continue to be meticulously maintained and breathtaking. Tons of marine life in the house reef. As others have mentioned, wifi is significantly improved from previous stays. Food quality remained on par (high quality) with previous trips, with the one disappointment being the new menu at Koko Grill which is definitely a step down from the last menu. We also went to the beach BBQ and had dinner in the Wine Cellar, Quiet Zone, Ufaa, Rangali Bar, and In Room Dining during this trip. All great experiences. Prices seemed consistent with our last trip in 2017 - nothing jumped out at me as having jumped drastically.
One downside is that we did see a lack of attention to detail in service that we did not see during our first two stays. Examples include: on previous trips we were often greeted by name and welcomed back at breakfasts and happy hours, with beverage and table preferences remembered. None of that happened this trip. Also, it is a bit confusing as to how the hotel communicates with guests now. Sometimes you get a message on the tv (that's how we got our seaplane departure), and sometimes you get a letter. Or in some cases, you get neither after requesting a booking. This resulted in having to call to confirm that reservations were made too many times. On previous trips at the Beach BBQ, our wine and water glasses were refilled when they were half full. On this trip, they were often empty and we flagged down the servers. We can't wait to return and certainly none of this hindered the trip, but it isn't in line with the service the team has delivered on previous stays so I wanted to mention it as a data point for others. The service in the SunWV with the personal island host was fantastic. Given the pricing of the resort and amount of competition, the resort should consider reviewing the service model for some of the other higher villa categories to more closely align it to the SunWV, as this is what you get at all villas in the St. Regis, etc.
Other misc. notes:
- Tea is from 4-5 and HH at 4:30-5:30 in Vilu. It was packed with all tables at Vilu full everyday. Way more crowded than we remembered.
- Manager's reception is Wednesday (previously Tuesday).
- Service at the main pool included fruit tray and popsicles are given out at the Quiet Zone. Both were nice touches that we didn't remember from our last trips.
- Another poster mentioned a long wait for the seaplane after arrival at the resort that they hadn't experienced on previous trips. This happened to us as well. We waited in the lounge for around 2+ hours. Didn't bother us as we got to enjoy a massage and lunch but was different from previous trips where we were in and out within a half hour.
- Can't get enough of the maldivian lobster and garlic butter sauce
- Wine cellar dinner is fantastic
We may not make it back until Jan 2021, but it can't come soon enough. Glad to answer any questions.
The SunWV was a fantastic treat. We spent so much time enjoying the villa and the amazing deck and pool. The massive round bed in the master is fantastically comfortable, and the master bathroom shower is out of this world. We had 349 because 350 was down for maintenance. We didn't have a neighbor for any of the nights which was great. The water is shallow around both of these villas. During low tide, water is ankle length just barely covering your feet at the bottom of the stairs and knee length during high tide. It's nice to go out further into deeper water and go for a relaxing swim because it is quiet and no one is around. Just grab water shoes. There are some fish to look at not far from the villa but nothing like the house reef. A few items about the villa that we enjoyed - unlimited bottled water included (sorry, I can't remember which brand it was) and we drank a ton, nice treats like fresh flowers, champagne, and daily fruit provided in the villa accompanied by absolutely fantastic service from our host. He accompanied us and drove us everywhere on the islands including making sure were situated at all meals at a good table.
The beaches and pools continue to be meticulously maintained and breathtaking. Tons of marine life in the house reef. As others have mentioned, wifi is significantly improved from previous stays. Food quality remained on par (high quality) with previous trips, with the one disappointment being the new menu at Koko Grill which is definitely a step down from the last menu. We also went to the beach BBQ and had dinner in the Wine Cellar, Quiet Zone, Ufaa, Rangali Bar, and In Room Dining during this trip. All great experiences. Prices seemed consistent with our last trip in 2017 - nothing jumped out at me as having jumped drastically.
One downside is that we did see a lack of attention to detail in service that we did not see during our first two stays. Examples include: on previous trips we were often greeted by name and welcomed back at breakfasts and happy hours, with beverage and table preferences remembered. None of that happened this trip. Also, it is a bit confusing as to how the hotel communicates with guests now. Sometimes you get a message on the tv (that's how we got our seaplane departure), and sometimes you get a letter. Or in some cases, you get neither after requesting a booking. This resulted in having to call to confirm that reservations were made too many times. On previous trips at the Beach BBQ, our wine and water glasses were refilled when they were half full. On this trip, they were often empty and we flagged down the servers. We can't wait to return and certainly none of this hindered the trip, but it isn't in line with the service the team has delivered on previous stays so I wanted to mention it as a data point for others. The service in the SunWV with the personal island host was fantastic. Given the pricing of the resort and amount of competition, the resort should consider reviewing the service model for some of the other higher villa categories to more closely align it to the SunWV, as this is what you get at all villas in the St. Regis, etc.
Other misc. notes:
- Tea is from 4-5 and HH at 4:30-5:30 in Vilu. It was packed with all tables at Vilu full everyday. Way more crowded than we remembered.
- Manager's reception is Wednesday (previously Tuesday).
- Service at the main pool included fruit tray and popsicles are given out at the Quiet Zone. Both were nice touches that we didn't remember from our last trips.
- Another poster mentioned a long wait for the seaplane after arrival at the resort that they hadn't experienced on previous trips. This happened to us as well. We waited in the lounge for around 2+ hours. Didn't bother us as we got to enjoy a massage and lunch but was different from previous trips where we were in and out within a half hour.
- Can't get enough of the maldivian lobster and garlic butter sauce
- Wine cellar dinner is fantastic
We may not make it back until Jan 2021, but it can't come soon enough. Glad to answer any questions.
Last edited by Michael19887; Jan 27, 2019 at 1:15 pm
Jan 27, 2019, 1:55 pm
#2891
Join Date: May 2015
Posts: 508
headed there in a few months and so excited! If I did my homework correctly, you can't bring any alcohol into Maldives and airlines don't sell any during duty free, is this correct? It's our anniversary and wanted to bring a bottle of dom we've been saving, but looks like that's not possible?
Jan 27, 2019, 2:23 pm
#2892
Join Date: Feb 2009
Programs: HH Diamond, BAEC
Posts: 1,341
headed there in a few months and so excited! If I did my homework correctly, you can't bring any alcohol into Maldives and airlines don't sell any during duty free, is this correct? It's our anniversary and wanted to bring a bottle of dom we've been saving, but looks like that's not possible?
Jan 27, 2019, 9:33 pm
#2894
Join Date: Mar 2009
Posts: 253
Has anybody heard of specific CR staff moving over to WA?
Last edited by llfoster; Jan 27, 2019 at 9:38 pm
Jan 28, 2019, 1:25 am
#2895
Join Date: May 2015
Posts: 508
OMG, I just spend the day reading the past 100 posts pages in this thread. I feel like I"ve been cramming for a mid-term. I'm fully up to speed on all things CR and I've never been.