Luxury Hotels/Resorts Highly Regarded ... but you were unwowed
May 21, 2017, 11:36 am
#76
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Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Southern California, USA
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I can add the StRs Washington and Dubai to this list after recent disappointing stays.
StR Dubai hard product is sensational...but boy do they need a service overhaul. Horrible service.
StR Washington is in dire need of a refurb...and even more dire need for a management/service overhaul. Wow.
StR Dubai hard product is sensational...but boy do they need a service overhaul. Horrible service.
StR Washington is in dire need of a refurb...and even more dire need for a management/service overhaul. Wow.
Last edited by bhrubin; May 21, 2017 at 2:15 pm
May 21, 2017, 1:36 pm
#77
Join Date: Jun 2016
Location: Washington DC (home); KSA (work)
Posts: 122
I can add the StRs Washington and Dubai to this list after recent disappointing stays.
StR Dubai had product is sensational...but boy do they need a service overhaul. Horrible service.
StR Washington is in dire need of a refurb...and even more dire need for a management/service overhaul. Wow.
StR Dubai had product is sensational...but boy do they need a service overhaul. Horrible service.
StR Washington is in dire need of a refurb...and even more dire need for a management/service overhaul. Wow.
Dec 21, 2018, 7:03 pm
#78
Join Date: Nov 2018
Posts: 65
Won't try
Iniala - design. Just doesn't appeal
The Reverie Saigon - see "design"
Burj Al Arab - where do I even begin
Any 'big cruise'
Would definitely not return
Belmond Siem Reap - 'suites' that are anything but, service that is anything but. Bizarrely one of the best pools in Siem Reap though, but even that felt a little 'cramped'
Four Seasons Jimbaran Bay - I hear the newly renovated and new villa types are nice, and the residence villas look okay, but I have no interest in going back for a stay. The property is just too large
Six Senses Laamu - too many properties in the Maldives to bother going back to one that was just about par
Six Senses Yao Noi - it's real selling point I would say is the ability to explore Phang Nga Bay and the region from here. I've already done that though...
Probably won't return
Amandari - a most lovely property (that's somewhat outdated) but there are so many lovely properties in Ubud...
Trisara - gorgeous views and rooms with mixed food and service and a location (beachwise) that isn't ideal
Would consider return
Amanusa - primarily for for its villas which are some of my favourite anywhere, but also for location/convenience. Not much else really appeals to me down south in Bali.
Would absolutely return
Taj Falaknuma Palace - I was only in Hyderabad for 2 nights, and I want to do more. This is the place to stay - one of the best hotels I've ever stayed at
Amankila - one of my most memorable stays in a stunning locale (even with the oil tankers in the distance)
Amanpulo - see Amankila, minus the oil tankers
Iniala - design. Just doesn't appeal
The Reverie Saigon - see "design"
Burj Al Arab - where do I even begin
Any 'big cruise'
Would definitely not return
Belmond Siem Reap - 'suites' that are anything but, service that is anything but. Bizarrely one of the best pools in Siem Reap though, but even that felt a little 'cramped'
Four Seasons Jimbaran Bay - I hear the newly renovated and new villa types are nice, and the residence villas look okay, but I have no interest in going back for a stay. The property is just too large
Six Senses Laamu - too many properties in the Maldives to bother going back to one that was just about par
Six Senses Yao Noi - it's real selling point I would say is the ability to explore Phang Nga Bay and the region from here. I've already done that though...
Probably won't return
Amandari - a most lovely property (that's somewhat outdated) but there are so many lovely properties in Ubud...
Trisara - gorgeous views and rooms with mixed food and service and a location (beachwise) that isn't ideal
Would consider return
Amanusa - primarily for for its villas which are some of my favourite anywhere, but also for location/convenience. Not much else really appeals to me down south in Bali.
Would absolutely return
Taj Falaknuma Palace - I was only in Hyderabad for 2 nights, and I want to do more. This is the place to stay - one of the best hotels I've ever stayed at
Amankila - one of my most memorable stays in a stunning locale (even with the oil tankers in the distance)
Amanpulo - see Amankila, minus the oil tankers
The rooms are 1500/nt so as a solo traveler, I'm trying to find a few reasons to justify that price tag
Any insight would be really appreciated!
Thanks!
Jan 8, 2019, 1:49 am
#79
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: OSL
Programs: BA Gold | SK Gold | A3 Gold
Posts: 4,553
One to add to the list, although I don't know if it goes highly recommended - is the Mandarin Oriental in Shanghai.
Very disappointing service (at club lounge), nice hard product in the rooms but that is almost everywhere in China and doesn't qualify as "luxury".
I did appreciate the cakes, wine bottle, evening snacks etc but there was no "wow" factor staying at this property. Stayed previously at the Park Hyatt which had fantastic views over the city.
Also stayed at the MO in Miami which had nice service but a very sad hard product - outdated rooms, pool too small etc. although the views were nice.
Very disappointing service (at club lounge), nice hard product in the rooms but that is almost everywhere in China and doesn't qualify as "luxury".
I did appreciate the cakes, wine bottle, evening snacks etc but there was no "wow" factor staying at this property. Stayed previously at the Park Hyatt which had fantastic views over the city.
Also stayed at the MO in Miami which had nice service but a very sad hard product - outdated rooms, pool too small etc. although the views were nice.
Jan 14, 2019, 9:45 pm
#80
Join Date: Aug 2011
Programs: Marriott Bonvoy Ambassador
Posts: 598
I wasn't a big fan of The Breakers in Palm Beach. Rooms were very small and dated, service was mediocre at best, pool/beach areas and restaurants were constantly packed, and this was all during an off-peak stay. Upgrading to Flagler Club level helped - they had solid food and drink options, much more modern rooms (although still tiny at 300 square feet), nice terrace, and fewer crowds overall - but it still didn't help the insane crowds outside. While the grounds are beautiful and the food and beverage were consistently good, I think the resort just has too many rooms (540) and their facilities can't handle the crowds. I certainly don't think their standard, dated rooms overlooking the HVAC units are worth $1,000+ a night in the winter. Much better off at a place like the St. Regis Bal Harbour, where the standard room is more than twice the size and features an ocean view, and the public areas don't feel overwhelming.
Jan 18, 2019, 2:58 am
#81
Join Date: Jan 2019
Posts: 6
FS Florence was a disappointment. Service throughout the hotel was bad and the bellmen was especially rude. The garden was quite nice though.
Peninsula HK was one of my worst stays in 5 star properties. One of the shower heads in my suite (which was one of their top suites) was broken and many amenities were missing on the first night. I even found a yoga menu under the bed sheet, god knows how it got there...
Peninsula HK was one of my worst stays in 5 star properties. One of the shower heads in my suite (which was one of their top suites) was broken and many amenities were missing on the first night. I even found a yoga menu under the bed sheet, god knows how it got there...
Jan 18, 2019, 3:14 am
#82
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Europe
Posts: 2,599
This is uncharacteristic for Florence. Would you mind sharing a few examples of service failures and especially rudeness of the bellmen?
Jan 18, 2019, 5:47 am
#83
Join Date: Jan 2019
Posts: 6
1. I asked the front desk to book a taxi to the airport on my day of departure and then went out for sightseeing. When I returned, the front desk told me that they actually didn't book any taxi despite my request, because they thought that it would be easy to get a taxi. Then it started raining heavily and there was a traffic jam around the hotel. It eventually took them more than 30 minutes to find a taxi, which could have been avoided had they called for taxi in advance.
2. When I was leaving the hotel, there was another group of guests leaving and the bellman refused to get the taxi to drive up to the front door of the hotel for me. I asked the bellman if he could at least ask the taxi to drive to somewhere closer to the front door (the taxi was parked approximately 20 meters away from the front door at that time), and the bellman told me that it was not possible because it would block the car of the other guests leaving. I then told the bellman that I can wait till the other guests left, but the bellman insisted that I must leave immediately otherwise they will not keep the taxi for me. Due to the heavy rain at that time, I asked the bellman whether they can lend me an umbrella. Again, the bellman told me no because I have already checked out. So I had to carry all the luggage by myself (all the bellmen were occupied helping the other group of guests) and walk to the taxi during the heavy rain without any umbrella. Luckily the taxi driver saw me and rushed out of the taxi to help with my luggage. To this day I still think that that taxi driver had a better sense of service than anyone I encountered at FS Florence.
Jan 18, 2019, 6:27 am
#84
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Parts Unknown
Posts: 10,052
FS Florence was a disappointment. Service throughout the hotel was bad and the bellmen was especially rude. The garden was quite nice though.
Peninsula HK was one of my worst stays in 5 star properties. One of the shower heads in my suite (which was one of their top suites) was broken and many amenities were missing on the first night. I even found a yoga menu under the bed sheet, god knows how it got there...
Peninsula HK was one of my worst stays in 5 star properties. One of the shower heads in my suite (which was one of their top suites) was broken and many amenities were missing on the first night. I even found a yoga menu under the bed sheet, god knows how it got there...
Jan 18, 2019, 9:39 am
#85
Join Date: Jul 2015
Posts: 1,028
StR Rome back in 2016 while they were going through the remodel. Service and experience was a solid meh.
FS Vancouver service was great, rooms were horrible, gym was super nice.
Park Hyatt Milan was meh but this might be because we just came from 3 absolutely amazing, out of this world, stays at the G-Rough Roma, Villa Cora Firenze, and the Gritti Palace.
FS Vancouver service was great, rooms were horrible, gym was super nice.
Park Hyatt Milan was meh but this might be because we just came from 3 absolutely amazing, out of this world, stays at the G-Rough Roma, Villa Cora Firenze, and the Gritti Palace.
Jan 18, 2019, 10:21 am
#86
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FS George V Paris: didn’t stay but had drinks/lunch, but really wasn’t fond of layout, vibe, and the stiff formality.
The Bristol Paris: didn’t stay, but despised the incredibly dated room/suite decor and furnishings, felt almost like I was staying at French grandma’s house.
FS Florence: didn’t stay but had lunch, not impressed by the public spaces layout or horrible greenish decor and furnishings, felt out of place and not modern/classy at all, spa facility was confusingly and poorly laid out, as well
MO Hyde Park London: didn’t stay but had dinner at Dinner, yet one of worst service experiences I’ve ever had at a presumed 5* hotel
Peninsula Tokyo: didn’t stay, despised the crowded red lobby, rooms and suites were terribly dated and surprisingly unimpressive
MO Tokyo: didn’t stay but had lunch, rooms and suites were very dated and uninspired.
FS Tokyo: didn’t stay but felt like a very dated Park Hyatt in serious need for immediate refurbishment...a decade ago. Lack of true lobby also felt odd/unimpressive
Aman Tokyo: didn’t stay but had tea service, amazing hard product indeed, but mediocre to average soft product and disappointing service in particular.
Aman Summer Palace: terribly disappointing lack of Aman serenity, lack of service, disappointing F&B, but did have amazing service recovery at least, would never stay again, however, set the stage for us for how and why Aman doesn’t perform/justify its rate premium in urban environment
St Regis Dubai: no longer StR, some of worst service I’d ever experienced at a StR
St Regis Washington: incredibly dated hard product in massive need for refurbishment, massive service issues makes this a non-starter for me
FS Buenos Aires: didn’t stay but had a Christmas Eve dinner, loved the mansion, despised the rest of the sterile property, no character at all
FS Istanbul Bosphorus: didn’t stay but had lunch/drinks, despised the sterile marble mausoleum ambience, ridiculously overpriced
Villa San Michele Florence/Feisole: lovely junior suite, great views onto Florence, but ridiculous formality and distance from city center made it a disappointment for us
Azura Benguerra, Mozambique (pre-&Beyond): incredible hard product and location let down by massive failures in all manner of soft product, pitiful service, terrible F&B, wines stored outside and in sun (!!!), overall terrible management
FS Hong Kong: didn’t stay but had dinner and drinks, felt like corporate convention hotel to me, way too crowded and frenetic lobby, too big, not much character at all to us
The Bristol Paris: didn’t stay, but despised the incredibly dated room/suite decor and furnishings, felt almost like I was staying at French grandma’s house.
FS Florence: didn’t stay but had lunch, not impressed by the public spaces layout or horrible greenish decor and furnishings, felt out of place and not modern/classy at all, spa facility was confusingly and poorly laid out, as well
MO Hyde Park London: didn’t stay but had dinner at Dinner, yet one of worst service experiences I’ve ever had at a presumed 5* hotel
Peninsula Tokyo: didn’t stay, despised the crowded red lobby, rooms and suites were terribly dated and surprisingly unimpressive
MO Tokyo: didn’t stay but had lunch, rooms and suites were very dated and uninspired.
FS Tokyo: didn’t stay but felt like a very dated Park Hyatt in serious need for immediate refurbishment...a decade ago. Lack of true lobby also felt odd/unimpressive
Aman Tokyo: didn’t stay but had tea service, amazing hard product indeed, but mediocre to average soft product and disappointing service in particular.
Aman Summer Palace: terribly disappointing lack of Aman serenity, lack of service, disappointing F&B, but did have amazing service recovery at least, would never stay again, however, set the stage for us for how and why Aman doesn’t perform/justify its rate premium in urban environment
St Regis Dubai: no longer StR, some of worst service I’d ever experienced at a StR
St Regis Washington: incredibly dated hard product in massive need for refurbishment, massive service issues makes this a non-starter for me
FS Buenos Aires: didn’t stay but had a Christmas Eve dinner, loved the mansion, despised the rest of the sterile property, no character at all
FS Istanbul Bosphorus: didn’t stay but had lunch/drinks, despised the sterile marble mausoleum ambience, ridiculously overpriced
Villa San Michele Florence/Feisole: lovely junior suite, great views onto Florence, but ridiculous formality and distance from city center made it a disappointment for us
Azura Benguerra, Mozambique (pre-&Beyond): incredible hard product and location let down by massive failures in all manner of soft product, pitiful service, terrible F&B, wines stored outside and in sun (!!!), overall terrible management
FS Hong Kong: didn’t stay but had dinner and drinks, felt like corporate convention hotel to me, way too crowded and frenetic lobby, too big, not much character at all to us
Last edited by bhrubin; Jan 18, 2019 at 10:33 am
Jan 18, 2019, 10:44 am
#87
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: IAD/DCA
Posts: 31,797
that is the point (for others) vs >
might be interesting to have two sections of hotel, one with whatever one considers a good public lobby, and the other with a large lobby that is only open to guests of that smaller section of hotel
Last edited by Kagehitokiri; Jan 18, 2019 at 10:58 am
Jan 19, 2019, 8:10 am
#88
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Germany
Programs: Some
Posts: 11,517
Always hard to Judge if I don´t stay. Personally I think the public spaces are stunning. I´m very excited to compare FS Florence (which is one of my favourite hotels) with St. Regis Florence, which is (if I´m correct) one of your favourites.
Jan 19, 2019, 8:55 am
#89
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Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Southern California, USA
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I will be most curious to see what you think of the St Regis, as well. Indeed, we absolutely loved it. And we far preferred the decor and style of the St Regis to that of the Four Seasons, most surprisingly. (Ironically, they both have the same owner.) The St Regis actually allowed us to really enjoy Florence for the first time, something the Fiesole location of the beautiful Belmont Villa San Michele never did on our first visit.
Jan 19, 2019, 9:06 am
#90
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Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Southern California, USA
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Park Hyatt Milan was meh but this might be because we just came from 3 absolutely amazing, out of this world, stays at the G-Rough Roma, Villa Cora Firenze, and the Gritti Palace.
I forgot to include the Park Hyatt Milan, which I also found surprisingly disappointing despite its central location. Very dated. Uninspired decor. Blah service and food/beverage. We didn’t stay, but it didn’t help that we were staying at the less-centrally located Excelsior Gallia hotel which was spectacularly beautiful and an almost perfect example of modern Art Deco inspiration as I’d ever seen. (And my previous stay also had been the Gritti Palace in Venice.)